Gorgeous, secluded walk along the Pacific coastline to Slide Ranch with farm animals. Access to two rocky beaches in Slide Ranch.

Location: Slide Ranch

Location: near 15 Muir Beach Overlook, Muir Beach, CA 94965 . Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: Along US-101 North, drive beyond Golden Gate Bridge. Take exit CA-1 North and continue following signs for CA-1 North for about seven miles until there is a sign for 'Muir Beach Overlook'. Turn left toward Muir Beach Overlook. Note that going north along CA-1, there will also be a sign for 'Muir Beach', which is not the same as 'Muir Beach Overlook'.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: September 2012)

Capacity: About 20 cars may be parked here.

Latitude: 37.863324     Longitude: -122.585664

» Muir Woods Trail Map: Shows Owl Trail from Muir Beach Overlook to Slide Ranch. Does not show Slide Ranch trails.

» Mt Tam Trail Map by Tom Harrison: Shows various trails in and near Mt Tamalpais veyr clearly.

Muir Beach Overlook (0.3 miles): From Muir Beach Overlook parking lot, walk south, down a series of steps to a vista point jutting out into the ocean. Views from this point are breathtaking. Then walk back and explore the area to that lies behind the parking lot. This area has picnic tables shaded by tall green trees.

To Slide Ranch (1.1 miles): From Muir Beach Overlook parking lot, walk north along an unnamed trail (0.2 miles) to reach a small pullout along Highway 1 with a large sign marking Own Trail. Follow Owl Trail (0.9 miles) to reach Slide Ranch, just beyond a series of eucalyptus trees.

Beaches at Slide Ranch (1.4 miles): Turn left onto a dirt road. There are two beaches

To Muir Beach Overlook (1.1 miles): From Slide Ranch, follow Owl Trail (0.9 miles) to reach a pullout along Highway 1. Continue along an unnamed trail (0.2 miles) to reach Muir Beach Overlook.

Notes:

1. The route is described very well in an article at ProTrails.
2. Trails in Slide Ranch leading to South Beach and North Beach are not marked by any signs. Study GPS tracks or Tom Harrison map for Mt Tam for the location of the two beaches. Slide Ranch is usually alive with people. So asking people for directions may be helpful.
3. From Slide Ranch, there is an additional side trail that leads up to the campsite. This would add 0.6 miles to the overall distance.