Mount Tam is one of my favorite hiking places in the Bay Area. We have done many hikes there, but we have never hiked from Stinson Beach all the way to the Peak. Since this would be a very long hike, we started around 8:30am at the Dipsea trailhead. It was cool and foggy in the coastal area. On our way up the Dipsea Trail, we saw many Dipsea runners in training and a couple of California Quails!

The Steep Ravine Trail was verdant and completely shaded. It's a great trail for hiking in the summer. The little creek was flowing beautifully, and we saw several small waterfalls on the way. We met many hikers walking from the opposite direction. This was a very popular trail. The famous ladder was farther than I thought. Fortunately, no one else was there when we arrived, so we didn't have to wait. We arrived at Pantoll around 10am and had a short break there. The area was crowded.

The first half mile of the Old Stage Road was paved. Then it turned into a gravel road. The trail was pretty flat and easy, and we could see splendid bay views from several parts of this trail. The West Point Inn had many picnic tables outside and provided great views. It's a popular place for hikers and bikers to take a break.

The trail from the West Point Inn to the Visitor Center required some climbing but it was still manageable. The East Peak Summit was only 0.3 mile from the Visitor Center. The climb started easy, but the last section near the peak required careful maneuver. I reached the summit around noon. On the way, I saw several families with small children attempting to reach the summit.

We had a longer lunch break before the descent. I still felt energetic and wanted to hike a different route back to Pantoll. However, my hiking partner was tired and only wanted an easy way down. So, we walked the same way back to Pantoll, and then turned to the Matt Davis Trail to go down. We walked in the wood for the first part of the trail. Then the trail opened to reveal the ocean. The hike was easy until the last part, which zigzagged in the wood with several very steep downhill sections. This was probably the most difficult part besides the section near the peak. We finally reached our car at a quarter to four and felt very proud of ourselves.