To enjoy the best views in Marin County, take the aptly named Panoramic Highway from Stinson Beach. It winds through the redwood-filled canyons of Mount Tamalpais State Park to emerge on to sunny ridges. From the upper elevations you will be able to take in a remarkable panorama of San Francis­co, the Bay Area, and a large chunk of northern California spread out beyond. The coastal features are sometimes obscured by a dramatic white blanket of fog.

Forty-two miles of hiking trails penetrate the park (get a map from Park Headquarters, beside the highway). However, you only need make a short – though steep – walk from a car-park to reach the park’s highest point: Mount Tamalpais’ 2,571-ft East Peak. A little more leg work will take you to the Moun­tain Theatre, an amphitheatre gouged from natural rock in the 1930s, where up to 3,750 people gather for concerts and performing arts shows each spring.

San Franciscans began visiting the mountain in force during the 1880s, after it was made accessible by “the crookedest railway in the world” winding up from Mill Valley. At that time, Mount Tamalpais was privately owned; but in the early 1900s, William Kent, an ecologically concerned congressman, donated it to the state. Kent insisted that the park’s outstanding patch of redwoods be named after California’s foremost conservationist, John Muir. The result was – and is – the Muir Woods National Monument, reached by several mile-long rabbit-patrolled trails off Panoramic Highway (and off Muir Woods Road, north of Muir Beach). There are taller and older redwoods further north, but the trees, some rising above 250 feet, in this cool, lush grove, provide an excellent introduction to the wonders of California’s forests.

Detour – Stinson Beach

An appealing swath of sands overlooked by Mount Tamalpais, Stinson Beach is one of the few places north of San Francisco where swimming is permitted (May to mid-Sep only). The water is cold, though, and many locals don wet-suits before taking a dip. The beach and the adjoining village make a pleasant picnic and walking spot, and several hiking trails wind inland into Mount Tamalpais State Park.