Up Mount Tam on a railroad grade
By Austin Explorer on 4/30/2017
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Distance: 7.27 Miles Duration: 3 hours, 29 minutes
Coppertone and I joined some other members of the Sonoma Activity Group on and out and back up the side of Mount Tamalpais. The route chosen was an old fire road which may have also been part of the path used by the Mount Tamapais railroad. The trail names (Gravity Car Road and Old Railroad Grade) certainly seemed to hint at that.
The trail provided numerous views to the south towards southern Marin County and San Francisco. At times it was possible to see sweeping views from Richmond to the Pacific Ocean. This included Angel Island, Alcatraz, Oakland, the Bay Bridge, the very top of the Golden Gate Bridge, Sutro Tower and so much more.
Because of the gentle grade and wide trail, the path was also very popular with cyclists who occasionally whipped by. Most were quite courteous though.
Our turnaround point was the West Point Inn, one of the few remaining signs of the old railroad on the mountain. It once served as a stopping point for the railroad and now serves as an off-the-grid inn and rest stop for hikers on the mountain. Coppertone and I may consider a couple of days here at some point in the future to be able to do as many trails in the area as possible.