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Mount Tamalpais ("Mount Tam") is a peak in Marin County, California, USA, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Its name, first recorded in 1845, is said to be derived from a Miwok word meaning "Sleeping Maiden", on the grounds that the silhouette of the mountain can be seen as the shape of a sleeping girl; the point of view from which this is obvious is not recorded. However, when viewed from the East Bay, in the vicinity of San Pablo, the mountain does give a semblance of a reclining woman, with the two peaks as breasts, the north slope as her trunk, hips, legs, and the south slope as her head.
Recreation The mountain is the main feature of the Mount Tamalpais State Park, Muir Woods National Monument, and contiguous Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) watershed recreational area, and adjoins the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore providing nearly 40 miles (64 km) of continuous publicly accessible open space. It is a popular hiking, picknicking, mountain and road cycling, horseback riding, and hang-gliding destination for residents of the San Francisco Bay Area, with over 100 miles of trails and fire roads. With numerous trailheads, a well-networked trail and road system, and hikes of greatly varying length and difficulty, the mountain offers a compelling range of attractions. MMWD maintains several resevoirs on the north slopes of Mount Tam: lakes Alpine Lake, Kent Lake, Bon Tempe, and Lagunitas. The western slopes of the mountain descend to the Pacific Ocean at Stinson Beach, California. The annual Dipsea Race traverses the mountain from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach. Though backpack camping isn't allowed, a walk-in camp exists at the Pan Toll ranger station. Trailhead parking within Mt. Tamalpais State Park is available generally with a self-service fee. The scenic Ridgecrest Blvd. running along the ridgeline between the Rock Spring trailhead and Fairfax-Bolinas Road, with panoramic views of the summit, Pacific, San Francisco, Bolinas, and Point Reyes, is featured in many auto and other video and print advertisements, as well as being the local hang-gliding launch point. Mount Tam is also home to the Edgewood Botanic Garden and to the Cushing Memorial Amphitheater where musical productions are performed every year by the Mountain Play Association. Monthly astronomy viewings and lectures are held at Rock Springs and Mountain Theater April through October. Hiking Among the more popular trailheads on and about Mt. Tam are: MMWD: Mount Tamalpais State Park: Muir Woods National Monument For additional informations see Bay Area Hiker - North Bay Hikes Mountain Biking Many say that the sport of mountain biking originated on Mt. Tamalpais (see section on History of Mountain Biking) The easiest approach is from the town of Ross, taking Lagunitas Rd. to Phoenix Lake (limited parking at Natalie Coffin Greene Park). Circle the lake to the right and take the easy grade that switches back to the mountain, via the paved road to Lake Lagunitas. Go around the right side of Lake Lagunitas to find a wide, slightly steeper trail to the mountain. Mill Valley provides another easy approach to the southern slopes of Mt. Tam via Eldridge Ave. to the Railroad Grade, a wide gently-sloped fire road easy enough for intermediate riders. Note that a 15 MPH speed limit is posted and enforced by radar on many routes, and most single-track trails prohibit riding or carrying bikes. Citations are issued, bikes may be impounded. Geology and Climate Mount Tamalpais is part of the Coast Ranges, the result of uplift, buckling, and folding of the North American plate as it slides along the Pacific Plate near the San Andreas fault zone. Major rockforms include serpentine, particularly outcroppings near the summit and on the north side. During cold, wet winter storms, the mountain also regularly gets some snowfall, sometimes as much as 6 inches overnight in February 2001, and March 2006. With its hight, various faces, and proximity to the ocean and bay, microclimates vary, generally being temperate but ranging from cool and foggy in lower ocean-side redwood-forested valleys to hot and dry on the manzinita slopes, cool and breezy at the summit, and shady on the heavily Douglas Fir forested north slopes near Alpine Lake. History Tamalpais was home to the Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway, also known as "The Crookedest Railroad in the World", a railroad which meandered its way up to the peak from downtown Mill Valley until the construction of the road to the peak, and the gaining popularity of automobiles. The peak and its surrounding areas are the birthplace of mountain biking. There, in the 1970s, early mountain bikers such as Gary Fisher, Otis Guy, Charlie Kelly and Joe Breeze roamed on their two-wheeled steeds. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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