Some stats, notes and observations:
- Duration: 6.5 hours (including a few stops for water, snacks, etc.)
- Distance: 11.7 (14.0) miles
- Elevation Gain: 3,313+ feet
- Weather: Cool (58 degrees F) and foggy at the beginning of the hike (8:00am), steady wind increasing on the ridges, partly sunny (65 degrees) by the end of the hike (2:30pm)
- Starting Location: Muir Beach Parking Lot
- Route (URL): https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/muir-beach-to-rodeo-beach
- Route Details: Coastal Trail from Muir Beach to Rodeo Beach, and back.
- Notes and Observations: Go early. The parking lot and Coastal Trail were mostly empty at 8am. Fog was pea soup dense, but, with the cool, steady breeze, contributed to perfect hiking conditions. The trail climbs almost immediately before settling into a seemingly unending combination of ups and downs, before passing Pirate’s Cove, descending and intersecting the Tennessee Valley Trail, and then, transitioning from a fire road, single tracks up for about 1.5 miles. Keep working the hill. This is the best part of the Coastal Trail, a fabulous, sustained climb if there was one. At the top, feel free to continue another 950 feet to Hill 88, an abandoned battery. Turn around, and continue down to Rodeo Beach, but be sure to stop at Battery Townsley (1938). Stop for lunch at Rodeo Beach. With the fog lifting and the sun peeking out during the hike back, the vistas were almost entirely different, timeless, primordial, empowering, integrated, whole. Of course, it was one hike, but it felt like two. After countless ups and downs, Muir Beach was finally within sight, one final descent before returning to the Muir Beach Parking Lot, grabbing a towel, and chilling very tired legs in the perfectly frigid Pacific. A better end to a very long hike (11.7 miles per All Trails and 14.0 miles after adding in various detours) could not be imagined, complemented only by the excellent company of our intrepid hiking crew.
The Peninsula Hiking Club 