From Stinson Beach to Pantoll and back

This must be one of the most beautiful hikes in Northern California, especially the Steep Ravine trail and the lower half of the Matt Davis Trail. We started from the parking lot of Stinson Beach Park and found the trailhead of the Matt Davis trail just up the road that starts at the fire station. It took us an hour and 45 minutes to hike up the mostly very shady trail back and forth over brooks and ravines up to the Pantoll Ranger Station. Then we took the Steep Ravine trail down to the Dipsea Trail and back to the beach. The Steep Ravine trail follows a brook in a deep ravine with at least a dozen cataracts and half a dozen bridges, full of ferns and fallen trees. The Dipsea trail at this juncture is mostly exposed to the sun, but it's just half a mile or so. The whole loop was about seven miles. After the hike we had a picnic on the beach and watched windsurfers with parasails in the huge waves.

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