At nearly fifteen miles and over 2,700 feet of elevation gain, this trail seemed a bit daunting. The Steep Ravine trail, while technical at times, was so beautiful that it was easy to overlook the ascent by distracting oneself with the scenery. Once we got to Pantoll Campground and crossed the Panoramic Highway, the single-track trail gave way to more gradual dirt roads and wide open vistas. We barely left the West Point Inn, located two miles from the campground, before we started making plans to return for one of their pancake breakfasts or an overnight stay. And, fortunately, we as summited on a clear day, the views from the top of the mountain were amazing!

Instead of the Matt Davis trail, we opted to descend via the Dipsea Trail and were greeted back at my car with donuts from Johnny Doughnuts in San Rafael that had been leftover from breakfast. They were slightly warm from spending the day in my vehicle and proved to be the best post-hike snack ever! It was a great reward for completing a beautiful section of trail that was not as difficult as we had initially feared.