Dipsea Trail
Mill Valley

One of the best-known rural running races in America is the annual Dipsea race that takes runners from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach in Marin County. The trail is about 7 miles long and traverses some incredible terrain. It is the most interesting and difficult run in the Bay Area, partly due to the 676 steps that you have to climb at the start of the run. It passes through Mount Tamalpais State Park, Muir Woods National Monument, the Golden Gate Recreational Area and deposits you at the beach so it truly is an opportunity to see the finest diversity of nature in the Bay Area, assuming that you don't pass out from exhaustion. We recommend doing this run with someone who knows the trail or with a guidebook. We'll tell you how to start but the rest is up to you and your guide or guidebook. In downtown Mill Valley, go down Throckmorton and take a left on Cascade Drive with the Old Mill Park on your left. The beginning of the Dipsea Trail looks like a driveway that is straight ahead as Cascade begins to bear to the right. Go up that stairway and it will soon lead you to the dreaded stairs. Good luck!