Jun 16

Jun 16 Visit California State Parks in Marin County

Angel Island, China Camp State Park, Easy Hikes, Exploring Marin, Flat Hikes, Hikes with a View, Hiking in Marin, Marin Hikes, Mt. Tam, Mt. Tam Hikes, Things To Do in Marin

Happy California State Parks Week to all who celebrate! That’s the hikers, nature-lovers, tree huggers, and all of us who enjoy the beautiful natural location of Marin County (and we might add the beautiful setting of our Marin Hotels!).

There are 7 state parks in Marin County, and one of them is an island!

Angel Island State Park in the middle of San Francisco Bay sits Angel Island State Park.
China Camp State Park is located on San Pablo Bay, visitors can enjoy wildlife-watching, and hiking.
Heart's Desire Beach is part of Tomales Bay State Park.
Mount Tamalpais State Park has 6,300 acres of redwood groves and oak woodlands with a spectacular view.
Olompali State Historic Park overlooks the Petaluma River and San Pablo Bay from the east. Fun fact: the Grateful Dead’s first North Coast home!
Samuel P Taylor State Park contains over 2,780 acres of wooded countryside in the rolling hills of Marin.
Tomales Bay State Park The Coast Miwok people were the first to inhabit the coastal area.

Read on to learn about our 3 of our favorites (highly subjective!) and then get out there and celebrate!

Expore China Camp State Park

Situated on the shores of the San Pablo Bay, China Camp State Park offers miles of trails and panoramic views as you would expect from a State Park in Marin County. What makes this one unique are the remnants of a Chinese fishing village. It’s lots of fun to explore and a great spot for photos. Maybe plan your visit around the Full Moon Hike, dreamy if the conditions are right.

Best Things To Do Mount Tamalpais State Park

Scenic Flat Hike on Mt. Tam. Our Marin Hotels guests love our Best Flat Hikes in Marin County series of posts on our blog, so we’re always out looking for new flat paths for you! We submit what is probably our all-time favorite: Verna Dunshee Loop Trail on the East Peak of Mt. Tamalpais. The entire loop is beautiful with views of the San Francisco skyline, the towns of Marin, and the hills, valleys and lakes surrounding us in this magical county.

Enjoy the view on Mt. Tam! This little spot on West Ridgecrest Boulevard (aka Mt. Tam Hang Gliding and Paragliding Launch B on google maps) is a perfect place to position yourself for a sky-high view of Stinson Beach from rolling hills of Mt. Tam. Post up under a giant tree and reeelax.

Coastal Trail on Mt. Tam. Another from our Flat Hikes in Marin series! The section of the Coastal Trail on Mt. Tam from the Pantoll Ranger’s Station to Willow Camp Fire Road offers lots of scenery for not a lot of effort. You’ll see when you click on that link: 8.2 miles from Pantoll Ranger’s Station to West Ridgecrest Blvd. You can do the whole out and back or only part of it since you can turn around at any point on the trail. Details here.

Day Trip to Angel Island

Almost everyone who visits the Bay Area knows about Alcatraz Island. But there’s another island out there in the Bay that is a must-do for visitors to Marin: Angel Island State Park. For an off-the-grid feeling, hop on the Angel-Island Tiburon Ferry in Tiburon and head out to this little slice of paradise in the San Francisco Bay for a day of outdoor fun. Details here.

See you out there!

Visit Our Marin Hotels

Marin Hotels is a boutique hotel collection with three properties in Marin County California. When you stay at one of our hotels, you'll experience a true sense of place since each is immersed in Marin's natural abundance.

Our hotels are small, intimate, quiet, and offer thoughtful service. Add in easy access to San Francisco, wine country, and the jewels of the National Park system right here in Marin and you'll see for yourself why at stay at one of our hotels is not just a hotel room, but an unforgettable Northern California experience.