Went here for the first time about 2 weeks back LOVED IT. really good exercise, good for a group outing hiking day, or to ride your bike. I will say the parking could be a hassle, but just get there earlier and youll be fine. I got a really good work out in 7 miles, once you reach the top beautiful view seriously. If its your first time here or hiking in general bring water, & snacks. Good alternative to Yosemite.

Really nice place to hike. Its about a 1.8 mile hike from the parking lot to the beach. Its flat for the most part, and the trail splits off into two sections. One of the paths is easier to walk on but disallows the use of bikes while on it. The beach itself is really cool, it doesnt get too packed and has some really nice scenery.

Pretty easy out and back hike for the average human life form. There is a “Y” in the trail that takes you to the low, less hilly, route to the left. I recommend taking the hilly route to the right on the way out, and the faster flat route on the way back.

Wonderful small little beach after a brisk walk. Lovely place for a weekend

I was here on 5/30/20.Parking lot was closed and bathrooms closed.I had parked my car at Rodeo Avenue.It was over 11 miles round trip for me, I was hiking from the mountain down to the ocean and come back, it was about 2,200 ft gain,it is the most spectacular view of the mountains, incredible view ocean and indeed of the city.I had everything in this hike.I was able to see Oakland Bay, Tiburon, GGB, SF bay... and a lot more...At Tennessee beach I was climbed up 800 ft to vista point.It is the most amazing relaxing view I haven’t never seen, since not many people up there.I will come back here again for HILL 88.Happy hike everyone,

Best views in the bay. Moderate hike make sure to hydrate and start very early.

Easy walk down to a beautiful beach. Great for people of all ages, with side trails to make it more challenging if desired. Very busy so get there early.

Nice gentle hike to the beach, get there early if you want to park you car.

Gorgeous coastal (moderate) hiking trails!! My bff and I (same germ pod) parked at the Tennessee Valley Trailhead then headed to Muir Beach!The views of lush landscapes and thick fog are truly impressive (in that very PNW way) and make the huffing and puffing well worth it. There are a bunch of trails with varying intensities (we went the steeper route) so i feel there might be something accessible to folks with limited mobility.We had ourselves a picnic on the beach and headed back.STUNNING — would definitely recommend!!

Easy access mainly level trail to the beach with a few small hills but also bathrooms and benches. Lots of more challenging trails around as well. Another awesome Bay Area park

Lots of trailheads from this point, a few dog friendly. We took our pup on the Rhubarb trail to the Alta trail for some lovely bay views. Moss covered trees, ferns, wild flowers, and a creek along a well maintained trail. Stay on the trail as you are hiking among red frog habitat.

It is a lesser-known place than some of the other Marin County sites, so its not crowded. But its as scenic. Just watch for the poison oak on the Rhubarb Trail (and possibly other trails). Remember: If you see three, let it be! (I included some pictures of some poison oak.)

My very favorite hike. It’s strenuous but such a great experience. Don’t dress warm, do stop at the Pelican Inn for a beer or snack, you’ll love it.

Tennessee Valley one of my favo bay area hiking spots with Pirates Cove trail being top on my list. Great views from nearly everywhere in the park. Trail from parking lot to beach easily graded for baby strollers, wheelchairs, & folks not interested in a vigorous workout.

A very pretty beach that has a nice hike to reach it from the trailhead

The ratio of being rewarding to being accessible is off the charts for us. Its a quick 20min (or less) drive from SF and then a perfect 3+ mile walk/hike from the dirt parking lot to the ocean and back. One of the photos posted here is from the top of the stairs on the cliff right at the very end. If you decide to hike up these, please be careful as there is nearly no protection from going over the edge (certain doom).This area is perfect for families with children and avid hikers alike (as there are many trails that branch off from here that connect all over Marin).With all my recommendations, I suggest getting there before 10am. The hustle of the parking lot can kill off some of the spirit of adventure.

Great place to walk with a beach at the end. Hike isnt bad at all

This trail and the beach at the end are quintessential Marin. You can do a short hike to Tennessee Valley beach, or a longer hike to Muir beach. I did the shorter hike, and the views along the way and at the end are so rewarding, and make you feel so grateful to live in the most beautiful place in CA. There are restrooms at the trailhead and beach, and free parking.

Really spectacular walk out to Tennessee Cove. Its nearly 2 miles out to the beach so be prepared for a nearly 4 mile roundtrip. Its worth it...the hills, birds, occasional small critters. A magical (and at times windy) place to explore.

A beautiful uphill hike to a pristine lake.

This is a great place to hike because theres lots of options...easy to the beach or steep up and down all day adventures. Get here early as the parking fills up and bring your own water.

Chill nice view/hike (depending on route) with a beach at the end.

Beautiful walk on a fire road out to the water but so overcrowded...on a Monday! And only half the people walking, running and biking on the trail felt it was necessary to wear their masks.

Beautiful view. It worth the hike from Tennessee Valley to Muir Beach. A 6.4 miles back and forth. I recommended. I definitely will hike there again.

A great easy trail to hike. There was plenty of room for parking at the trailhead. The trail consisted of a older asphalt road, dirt fire road or single track hiking trail. The entire trail was about 1.5 to 2 miles one way to Tennessee Beach or 4 miles total. Overal,l the trail is easy and mostly flat and the scenery is amazing.

Always a beautiful place to hike. Unfortunately I went on the same day that a beached whale appeared on the beach. Its sort of ruined the date night. However this is not a common occurrence, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I dont expect will occur on a regular basis. Amazing view of the suns then and not a very tough hike so definitely recommend it.

Love this area and the trails. Its a great place to go to take a hike and check out gorgeous ocean views.

PARKING:There is a lot with a lot of spaces right at the start of the trail. I went on a Wednesday afternoon and there were plenty of spaces. I cant comment on the weekends though.THE HIKE:This is an easy trail, and leads to a small beach a little over a mile away. It was pretty overcast the whole hike, but that is Bay Area weather for you. It was still very nice and a good short hike. There are side trails that take you to an overlook where a military bunker is, so that is interesting to see, plus it provides good views of the beach and the ocean. Im sure if it was clear it would be an even more amazing view. The beach did have a decomposing beached whale, which apparently came ashore on 5/18/18 according to signs posted. It was very interesting to see the remaining bones.

Great hikes all over. Some are easy and some could be difficult. It is really easy to get to beach on this trail.

Very beautiful place! We took Tennessee Valley Trail and went to the beach! It looks like a hidden paradise!

An easy level walk, or a challenging hillside hike, easy access, picnic tables and outhouse type restroom facilities. Parking can be challenging but turnover is good. Bring your camera, Tennessee Valley is a natural treasure with its vast array of wild flowers and a geologic outcroppings and colorful layering, and amazing wildlife.

Crowded but good place to go to. Very accessible access along the gravel road

Easy and beautiful trail. Can get busy.

Beautiful landscapes, fascinating geology, and a hike to the beach thats not too challenging.

Tennessee Valley Trailhead is an easy, mostly flat 3.4 mile round-trip hike that ends at a beautiful ocean beachfront. The trail is a mix of paved and dirt roads, and features lush vegetation and rolling hills throughout. We hiked on a Monday afternoon and there were very few people there. Once you finally reach the beach, enjoy misty cliffs and gushing waves.

Wow! So many trails start from the SME parking lot, along with their various offshoots. If you visit a couple of trails a week, you can probably spend a year here without repeating the same trail twice. The nature is unbelievable.

Great 4 mile hike with good uphill climb.Great views, Pt. Bonita, San Francisco, Marin coast. Take Coastal Trail to Coyote Trail to Fox Trail.

Always s great beach.

50-50 that folks will follow guidelines. Either this a red state pocket or somehow a magnet for anti-social entitlement Olympics leaderboard winners. Less accessible areas of GGNRA are more soothing for the soul and spirit.

This is one of my happy places. Love the leisurely stroll down to the beach!

This is one of the most popular places for people to start their Marin headlands activities. My favorite is to go up Miwok trail from the parking lot, the down Coyote Ridge trail to a great lookout overlooking Muir Beach, and then return to Tennessee Valley via Pirates Cove Trail. It’s about 6 miles roundtrip, and all trails are perfectly maintained and well marked.

This is a beautiful 5.5 mi hike/bike loop out of Tennessee Valley with additional 2.0 and 3.5 mi options. This description is for mountain bikes as most of it is on dirt fire roads, however the vast majority of the users are hikers.The trailhead is the very popular parking lot at the end of Tennessee Valley Rd, always crowded on summer weekends. The first mile is car-free asphalt road that families with infants and senior citizens, some with walkers, share on their way to the beach. Follow Coastal Trail signs and at approximately 1.2 mi take a right onto the Coastal Trail, whose sign proclaims Muir Beach 3.1 mi, Oregon Border 462 mi. (Oops--10/2017 signage change--now says Pirates Cove). Note that continuing straight at this point would lead you to Tennessee Beach, a 2 mi optional add-on--see below*. As the Coastal Trail climbs, the views over the ocean get better and better, pausing at a beautiful lookout at 2 mi with views of SF and Ocean Beach to the south, and Muir Beach and the Pt. Reyes cliffs to the north.Hikers can follow the Coastal Trail along the coast to Muir Beach, with a short fun detour to Pirates Cove. Bikers at this point must turn north and head for Coyote Ridge, riding .8 mile to the junction just past the Fox Trail. Taking a right turn onto Coyote Ridge (continuing straight would lead you to Muir Beach, a 3.5 mi optional add-on--see below **), you continue to the trails high point from which you see to the east Tiburon, Belvedere, Strawberry, San Quentin, Angel Island and across the bay Mt. Diablo. To the south is the SF skyline and the south tower of the GGB. The view to the north is great, with Muir Beach (the entire tiny community and the beach itself), Stinson Beach and in the distance the Pt. Reyes peninsula. The view of Mt. Tam is spectacular, the best vantage point of all, extending from the East Peak summit and capturing the entire ridgeline. And on non-foggy days the Farallones, large and small, pop out of the ocean.Now the trail turns downward joining the Miwok trail--keep right at the intersections. You will proceed through a small eucalyptus canyon (hikers can take a more direct route to skirt the canyon) keeping right at the next fork, and crest the ridge with a view down to the trailhead, with a steep descent on single track.This is a classic route with many variations, for hikers and bikers, and highly recommended. The above description is for the clockwise direction--going counterclockwise is a bit more challenging for bikes due to the steeps on the Miwok trail. Also keep in mind that the coast can be very foggy particularly in summer, even when inland locations are scalding.*2 mi optional add-on--Tennessee Valley Beach is a beautiful small beach well out of the sight of any cars. This short trail section passes the diminutive lagoon, where you may spot the resident great blue heron dining on minnows and gophers.**3.5 mi optional add-on--If you continue straight on the trail just past the Fox intersection it plunges steeply to Muir Beach, with beautiful views along the way. After having a look at Muir Beach, follow signs to Green Gulch, the Zen center, and find the Middle Green Gulch trail (you may need to ask a gardener), which will take you up an impressive canyon with views of the Zen Centers farms, eventually re-intersecting the Coyote Ridge trail. This add-on doubles the trips total elevation gain but is worth it.

Loved this hike! 1.8 mile trail to TN Beach.

Great access to so many trails in the are, but the parking lot gets pretty crazy, so come early.

Great hike

The people are always super nice here. I have never had a bad experience here.

Beautiful place for a walk to the beach!

Nice long hike with multiple trails to choose from. The only downside is coyotes. My first time on the trail a coyote walked across the trail in front of my 4 year old son and I. The rest of our hike was pretty scary after that...

Love this place but it is crowded.

It’s a nice place to hiking

I love a trail that leads to the water.

Amazing trail with excellent views. Perfect for running and hiking, with a nice beach at the end. The trail is well maintained and very wide, with multiple marked trails coming off of it.

Definitely recommend this trail, and Ive done it a number of times. The traffic getting there from the 101-1 interchange on weekends is the most difficult part. The trail slopes gently downwards towards the ocean, and is very wide and in good shape. There are a lot of great side trails to campgrounds, or up to the tops of the ridges, if you feel like doing anything more difficult. The beach itself is great, and the lookout is definitely worth the climb.

Nice, easy trail

There are a couple great hikes of different difficulties starting from this point. Note, you will lose WiFi once you get to the parking lot so coordinate with your friends prior and plan your hike accordingly.

Great place for a hike or run. I took a hard right behind the stables all the way up and did a circular route through the Wolf Ridge and then down to the Tennessee Valley and back to the parking. Something like 6 miles and technically quite easy. There some steep down/uphills but with a bit of care you can do this in regular running shoes if its dry. The views are green hills, the ocean from a view angles and some curious rabbits.

Cool, clam and the best place to start and end a hike. Easy parking and bathrooms at both ends of the trail. The perfect soothing hike.

Natural beauty. Great for trail running or casual walk. Secret beach at the end of the trail after 2.8 miles.

We started out at the Marin Headlands Visitors Center and grabbed a map. We did the loop and it was about 5 miles. We are sore today but it was so worth it! The weather is perfect for this hike right now! If you go in the summer pack lots of water! There is NO SHADE. There are so many beautiful places to take pictures on this hike.

Favorite trailhead... I love all the trails here :-)

Great morning hike... Fog rolling away. Or great evening hike.... Sunset visiuals.

Great trailhead with many options for different hike levels. Leads to pretty views and ocean front cliffs! It is a very populated trailhead and can get very crowded. I recommend getting there early if you want to avoid large groups hitting the trails!

Take the pirates cove Trail and get nice views of the ocean. Tennessee Valley Beach is pretty nice too

Is as equally beautiful as it was my first time there, over 35 years ago! Parking can be challenging at the trailhead during the summer, but well worth the walk in to find more trailheads to venture out on, or just to walk to the beach.

Great hike!

Great little walk, totalling just over 3.5 miles round trip. Beach is very nice, not great to swim as there are rocks and rough waves but fun to walk around. Great rock formations, and the surrounding hills are great for hiking. Parking is usually easy, bathroom at the parking lot & about halfway point. Bring water and pack your trash, neither at the beach.

Spacious parking lot with extra parallel parking..

Awesome running or walking trail, plus the beach at the end is lovely! Plus this trail connects to a whole bunch of trails that skirt the coast!

Beautiful!! Espcially if you take the route to Muir Beach which has an amazing view of the ocean

Great place to end your hike!

Such a beautiful trail overlooking the pacific!

Fun and healtgy.

Great workout, great hike and amazing view.

Beatiful views...excellent for trail running ..Ill definitely come back ...

Nice trails

Tennessee Valley Beach Trail is a gorgeous, easy trail with sweeping views of Tennessee valley. We did the out and back trail totaling 3.6 miles. With minimal inclines and a mix of fire road and maintained dirt path, it is great for kids and you can even take a stroller all the way to the beach - gorgeous rock striations book-end a black sand beach with coarse pebbles. Once you get to the beach, you can venture up the cliffs for a different vantage point. I havent made it hear in early-mid spring, but I imagine the wildflowers are worth the trip!Its a pretty quick ride from the peninsula. The only issue that Ive run into is that the parking lot can fill up quickly. Fortunately, hikers are coming and going quickly, so you can usually find a spot. If not, there is street parking on the side of the road that isnt far from the fire road trailhead.

Take your valuables with you and lock your vehicle! There were break-ins that happened while we were there.

Amazing ocean view

Great and easy hike with kids

Too crowded

Awesome hike. Nice and mellow, and really family friendly. Lots of room once you get to the beach too. You can really spread out and have a great lunch there.

Great trailhead. You have a large choice of hikes from here. Theres an easy walk to the ocean, or several moderate hikes to the ridges on either side. Good chance to see some wildlife, too: Bobcat, quail, and deer.

Good parking, short drive from SF.

Convenient access to many trailheads. super crowded. no cell service. no water.

Love this place!

Decent hike for families or a casual stroll. No serious grades or other obstacles, although it does get a bit soaked in the winter. The beach is beautiful and you can climb up to an abandoned concrete bunker from the beach.

Wonderful views

Awesome hike. You can take a million different paths - some of which are more relaxed than others. Theres very little shade and a nice breeze since its right on the ocean. Og, and FYI - wear sunscreen!

My place for running, love it!

Great starting point for many different hikes. Bathroom at the trailhead is nice to have!

Good hike, nice views.

Nice trail for taking kids. Most of it can be negotiated with a jogging stroller. Ends at a picturesque beach

Perfect stroll. Short, flat, perfection when trail meets Pacific Ocean. Heads up, no doggies allowed.

Simply wonderful even on a cloudy morning. Have to get there before 9am to get a decent parking spot.

Beautiful four and a quarter mile round trip from the parking lot. Views and weather change with the seasons of course. Relatively flat grade.

Not really a hike to the beach, more like a casual one mile stroll. Very nice area though to get back to nature.

Good birds, nice walk. I heard owls today.

Stroller friendly and at the end you will find a beach where you can relax

Good place to hike gaze at the ocean

Heaven for trail runners