Just north of San Francisco's Golden Gate is Mount Tamalpais, 6,300 acres of redwood groves and oak woodlands with a spectacular view from the 2,571-foot east peak. Mt. Tamalpais (Tamal-pie-us) State Park, located in the heart of Marin County, with its dramatic combination of urban and natural scenery, is among the most spectacular of its kind in the world. On a clear day one can often see the Farallon Islands some 25 miles out to sea, and occasionally it is possible to look inland, across the Central Valley to the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, almost 200 miles away!

Mount Tamalpais sometimes feels like the bay area's Yosemite National Park. Awe inspiring, beautiful and all that, but most of all, crowded! I prefer to hike Mount Tam when it's relatively quiet, so in the summer I stay away from the heart of Tam, and hike around the edges, selecting trails on the north slope near the lakes, and the harder-to-get-to neighborhood trailheads in Mill Valley. Most visitors seem to focus on the trails right off Panoramic, near Pantoll, and around the summit. When autumn rolls around, I itch for the south slopes of Tam, and it's a wonderful time of year to hike here. Golden light filters through the trees onto fallen pine needles, the breeze is soft, and views are often clear.

Inspite of being one of the cheap hotels in San Francisco there are many things to do and see in the vicinity of Mill Valley Travelodge. San Francisco (Marin County), spectacular views from Mill Valley retreat just 15 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Two main trails lead from the house down the north side of the ridge to downtown Mill Valley. The trails on the west side lead to the old gravity railroad grade to the top of Mt. Tamalpais. The trails on the south side lead down to Muir Woods.

Muir Beach is only ten minutes away and Stinson Beach is 17 minutes away. Downtown Mill Valley is five minutes away and is a very charming and delightful town with shops, multiple restaurants, theaters, coffee shops, a terrific library and community center, parks and playgrounds.