If you want a hike with the redwoods, the Douglas Firs, the views, the shade and no steep uphills, this is the hike for you. Did I mention the crowds do not find their way in here? When you park at Pantoll and see the cars, you will have second thoughts about the crowds. Just remember that Pantoll is a starting point for other well known hikes like loops to the Mountain Theater and hikes down to Stinson Beach. Like the Cataract trail hike, this hike has no real uphill except for one tiny section. Actually, most of the hike is uphill but you will not notice the very slight slope on the TCC trail. This hike combines all the terrains of Mt. Tam's southern slope (except for the chaparral) and takes you through the upper reaches of those creeks that go into Muir Woods.
Terrain: mostly mixed Redwood/Douglas Fir, some grassland
Difficulty: mostly easy, one steep downhill. Good for kids
Length: 3.7 miles
Crowds: Usually low, higher on the weekends
Best times: Good year round, come after a rain to see cascades
Shade level: Hike is almost completely shaded.
Directions: From 101 at Richardson Bay, take Shoreline Highway to Panoramic Highway. Go on Panoramic Highway past Muir Woods Rd until you reach the Pantoll Ranger Station. Park there and your hike begins to the left of the ranger station.
The hike: Start the hike by taking the Alpine trail. It begins right near the intersection with Pantoll Rd and Panoramic Highway. The trail takes you through some Douglas Firs as it falls into a small canyon. This part of the hike follows Panoramic Highway so you are reminded that you are not alone. The trail descends steeply as it goes further away from the road. Redwoods become the dominant tree but the redwoods here are nowhere near as tall as the Muir Woods trees (yet.) As the trail intersects with Bootjack trail, there is a large redwood nearby. The Bootjack trail slopes down, redwoods are still dominant. You will know you are close to the Van Wyck Meadow when the Troop 80 spur branches off to the left. Right now, there is some grassland. After passing some large boulders, the Bootjack trail arrives in Van Wyck meadow with the boulder in the middle. In the meadow, there is a sign saying, "Van Wyck Meadow, population 3 stellar jays." After enjoying this clearing in the middle of the forest, take the TCC trail to the right. Almost immediately, the TCC trail crosses Redwood Creek which eventually becomes that large creek in Muir Woods. Right now, Redwood Creek is narrow and has cascades. Right after a big storm, there is usually alot of water though. There is another clump of boulders in the redwoods, this time with moss on them.
The TCC trail leaves the canyon with a very light slope. The trees change to Douglas Fir. The pattern for the rest of the TCC trail is redwoods near creeks and Douglas Firs on the ridges. Also, about 0.6 miles into the TCC trail, there is some dead manzanita which has those curvy branches. This area used to have chaparral but now, all that remains of it is the dead manzanita. Most of the canyons have small creeks because this is near the headwaters for many of the creeks. The TCC trail fortunately does not climb up this canyon with a large steep ridge. The slope is covered with ferns and the dominant trees are Douglas Firs. This canyon resembles one of those many canyons in Point Reyes around Bear Valley. By now, you should feel isolated from the rest of Marin County and the trees blocking the view does help. There are usually few hikers here (although you probably see that already) but on those packed weekends, the hikers will definitely venture onto this trail. Also, you will notice all the little cascades in the many canyons you pass. Once you enter a smaller canyon, you will know that the meandering through canyons will end soon. The Staplevelt trail intersects here and descends to the Ben Johnson trail. It also goes up to Pantoll but we will take the longer route with the views.
TCC trail makes its last trip out of a canyon as it intersects with the Dipsea trail. This part of the hike is still covered in trees but in a minute, the Dipsea trail will enter grassland. Climb up and in a few minutes, you will intersect with the Coastal trail. This a great spot to view San Francisco (hopefully it is not foggy.) Once you are done viewing, you will climb up the Coastal trail into Douglas Fir forest. The fire road will soon become paved. There used to be a quarry nearby. In about 0.3 miles, there will be a small building. 0.2 miles later, the trail reaches Pantoll and the hike unfortunately ends.
Additional options: If you want to avoid the Coastal trail above the Dipsea trail, take the small trail to the right of the Coastal trail that follows it until Pantoll.
If you wanted to cut the hike by about 0.5 miles, take the Staplevelt trail up to Pantoll. The trail goes through Douglas Fir forest.
