Secret Summit

Hike Mount Tam West Peak

Marin's Mount Tam is one of the Bay Area's most traveled mountains, yet even this icon of the North Bay holds some secrets … including a summit! The less-traversed West Peak is actually Tam's original summit, and still receives less than 1 percent of the 3 million annual visitors to Mount Tam. Get to it on a 2.5-mile loop hike that starts via the 0.6-mile Mountain Top Trail. As you make your way up, the rocky fire road funnels into a densely forested singletrack trail before opening up to surprising views at the trail's end on Table Hill. In addition to the stunning mountaintop views of Alpine Lake, the Pacific, and San Francisco Bay, Table Hill is marked by a sprawl of remnant cement structures, staircases, tile floors, and gutted buildings from the military's 1941–1976 use of the peak. There's even a cinderblock building that once served as a bowling alley. After a quarter of a mile through the remains, get a look at the radar dome resembling a giant white golf ball. It sits on what was originally the 2,600-foot peak of the mountain before it was leveled to build a radar station. This area is off-limits, but visible from the road. Drop down Arturo Trail, a 0.5-mile singletrack that switchbacks through a foggy microclimate past trees covered with layers of green moss before meeting with Lagunitas–Rock Spring Fire Road. Head left up the fire road for the final 1.25 miles, passing Portrero Meadows before the rolling trail dips back down to the start of the loop.

From Rock Springs Parking Lot at the intersection of Pantoll Rd. and E. Ridgecrest Blvd. in Mount Tamalpais State Park, drive 0.4 mile northeast on E. Ridgecrest Blvd. to reach the gravel Mountain Theater Overflow Lot (aka Quarry Parking Lot). Mountain Top Trail begins across the street from the lot. No dogs. 

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View