We are planning a walkabout trip up the Marin coast and I was wondering if anybody had any info on where to park the car , we are leaving from the Marin Headlands . I have spoken to the people at the visitor center at the Marin Headlands , and they don't recomend it , they said the parking is more for the visitors that are staying overnight in the park .

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  • p/s: One thing we found about this walk - when you leave Pelican Inn and go to the public stairs, at the top of the stairs you will cross the street and then take another long set of stairs up to SeaCape. Do NOT turn left on the street at the top of the first set of stairs, just go straight ahead. The community center looks like a house so you'll wonder if you're in someone's back yard (which we actually did, looking for the stairs). Also, the first set of stairs begins at the top of a driveway and there is no gate on either set. That was the only problem we had on the whole hike. The rest of it was brilliant, though we only did the Headlands through Stinson and then back via bus to Tam Junction and then a hike back from there.
  • We just finished a three day Marin hike. We started in the Headlands at the Visitor Center. We asked the docent there what we should do. He had to make some calls, but he finally gave us a car pass which we put on our dash and then parked in front of the old warehouse down by the lagoon. No one is really supposed to park there, I guess, but they didn't mind, once they all conferred about it.
  • Eric,

    Parking overnight in the Headlands is not encouraged, but dozens of cars are parked there every night. Yes, they are mostly the cars of people who are staying overnight. Many people live in the Headlands. Others spend the night at the Headlands Institute or the Hostel. If you park your car at one of those places, it will have company. No permits are required.

    I hope you have a great walkabout on the Marin Coast. Check back in when you get back and let us know how it went.

    Tom Courtney
    Hiker and Author
    Walkabout California
  • Eric:
    Also you can get a bus from San Francisco on Sundays that will take you to the Marin Headland's visitor's center......... Alas it only runs on Sunday.
    Shirley
  • Eric:
    We decided to leave our car and take public transportation to the Golden Gate Bridge and begin our hike from the SF side of the bridge. On the way home we took.. East Marin Stagecoach bus to San Raphael. Golden Gate bus to the city and got off at Mission and fourth... walked four block south to the CalTrain station and took the train back to San Jose........
    I was amazed at how it worked out.... check on the internet for routing at the 511 web site for planing a trip.
    Shirley
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