Milling About Mill Valley's Trails, Paths, and Stairways.

Nested in the shadow of Mt Tam and surrounded by beautiful wooded canyons, Mill Valley has the charm of a small European town and all the amenities of an urban city. True to its roots as a former logging center, the hillsides around the town are circled with redwood and cypress filled trails, paths, and stairways.

We'll meet at the commercial center of Mill Valley- at the corner of Miller & Sunnyside (restroom across from the bank). WE LEAVE AT 11:15 ON THE DOT. This little plaza beside the former train depot (and now coffeeshop/bookstore) has one of Mill Valley's famous gravity cars which took holidayers up and down Mt Tam. As we leave the village square, the neighborhoods become more residential and we'll see some of downtown's most charming architecture.

The city has an abundance of parks and trails. We'll start by visiting the THREE WELLS TRAIL, a marvelous formation of three circular cascading pools formed in rocks along the creek. At the trail end, we enter the pathway to CASCADE CANYON FALLS. With all this rain lately, I think the waterfall will be in full force. We leave Cascade Falls and head back towards the TENDERFOOT TRAIL. This old logging road is the longest section of our hike- the 1.5 mile trail crosses multiple creeks, mostly on small bridges, along the canyon. Though the ridge is steep, the path meanders along its contour, providing a pleasant easy-walking grade. The forest is thick native trees. The trail lets out on the road to the PANORAMIC HIGHWAY, which lives up to its name- the views are breathtaking. It's here that we'll take a short "restroom and rest" break. We go back down to town via the PIPLEINE TRAIL which weaves around a deep ravine (and has remnants of the old piping system throughout). The trail lets out to a county road, which we follow to the DIPSEA TRAIL and go down the famous DIPSEA STEPS. These 600+ steps in three sections are comprised of stone, pavement, railway ties, wood, and sand. World class runners from all over come to "run the Dipsea' on these beautiful stairways (the elite runers go up- we'll be going down). At last, the trail takes us to Old Mill Park and we return to our starting point in downtown Mill Valley.

I AM RATING THIS AS AN " UPPER MODERATE" WALK more for terrain than for elevation. There are a few steep sections, but they're short and easily navigated. Most of the walk will be on unpaved trails. These trails are covered with exposed roots, rocks, stones, and redwood tree needles and twigs. They are not smooth fire lanes, but often narrow, and may be slippery if we go past mud. We will walk at a moderate pace, being extra careful in the tricky sections, but it is very important that you be able to navigate these uphill, unsteady, and uneven trails if you sign up for the walk.

I expect it will take about 4 hours depending on break time. There is no easy "turn-back" spot. There will be a quick restroom stop near the beginning, then one more about 2 1/2 hours in to the walk.

THINGS TO BRING:
Water
Lunch or snack for the break
A towel or blanket to sit on at the break
Walking poles if you use them
Camera
Hand sanitizer
Dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes.

GETTING THERE: Mill Valley is a 20-30 minute drive from downtown San Francisco. Follow Highway 1 North over the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin. Take the Sausaito/Mill Valley exit and follow the signs to Throckmorton/Miller Streets.

PARKING- unlimited, free parking can be found on the hillside streets above the square. You should be able to find something a few blocks away from our starting point. DO NOT PARK IN THE METERED SPACES IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE SQUARE. They have a 2 hour limit and you will be ticketed.

CARPOOL- Between parking, gas, and the bridge toll, it makes sense to carpool. But be careful and consider only taking someone you already know. If you feel comfortable offering someone a ride, please fo so. The Meetup platform can make it tricky for members to contact each other, so if you're having difficuty message me and I'll put people in touch.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION- it's possible, but it takes a while. Golden Gate Transit Bus #130 (San Rafael/north) leaves the SalesforceTerminal at 9:18 AM-Check GOOGLE MAPS PLANNER for your closest stop. It arrives in Sausalito at Bridgeway and Bay at 10:04 AM. From there you transfer to Marin Transit bus #17 (San Rafael/north) at 10.32 AM, arriving at Sunnyside/ Miller at 11:03. It obviously takes a lot longer to get there on the bus, but GGT buses are pretty nice and they have wi-fi. You'll have about 1/2 an hour in downgtown Sausalito- plenty of time to get an ice cream.
For a bit of an adventure on the way back, you can take the Ferry from Sausalito instead of the bus.

ATTENDANCE: This group takes its attendance policy seriously. Please only RSVP if you intend to attend, and update your RSVP if you have a change of plans. We try to keep our walks to a comfortable number of people, and to do so we need cooperation from the membership. I have to keep the numbers low for this walk- there will be times we walk single file along a narrow path. This walk is only available to current City Steps members.

Dogs: Dogs are always welcome on my walks. This one is along a combination of streets and trails, and it's a long walk, so please make sure your dog is up for it. The Tenderfoot Trail is on-leash and I understand that they do ticket because of the off-road bicycle use.

You are responsible for your own safety on all City Steps walks. Your yes RSVP confirms that you have read and agree to the Liability Waiver that appears at the bottom of every Meetup.com page

AFTER THE WALK- The village of Mill Valley is charming and filled with a wide variety of restaurants, shops, cafes and stores. It's a lovely spot for a late lunch, early dinner, or picnic in the park.

We walk in a light mist, but rain cancels. If we have a heavy rain on Saturday, I may have to cancel the walk, as the trails become muddy and slippery. I will make that decision by Sunday at 7:00 AM.