Mount Tamalpais East Peak from Pantoll

The walk starts at Pantoll, the ranger station and parking lot on Panoramic Highway in Mount Tamalpais State Park. Cross the highway at the lot entrance to the Old Stage Road, a wide fire road shared with bicycles. It climbs gently past the Easy Grade junction to the West Point Inn, 1.9 miles in, built in 1904 for the mountain railway. From the inn take the Old Railroad Grade, the bed of that railway, which climbs steadily for about 1.5 miles to Ridgecrest Boulevard. Follow the road east to the East Peak parking lot, then climb the short, rocky Plank Walk Trail to Gardner Lookout on the summit, at 2,571 feet. Return the same way.

It is 8.0 miles (12.9 km) round trip with 1,110 feet (338 m) of climbing; allow about 4 hours. The grade is Moderate: fire roads on an easy gradient, with a rough path to finish.

The West Point Inn has drinking water and restrooms, and East Peak has restrooms. Dogs are not allowed on the park's trails or fire roads. Watch for cyclists on the fire roads, and for poison oak, ticks and rattlesnakes beside them. Fog is common and can hide the view.

The park is open from 7 am to sunset. Pantoll's parking lot charges a fee and fills early at weekends.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.