Steep Ravine Trail via Pantoll Station

Steep Ravine Trail from Pantoll Station, Steep Ravine Trail from Pantoll Station
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Steep Ravine Trail via Pantoll Station
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Details

Distance
3.96 miles
Elevation Gain
1079 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back

Features

Forest
Bathrooms
Wildflowers
Waterfall
Scenic
Romantic
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About this place

Added by Karen Nierlich

For science fiction fans this trail will remind you of Middle Earth from the Lord of the Rings. I dub this trail the rock star of mossy Bay Area places for its abundance of mossy trees, lichens and ferns. Also, there is a cool ladder to climb down in the middle.

The trailhead Pantoll Station is easy to find on GPS and there are friendly rangers there as well to answer questions.

Maps: Paper map are available at the trailhead Pantoll Station in Marin, CA.  

For a moderate hike, I suggest going the one and a half miles down the trail to the ladder and return. There will be downhill switchbacks getting there and uphill on the way back. It's three miles roundtrip or you can head down the trail until it meets Shoreline HWY (~4 miles). There are logs along the trail if you are looking for rest spots. The trail follows a beautiful creek with mossy trees and ferns the whole way.

For a more challenging hike here are some options:

1) Down Steep Ravine Trail from Pantoll Station to where the trail meets the Dipsea Trail, and return back up Steep Ravine. (Approximately five miles and 50% uphill.)

2) Down Steep Ravine Trail and follow the Dipsea Trail to Stinson Beach. At Stinson Beach, locate the Matt Davis Trail behind the fire station at the end of the short block. Follow Matt Davis back uphill to Pantoll Station. Matt Davis will take you back to where you started. (Approximately seven-eight miles and uphill). Check out the Matt Davis - Steep Ravine Loop for more details on this hike (Note: this write-up has you starting at the Matt Davis Trailhead near the Stinson Beach fire station). 

Dogs: Not allowed on this trail. 

Weekend Crowds and Parking: Summer Weekends are crazy busy. Arrive before 9am if you can. Parking can be hard to find after 11 am. There is parking along the side of the roads, which is okay if you don’t mind walking along the road with cars passing by. 

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Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and be sure to follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly.
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Brian Heifferon
Club
10/2/2024
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Dominic Pascucci
11/11/2022
Forest hike
This is a great hike on Mount Tam. I really like the wood ladder bridge on this trail. Something different. Pantoll station can ...
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Jessica Otero
1/17/2017
Fern Gully meets the Beach
This was an excellent hike! I would recommend taking the Steep Ravine Trail to Dipsea trail so that you're adventure ends at Stinson Beach! ...
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