Having last hiked the Dipsea Trail in September 2016, I was eager to experience the raw beauty of untouched wilderness again. I was especially keen to revisit the rainforest, with its lush vegetation and moss-covered trees.
Although the Dipsea Trail has multiple entrances, I decided to start the hike from the intersection of Highway 1 and Arenal Avenue in Stinson Beach. The trail meanders through the beautiful Mt. Tamalpais State Park on the way to Muir Woods.
When we arrived at around 10:30am from Sausalito, parking was already full, but we managed to find a spot for my Sienna minivan on the Panoramic Highway/Shoreline intersection. I put on my hiking shoes, grabbed my water, camera, and hiking poles, and we embarked on our journey.
Since I did not pre-download the Google Maps for the trail, I couldn't access Google Maps on my iPhone, so I had to follow the trail directions.
Instead of taking the Steep Ravine Trail to the Steep Ravine ladder (one of the highlights from the previous hike), we followed the Dipsea trail, first walking over open spaces with low grass, reaching an eventual treeline.
We continued our walk toward the Veteran's Bench, reaching a much-needed water-fountain to replenish our water bottles.
Here is the Strava recording of my hike:
The hike was very long, with many steep ascents and descents. Ultimately, we were thoroughly exhausted, and Inna's knee started to hurt.
Dipsea Trail Hiking Report
Highlights
- Beautiful trail with lots of ferns, redwoods, mosses, and tall trees
- Water refilling station (refilled our two water bottles twice!)
- Parts of the trail are heavily shaded
Lowlights
- Lots of long uphills
- It can be a bit crowded, with lots of people hiking
- No cellphone service, could not use Google Maps for trail navigation
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