Bay Area Ridge Trail: From Tennessee Valley to Shoreline Highway

The trailhead in Tennessee Valley lies at a low divide between Coyote and Wolf ridges, from which creeks flow east to Richardson Bay and west to the ocean. The Bay Area Ridge Trail route climbs northwest along the Miwok Trail, a narrow and sometimes steep trail that ascends 800 feet towards Coyote Ridge; you’ll have sweeping views of San Francisco Bay, see bountiful spring wildflowers, and catch cool ocean breezes. Fog and wind will often accompany you over these coastal hillsides. You reach Highway 1 on a gentle descent along a wide service road. A network of trails extends south into Gerbode and Rodeo valleys and north to Muir Beach and Green Gulch. These trails are popular and very busy on weekends. One trail leads 2 miles west to Tennessee Cove, well-known for its powerful surf. It was here in 1853 that the three-masted sidewheel steamship Tennessee, on a voyage from Panama, ran aground in a fog. All aboard were saved.