Lace up those hiking boots and get your gear together... it's time to hit the trail! Marin County is a paradise for families who love the outdoors, with over 50% of the county's land dedicated as protected open space. The Point Reyes National Seashore, Mt. Tamalpais State Park, and the Golden Gate National Recreation area are only a few of the outstanding natural resources that we have right in out own backyard. It's a great way to both educate children about nature and the environment and to get some exercise.

On this page, we've collected all our posts on family-friendly hikes, walks, beaches, and other outdoor activities and resources. If you have a favorite hike or place you'd like to share, or if you'd like to submit an outdoors-related post as a guest contributor, please contact us.

Wildflowers and Elephant Seals at Point Reyes's Chimney Rock

April 14, 2012
Posted by pamela |

Chimney Rock elephant sealsIn the spring, lovers of wildlife and wildflowers head to the Point Reyes National Seashore to experience the area's abundance of both. One of our go-to spots for an outdoors outing in Point Reyes is Chimney Rock, where you can see both amazing widlflowers and massive Northern Elephant Seals lounging on the beach below the cliffs.

Also worth visiting here is the historic Chimney Rock Lifeboat Station, where Coast Guard crews set out to rescue victims of the many shipwrecks off the coast of Point Reyes. We visited over Spring Break, and wildflowers are starting to appear all over—in coming weeks it should be pretty amazing, especially after our recent rains.

If you visit Chimney Rock in the late winter or spring, your first destination upon arrival should be the Elephant Seal Overlook. It's a short hike on a well maintained gravel trail overlooking Drakes Bay, about 1/2 mile round trip between the parking area and the overlook. The overlook at the end of the trail gives you an unsurpassed view of the Elephant Seal colony on the beach below.

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Slide Ranch Summer Day Camp 2012

February 15, 2012
Posted by pamela |

Goat at Slide RanchMarin's ever popular Slide Ranch once again holds its 2012 summer day camp, with sessions taking place from June through August. Slide Ranch features programs geared for all different age groups, from the Ranch Rangers (ages 5–8), Junior Farmers (ages 8–12), and Junior Camp Counselors (ages 13–18). The Ranch Rangers program will allow 9–12-year-olds to enroll the week of July 2–6, August 6–10 and August 13–17.

Program hours are 9 am to 1:30 pm for Ranch Rangers, 9 am to 3 pm for Junior Farmers, and 8:45 am to 2 pm for Junior Camp Counselors (aftercare is available until 5 pm for an hourly rate). Fees range from $150 to $420 per week.

Slide Ranch, located in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area near Muir Beach, is extremely popular and offers limited enrollment, so it's important to register early. All there programs usually sell out! You can find out more information about their summer day camps, including full schedules, and download a registration form at www.slideranch.org.

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Hiking with Kids in Marin: Rush Creek Open Space Preserve

January 3, 2012
Posted by pamela |

Rush Creek Open Space Preserve near Novato, CaliforniaHiking with small children is a great way to get them into the outdoors and introduce them to nature, but it can be a bit of a challenge. Small legs seem to tire out faster than larger ones, and when they outgrow both the stroller and the backpack it's best to seek out some shorter hikes with few hills that the whole family can enjoy with a minumum of complaining. One of our favorite easy family hikes can be found at Rush Creek Open Space Preserve, on the northern end of Novato.

This 552-acre preserve features wide and gentle trails that are perfect for families. They're easily manageable with an off-road capable jogging stroller, and kids' bikes should be able to tackle the fire roads with ease. You'll share the trails with plenty of hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders, as well as birders checking out the countless shorebirds and waterfowl that make their homes in the adjacent wetlands.

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Hiking with Kids in Marin: Tennessee Valley Trail

December 31, 2011
Posted by pamela |

Tennessee Valley TrailTennessee Valley near Mill Valley is one of the most popular hiking and outdoor recreation spots in all of Marin County, and when you visit it, the reasons for this popularity become readily apparent. Tennessee Valley Trail, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is a perfect trail for families, and can be easily navigated using a jogging or offroad-capable stroller. With few hills, the 3.4-mile round trip hike out to the beach at Tennessee Cove and back is easily managable by hikers and mountain bikers of all ages.

Tennessee Valley Trail is also quit popular with equestrians. Miwok Livery Stables is actually located on-site, so expect to see horses pretty often.

Tennessee Valley Trail winds through the coastal hills to the beach at Tennessee Cove, and offers spectacular scenery along the way. At the end of the trail is a sandy beach where you can relax, have a picnic, and let the kids play in the sand. Like many beaches on the Northern California coast, this one is unsafe for swimming and wading with rough surf and dangerous rip currents, so heed the posted warnings and keep clear of the water.

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Top Ten Winter Break Activities for Marin Families

December 19, 2011
Posted by pamela |

Windmills at Cornerstone Place in SonomaPresenting our opinionated top ten list of fun things to do with the family during Winter Break (in no particular order):

Got your own top ten list, or additions to ours (who says it has to be only ten)? Let us know by posting a comment! Don't forget to check out our event calendar for other great ideas for Winter Break fun.

Hiking with Kids: Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District

December 12, 2011
Posted by pamela |

Las Gallinas pondsI know it sounds a little strange, but a great hike that's perfect for kids can be found on the grounds of the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District in northern San Rafael. It's a complex of trails and fire roads near the district's treatment plants off of Smith Ranch Road, near McInnis Park. The gravel trails are wide and flat, and are excellent for use with off-road capable strollers and bikes. The paths wind atop levees through the wetlands bordering San Pablo Bay.

A wide variety of birds make their homes out here; we've seen white pelicans, plenty of Canada geese, mallards, cormorants, turkey vultures, several kinds of egrets, black-crowned night herons, red-wing blackbirds, and others. It's kind of a "who's who" of local avian wildlife, so make sure you bring your binoculars.

We hadn't been out here for a while, so we took the opportunity to take a family hike out here this past weekend. It's really a beautfiul and peaceful place to go, no matter what time of year.

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