Richardson East–Scotty's Bluff, 8 sights is a 10.1-mile out-and-back in Marin Headlands near Marin City, CA. The route passes Rodeo Beach, Scotty's Bluff and Tennessee Beach before reaching Richardson East at the turnaround, 5.1 miles in. It climbs 2,408 ft, with sections as steep as 20% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 54/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: backcountry feel.
Elevation
0 mi23 – 1,109 ft · steepest grade: 20%10.9 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Coastal Trail 37.83224, -122.53956
Nearest town Marin City, CA
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Richardson East–Scotty's Bluff, 8 sights
10.1 mi · ▲ 2,408 ft · 4 hr 34 min
Elevation 22–1,109 ft
Out & Back · Marin Headlands
Trailhead: Coastal Trail · 37.83224, -122.53956
Weather Aug 3: Fog, high 63°F / low 54° · precip 1% · wind 6 mph · sunrise 6:16 AM · sunset 8:18 PM
Transit-accessible: Fort Cronkhite Parking Lot stop 51 m from the trailhead · Toilets at the trailhead · Drinking water at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Coastal Trail, heading W.
- 50 ftPass Rodeo Beach.
- 350 ftSharp left onto Tennessee Point Trail, heading S.
- 50 ftPass Scotty's Bluff.
- 0.2 miBear right onto Coastal Trail, heading N.
- 0.7 miPass Tennessee Beach.
- 0.1 miTurn left, heading NE.
- 0.5 miContinue straight onto Wolf Ridge Trail, heading E.
- 0.7 miBear left onto Miwok Trail, heading NE.
- 0.9 miTurn right onto Bobcat Trail, heading E.
- 0.5 miBear left onto Hawk Camp Trail, heading SE.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Bobcat Trail, heading SE.
- 0.4 miSharp right onto Alta Trail, heading E.
- 0.7 miContinue straight onto Sundial Road, heading NE.
- 0.4 miReach Richardson East, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 1.1 miSharp left onto Bobcat Trail, heading NW.
- 0.4 miContinue straight onto Hawk Camp Trail, heading W.
- 50 ftBear right, heading W.
- 100 ftContinue straight onto Bobcat Trail, heading W.
- 0.5 miTurn left onto Miwok Trail, heading W.
- 0.9 miBear right onto Wolf Ridge Trail, heading SW.
- 0.7 miContinue straight onto Coastal Trail, heading NW.
- 350 ftBear right, heading N.
- 1.2 miBear left onto Tennessee Point Trail, heading W.
- 0.2 miSharp right onto Coastal Trail, heading S.
- 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
63% dirt14% gravel9% paved14% unspecified
Weather
FogTemperature 63°F54°
Precip1%Wind6 mphUV8Humidity100%
Hourly temperature
65°50°
Sunrise 6:16 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 8:18 PM
Tue
58°55°
Wed
67°56°
Thu
73°55°
Fri
77°54°
Sat
77°53°
Sun
69°53°
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.4 mi in (~17 min). Leave by 7:41 PM for the 8:18 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:43 PM — 4 min before dark. Car visible from the viewpoint
Good to know
- Transit-accessible: Fort Cronkhite Parking Lot stop 51 m from the trailhead
- Toilets at the trailhead
- Drinking water at the trailhead
- Parking lot at the trailhead
Other ways to reach this destination
More from Coastal Trail Trailhead
- Hill 88–Marin Headlands Viewpoint, 7 beaches 3.4 mi · ▲ 919 ft
- Peak 1041–Scotty's Bluff, 6 beaches 6.2 mi · ▲ 1,721 ft
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