Steep Ravine
I benefited from a visit to Steep Ravine because a friend sat on the phone six months in advance to book one of their rustic cabins amidst wildflowers only a stone’s throw from the Pacific. Steep Ravine is one of those places that makes you proud to support the park system. Campsites are spread out, perched high overlooking the coast, and allow for campfires. Some of the sites are under trees on pine needles, providing a perfect night’s sleep. Tip: campsites are usually empty during the week, while the hard-to-book cabins where you can watch the crashing waves should be booked at least six months ahead of time. The beauty and solitude are worth planning six months ahead for.
Stinson Beach
If you camp at Steep Ravine, the Stinson Beach trailhead is one way to get to Stinson Beach and it’s worth the hike. The long stretch of open beach in the distance is the laid-back beach town of Stinson Beach, where many locals own and rent out beach houses for weekends. Stinson is a great place to take in the sun, walk the shoreline, and remember why you left the city in the first place.
Bolinas
Rumor has it that locals take down the signs so that tourists can’t find this little surf town tucked in from the coast just up the road from Stinson. But Bolinas, an unincorporated village that holds artists, surfers, and hippies, but no mayor, is worth Google-mapping. After perusing the single-street shops, you might want to take in a surf lesson to round out your trip.
I’ve been here over a decade, but every time I whisk myself over the bridge to Marin County, I feel like a tourist in my own town.
