Mount Tamalpais
Elevation	2,571 feet (784 metres)
Location	Mill Valley, California, USA
Range	California Coast Ranges
Coordinates	37°55′26.12″N, 122°35′47.92″W
Topo map	USGS San Rafael
Type	Sedimentary
First ascent	1826 by Jacob Leese[citation needed]
Easiest route	Railroad Grade fire trail

Mount Tamalpais (IPA: /tæməlˈpaɪəs/; MWCD [tam-əl-ˈpi-əs], known locally as "Mount Tam") is a peak in Marin County, California, USA, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tamalpais is protected within public lands such as Mount Tamalpais State Park and the Mount Tamalpais Watershed. United States National Park Service photo of Mount Tamalpais Source URL: http://www. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For exotic financial options, see Mountain range (options). ... The Coast Ranges of California constitute one of the eleven traditional geomorphic provinces of California. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... // Topographic maps are a variety of maps characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods. ... InsertSLUTTY WHORES≤ non-formatted text here{| class=toccolours border=1 cellpadding=4 style=float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 20em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; clear: right; |+ United States Geological Survey |- |style= align=center colspan=2| [[Image:USGS logo. ... Mountains can be characterized in several ways. ... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ... Southern and northern Mount Everest climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station. ... Many dictionaries and other language references give pronunciation guides for some or all words listed. ... For other uses, see Mountain (disambiguation). ... Marin County is a county located in Californias San Francisco Bay Area, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Mount Tamalpais State Park is a California state park, located in Marin County. ...

Geography

The north side of Mount Tamalpais.

Mount Tamalpais is the highest peak in the Marin Hills, which are part of the Northern California Coast Ranges. The elevation at the East Peak, its highest point, is 2,571 feet (784 meters). The West Peak, where a radar dome currently stands, used to be over 2,600 feet (793 m) before the summit was flattened for the radar dome construction. The mountain is clearly visible from the city of San Francisco and the East Bay region. The Marin Hills are a series of steep high ridges and peaks in southern Marin County. ... The Coast Ranges of California constitute one of the eleven traditional geomorphic provinces of California. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... A satellite image of the East Bay The East Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States and is comprised of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. ...

The majority of the mountain is contained in protected public lands, including Mount Tamalpais State Park, Muir Woods National Monument, and the Mount Tamalpais Watershed. It adjoins the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (which in turn adjoins Point Reyes National Seashore) as well as several Marin County Open Space Preserves. This provides nearly 40 miles (64 km) of continuous publicly accessible open space. Muir Woods National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service in Marin County, California, 12 miles (19 km) north of San Francisco. ... The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area, administered by the National Park Service, which surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. ... McClures Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, looking south on an overcast winters afternoon Point Reyes National Seashore is 70,000 acre (283 km²) park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin county, California, USA. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park...

Some of the lower slopes of Mount Tamalpais fall within several cities and unincorporated communities of Marin County, including Mill Valley, Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, Stinson Beach, and Kentfield. These areas are generally developed, consisting of mostly low-density single-family homes. Mill Valley is a city located in Marin County, California. ... Tamalpais-Homestead Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, United States. ... Stinson Beach Stinson Beach is a census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, United States. ... Kentfield is a census-designated place located in Marin County, California. ... Northern European single-family home A sample floorplan of a single-family home A single-family home is a free-standing residential building, generally found in the suburbs of cities, the exurban region and rural areas. ...

Natural history

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (February 2007)

Large rocks and boulders at the summit. Notice the elevation difference between the Marin Headlands Hills and the summit of Mount Tamalpais.

Looking down at Richardson Bay over 2,300 feet (700 m) far down below.

Overcast and mostly cloudy days like this are common in an area with high annual precipitation.

From Berkeley, across the bay, after a hot day.

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Geology and soils

Like the rest of the California Coast Ranges, Mount Tamalpais is 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.  The North American plate, shown in brown The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Cherskiy Range in East Siberia. ...  The Pacific plate, shown in pale yellow The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. ... View of the San Andreas Fault on the Carrizo Plain in central California, 35°07N, 119°39W The San Andreas Fault is a geological fault that runs a length of roughly 800 miles (1300 kilometres) through western and southern California in the United States. ...

In 2004 it was suggested that a blind thrust fault, like the one that caused the infamous Northridge Earthquake, lies beneath Mount Tamalpais. This idea was partly based on the steepness of Mount Tamalpais and of nearby Bolinas Ridge, such steepness on the visible surface often being the result of blind thrust faults. Another reason for the suggestion was that the San Andreas fault creeps more slowly, south of Mount Tamalpais, than it does in its sections north of Mount Tamalpais and in the Olema Valley, and the existence of a blind thrust fault may explain the different creeping velocities. If a blind thrust fault does exist under Mount Tamalpais, and if it ruptures, it could be potentially devastating to the North Bay, San Francisco, and any other nearby locale resting on unstable earth and loose fill.^[1] A thrust fault is a particular type of fault, or break in the fabric of the Earths crust with resulting movement of each side against the other, in which a lower stratigraphic position is pushed up and over another. ... The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California. ...

Major Mount Tamalpais rockforms include serpentine, particularly evident in outcroppings near the summit and on the north side. A number of serpentine endemic plants grow in the serpentine soils in this part of the mountain. For other uses, see Serpentine (disambiguation). ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ...

Hydrology

Since the steep slopes of Mount Tamalpais force out moisture from passing storms and/or fog, the mountain supports several year-round streams like Redwood Creek on the southern face of the mountain down into Muir Woods. The steep southeastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais drain to Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio, which in turn discharges to Richardson Bay. Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio is an intermittent stream in southern Marin County, California, USA. A 1965 stream survey indicated presence of steelhead up to within 100 feet of the dam. ... The outlet of Coyote Creek, which drains Tam Valley into upper Richardsons Bay. ...

Climate

With its height, various faces, and proximity to the ocean and bay, the mountain contains many microclimates, ranging from cool and foggy in lower ocean-facing valleys with their redwood forests, to hot and dry on the manzanita slopes, cool and breezy at the summit, and shady on the heavily Douglas-fir-forested north slopes near Alpine Lake. Microclimate on rock located in intertidal zone on rock at Sunrise-on Sea Tree ferns thrive in a protected dell at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, in Cornwall, England, latitude 50° 15N A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. ... This article is about the species commonly called Coast Redwood. For the species commonly called Giant Sequoia, see Sequoiadendron. ... Species See text See Manzanita (album) for the Mia Doi Todd album. ... Species See text. ...

Precipitation^[2] around Mount Tamalpais varies greatly from around 27.5 - 31.5 inches (700 - 800 mm) in the drier, eastern foothills to about 59 inches (1,500 mm) near the Bolinas Ridge, close to the Pacific Ocean. Both Mount Tamalpais and the Bolinas Ridge force moisture out of the air efficiently, since the air is cooled rapidly as it ascends the steep mountain faces and thus Mount Tamalpais's western part is heavily forested with tall redwoods and Douglas-firs. The same fact holds for the steep, south-facing bowl canyon that Muir Woods is located in, with precipitation in Sequoia Canyon at around 39.4 - 47.2 inches (1,000 - 1,200 mm).^[3] A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter), symbol mm is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Bolinas Ridge is a north-south mountain range in southwestern Marin County, California. ...

Like San Francisco, most of the annual precipitation falls during the winter months. During cold, wet winter storms, the mountain also regularly gets some snowfall, sometimes as much as 6 inches (15 cm) overnight, as observed in February 2001, and March 2006.^[4] The region sometimes gets bedecked with strong Pacific storms that may topple trees, and bring hurricane force winds to exposed, barren areas like the Bolinas Ridge and the summit of Mount Tamalpais. In summer, the area gets almost no precipitation, except for fog drip^[5] that occurs in Muir Woods, the Bolinas Ridge and the western end of Mount Tamalpais, where summer fog and oceanic breezes are more prevalent. In contrast, the eastern foothills, sheltered from the oceanic breezes and fog, are drier since the foothills force little moisture out of the air. This leads to the fact that the eastern slopes contain only oak, pine, shrub, woodland, and sparse Douglas-fir forest. San Francisco redirects here. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Limber Pine woodland, Toiyabe Range, central Nevada Biologically, a woodland is a treed area differentiated from a forest. ...

Temperatures on top of Mount Tamalpais are a bit cooler than places next to the San Francisco Bay or Ocean due to elevation. In summer, the top of Mount Tamalpais may actually be warmer than the middle, foggy elevations due to a thermal inversion. The summer fog and breezes make locations on Mount Tamalpais closer to the ocean cooler than the blazing hot interior valleys. A temperature inversion is a meteorological phenomenon where air temperature increases with height. ...

Plant communities

Open Douglas-fir/oak woodland/grassland to the west (near the ocean) transitioning to a mostly dense Douglas-fir forest to the east (toward San Francisco Bay). The open expanses exist due to high winds in the area that are unfavorable to trees. The elevation where the picture was taken is near the top of the fog line, so redwood trees are uncommon in these elevations.

A stand of Douglas-firs near the summit.

Dying pine tree near the summit of Mount Tamalpais. There are no redwood and oak trees near the summit, only shrubland and a few, spaced out Douglas-firs and pine trees.

The great diversity of microclimates on Mount Tamalpais insures a wide variety of plant communities as well. Plant communities on the mountain include various types of hardwood and coniferous forests, coastal scrub, chapparal, grassland, and wetland vegetation. A biocoenosis (alternatively, biocoenose or biocenose), termed by Karl Möbius in 1877, describes all the interacting organisms living together in a specific habitat (or biotope). ... Pine forests are an example of a temperate coniferous forests Temperate coniferous forests are a terrestrial biome found in temperate regions of the world with warm summers and cool winters and adequate rainfall to sustain a forest. ... Chapparal can also mean a US Army surface to air missile system based on the Sidewinder air-to-air missile system. ... The Konza tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of northeastern Kansas. ... A subtropical wetland in Florida, USA, with an endangered American Crocodile. ...

Hardwood woodland types are generally subtypes of California oak woodland, including oak-bay-madrone forest, oak woodland, and oak savannah. Oak-bay-madrone forests are found in areas with moderate moisture and particularly favor north-facing slopes. They are dominated by one or more of three hardwood tree species – coast live oak, California bay, and madrone. Coast live oak tends to be dominant in somewhat drier areas, while bay is more dominant in shadier, moister areas; madrone is abundant in certain soil types in both moist and dry spots. Oak woodlands are a more open-canopy forest dominated by coast live oak, while oak savannah has a completely open canopy and represents a mixture of coast live oak woodland and grassland.^[6] California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California and northwestern Baja California. ... Binomial name Quercus agrifolia The Coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia, also called the California live oak, is an evergeen oak, highly variable and often shrubby, found in the coastal regions of southwestern North America from Mendocino County, California south to northern Baja California in Mexico. ... Binomial name Umbellularia californica (Hook. ... ... Savannah redirects here. ...

Wholly or partially coniferous forest types are found in the moistest areas of Mount Tamalpais. Coast redwood forests are restricted to areas where the particular ecological needs of redwood are met – areas characterized by high overall moisture, low elevations below the fog line, and deep soils. Muir Woods is the most extensive and best-known redwood forest of the Mount Tamalpais area. Mixed evergreen forests of various combinations of tanoak, madrone, coast and canyon live oak, and Douglas-fir are found in moist areas on middle to high elevations on the mountain. Very moist areas of mixed evergreen forest may also include bay, redwood, and California torreya. Areas in which mixed evergreen forests are predominant include areas of Fairfax-Bolinas Road and Ridgecrest Boulevard and around Alpine Lake.^[6] Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ... Binomial name Lithocarpus densiflorus (Hook. ... Binomial name Quercus chrysolepis Liebm. ... Species See text. ... Species Torreya californica Torreya fargesii Torreya grandis Torreya jackii Torreya nucifera Torreya taxifolia Torreya is a genus of conifers comprising of five or six species, treated in either the Cephalotaxaceae, or in the Taxaceae when that family is considered in a broad sense. ...

Various kinds of scrub communities are also widespread. Low-elevation areas below the fog line with relatively low overall rainfall or thin soils are often the site of a northern coastal scrub community characterized by coastal sage-coyote brush association, with lesser amounts of poison-oak, bush monkeyflower, California blackberry, western bracken fern, and various species of grasses and forbs. Chaparral is predominant in areas characterized by thin, rocky soils and little moisture. Two main types of chaparral are found the mountain chamise chaparral and manzanita chaparral. Chamise is dominant in the hottest, most xeric areas of the mountain, particularly on south- and west-facing slopes, while manzanita is dominant in other xeric areas, particularly on east-facing slopes and forest borders. Areas of mixed chamise-manzanita chaparral occur in relatively more mesic areas; Ceanothus and dwarfed interior live oak may also predominate on such sites. Areas in which various kinds of chaparral communities are dominant include areas along Old Railroad Grade.^[6] Scrubland is plant community characterized by scrub vegetation. ... Northern coastal scrub is a scrubland plant community of California and Oregon. ... Binomial name Baccharis pilularis DC. Baccharis pilularis, called Coyote brush, Chaparral Broom, and Bush Baccharis, is a shrub in the Asteraceae that grows in California, Oregon, and Baja California. ... Binomial name Toxicodendron diversilobum Western poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum or, previously, Rhus diversiloba) is found only on the Pacific Coast of the United States and of Canada. ... This article is about the wireless e-mail device. ... Species Pteridium aquilinum Pteridium caudatum Pteridium esculentum Pteridium latiusculum and about 6-7 other species Pteridium aquilinum For the Irish television soap opera, see Bracken (TV). ... Genera See: List of Poaceae genera The true grasses are monocot (class Liliopsida) plants of the family Poaceae (formerly Graminae). ... Chaparral is a shrubland plant community found primarily in California, USA, that is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild, wet winters and hot dry summers) and wildfire. ... Chamise--Fire-loving Plant Chamise is the most common shrub in the chaparral neighborhood. ... Species See text See Manzanita (album) for the Mia Doi Todd album. ... Deserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by a dry climate. ... Stjepan Mesić (born December 24, 1934) has been the President of the Republic of Croatia since 2000. ... Species See text Ceanothus L., is a genus of about 50-60 species of shrubs or small trees in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. ... Binomial name Quercus wislizenii The Interior live oak, Quercus wislizenii is an evergeen oak, highly variable and often shrubby, found in the large areas of California in the United States. ...

Grassland areas are also common on Mount Tamalpais. Native perennial bunchgrass species once dominated these grasslands, but most of these grasslands are now dominated by invasive annual grasses of European origin. Native grasslands, still found in a few isolated areas, are of two types. Northern coastal prairie is found below the fog line and is characterized by a Festuca-Danthonia association, while valley grassland, found in drier areas, is dominated by Nassella pulchra, with Elymus glaucus and E. triticoides also being common.^[6] Any grass of the poaceae family that grows in clumps or tufts may be called bunch grass. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Invasive species. ... Species See text Fescue (Festuca) is a genus of about 300 species of tufted grasses, belonging to the grass family Poaceae. ... Species Nassella gigantea - giant feather grass Nassella laevissima Nassella leucotricha - Texas winter grass Nassella pulchra - purple needle grass Nassella viridula Nassella (also known as needle grass or tussock grass) is a New World genus of perennial bunch grasses. ... species Leymus arenarius - sand ryegrass Leymus aristiglumus Leymus cinereus Leymus condensatus - giant wild rye Leymus divaricatus Leymus flexus Leymus mollis mollis - American dune grass Leymus obvipodus Leymus pendulus Leymus triticoides - creeping wild rye Leymus is a genus of the true grass family (Poaceae). ...

Wetland vegetation types found on Mount Tamalpais include coastal riparian forests, wet meadows, and some marsh areas. Coastal riparian forest is predominant along the valley streams of Mount Tamalpais. Red and white alder (Alnus rubra and A. rhombifolia) and arroyo and yellow willow (Salix lasiolepis and S. lasiandra) are dominant in these types of woodland, with bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), box-elder (A. negundo ssp. californicum), and California bay also being common.^[6] Wet meadows are present in several high-elevation spots on the mountain,^[7] while High Marsh represents a rare example of a marsh community on the mountain. Species About 20-30 species, see text. ... Binomial name Alnus rubra Bong. ... Species About 350, including: Salix acutifolia - Violet Willow Salix alaxensis - Alaska Willow Salix alba - White Willow Salix alpina - Alpine Willow Salix amygdaloides - Peachleaf Willow Salix arbuscula - Mountain Willow Salix arbusculoides - Littletree Willow Salix arctica - Arctic Willow Salix atrocinerea Salix aurita - Eared Willow Salix babylonica - Peking Willow Salix bakko Salix barrattiana... Binomial name Acer macrophyllum Pursh The Bigleaf Maple or Oregon Maple (Acer macrophyllum) is a large deciduous tree to 35 m tall. ... Box Elder may refer to: Box Elder Bug, an insect which feeds on Maple trees. ... A meadow is a tract of grassland, either in its natural state or used as pasture or for growing hay. ... This article is about marsh, a type of wetland. ...

Serpentine soils have a high rate of endemism and are the site of several unique subtypes of the above plant communities. Serpentine grasslands are some of the few grasslands in which native perennial grasses are still relatively dominant. Serpentine chaparral forms a unique plant community, dominated by dwarfed leather oak (Quercus durata), Jepson's ceanothus (Ceanothus jepsonii), Tamalpais manzanita (Arctostaphylos montana), and Sargent cypress (Cupressus sargentii). On the upper slopes of the mountain, small groves of Sargent cypress trees up to 50 feet (15 m) tall can be found in serpentine areas.^[6] Several species of endemic plants are found only on serpentine soils; these species may be widespread, but only occur on serpentine soils, or the may be more restricted, only growing in a few other places besides Mount Tamalpais, or may even be restricted just to Mount Tamalpais. For other uses, see Serpentine (disambiguation). ... Endemic, in a broad sense, can mean belonging or native to, characteristic of, or prevalent in a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment; Native to an area or scope. ... Species See text. ...

Wildlife

Mount Tamalpais provides one of the last remaining wildlife refuges in the Bay Area. Urbanization has invaded wildlife habitat, forcing many fauna in southern Marin County to retreat up onto Mount Tamalpais, Muir Woods, and the Bolinas Ridge. A wide variety of avifauna, amphibians, arthropods and mammals are found on Mount Tamalpais including a number of rare and endangered species. Nonetheless, Mt. Tamalpais and the neighboring Golden Gate Recreation area, together form one of the largest preserved parklands found in the vicinity of any American urban center - encompassing over 115 square miles (298 square kilometers) of preserved land, unheard of in any other metropolitan area in the U.S. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Fauna is a collective term for animal life of any particular region or time. ... Muir Woods National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service in Marin County, California, 12 miles (19 km) north of San Francisco. ... Bolinas Ridge is a north-south mountain range in southwestern Marin County, California. ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity is the variation of taxonomic life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or for the entire Earth. ... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including milk producing sweat glands, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... Rare species is an organism which is very uncommon or scarce. ... The Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of tiger that are critically endangered. ...

Cultural history

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (February 2007)

The name Tamalpais was first recorded in 1845. The meaning of the name is not well-established and there are several versions of the etymology of the name. One version holds that the name comes from ostensibly Coast Miwok words for "coast mountain" (tamal pais). Another holds that it comes from the Spanish Tamal pais, meaning "Tamal country", Tamal being the name that the Spanish missionaries gave to the Coast Miwok peoples. Yet another version holds that the name is the Coast Miwok word for "sleeping maiden" and is taken from a "Legend of the Sleeping Maiden".^[8][9][10] However, this legend actually has no basis in Coast Miwok myth and is instead a piece of Victorian-era apocrypha.^[10][11][12] Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Etymologies redirects here. ... Bodega Bay as viewed from present-day Dillon Beach, was ancient homeland of the Coastal Miwok. ...

The Coast Miwok are said to have believed that an evil witch dwelled at the top of Mount Tamalpais and therefore never set foot on the peak.^[10]

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 8-mile standard-gauge railroad required geared steam locomotives and operated from 1896 to 1930.^[13][14] Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about 11 miles north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the inner sides of the rails) that should be used. ... A geared steam locomotive is a type of steam locomotive which uses reduction gearing in the drivetrain, as opposed to the common directly-driven design. ...

Early wireless towers were constructed on the mountain in the early 20th century, only to be destroyed by one of the periodic hurricane-force windstorms.

The U.S. Weather Bureau operated a weather station at the site of the now defunct Mill Valley Air Force Station for many years. // Mill Valley Air Force Station was a USAF installation on the West Peak of Mt. ...

Mount Tamalpais from Napa Slough by William Marple (1869).

The peak and its surrounding areas are the birthplace of mountain biking in the 1970s, where early mountain bikers such as Gary Fisher, Otis Guy, Charlie Kelly and Joe Breeze were active. Mountain biker riding in the Arizona desert. ... Gary Christopher Fisher (born 1950) is the best inventors of the mountain bike. ... Charlie Kelley was an early pioneer in the development of modern mountain bicycles. ... Joe Breeze was an early pioneer in the development of modern mountain bicycles. ...

In 1979 and 1980, Mount Tamalpais was the scene of a series of murders of hikers carried out by serial killer David Carpenter, also known as the "Trailside Killer".^[15][16] Serial killers are individuals who have a history of multiple slayings of victims who were usually unknown to them beforehand. ...

Mount Tamalpais in art

Mount Tamalpais has been a very popular subject in California landscape painting. Painters who have made Tamalpais the subject of one or more paintings include Etel Adnan,Harry Cassie Best, Albert Bierstadt, Norton Bush, Edwin Deakin, Percy Gray, Ransome Gillet Holdredge, William Keith, Tom Killion, William Marple, William Birch McMurtrie, Gilbert Munger [1], Julian Rix, Frederick Schafer, Jules Tavernier, Nancy Wallace, Thaddeus Welch, Ludmilla Welch, Virgil Williams, Jack Wisby, Theodore Wores, and Raymond Dabb Yelland.^[11] Etel Adnan, born in 1925 in Beirut, is a Lebanese-American poet, essayist, and visual artist. ... Albert Bierstadt, by Napoleon Sarony. ... Henry Percy Gray (1869-1952) was born into a San Francisco family endowed with a broad literary and artistic background. ...

Recreation

Mount Tamalpais is a popular hiking, picnicking, mountain and road cycling, horseback riding, and hang-gliding destination for residents of the San Francisco Bay Area, with over 100 miles (160 km) 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. Marin Municipal Water District maintains several reservoirs on the north slopes of Mount Tamalpais, including Alpine Lake, Kent Lake, Bon Tempe Lake, and Lake Lagunitas. Bay Area redirects here. ...

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. Stinson Beach Stinson Beach is a census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, United States. ... The Dipsea Race is the oldest cross country running event, and the second oldest foot race, in America. ... Mill Valley is a city located in Marin County, California. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Bolinas is a census-designated place located in Marin County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. ... Point Reyes Point Reyes is a prominent cape on the Pacific coast of northern California in the United States. ... The Edgewood Botanic Garden is located on Mount Tamalpais in Mill Valley, California, USA. See also List of botanical gardens in the United States Categories: US geography stubs | California botanical gardens ...

Hiking and mountain biking

Main article: Mountain biking on Mount Tamalpais

Since the Mount Tamalpais area contains large expanses of undeveloped, natural land, there are many trails and trailheads that criss-cross the area. Many of these trails are popular with hikers and bikers alike seeking refuge from the urban landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of these trails, usually the mountaintop or ridgetop trails, provide spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay, Pacific Ocean, or both. Other trails, usually lower elevation, valley trails, lead into natural, dense groves of mature Douglas-fir and redwood trees, clear, open grassland, and shrublands. All roads leading to the many trailheads around Mount Tamalpais are usually open, but during fire season, some of these roads may be closed due to high fire risk. Species See text. ... This article is about the species commonly called Coast Redwood. For the species commonly called Giant Sequoia, see Sequoiadendron. ...

The many roads, paved and unpaved, that cross the Mount Tamalpais region are particularly popular with mountain bikers, especially on weekends, due to magnificent views and sights the mountain offers. With these attractions, Mount Tamalpais played a role in the birth of mountain biking many years ago. Mount Tam is also the birthplace of the Gary Fisher mountain bike. Mountain biker riding in the Arizona desert. ...

Weddings

Mount Tamalpais contains three popular places to tie the knot; these are the Mountain Home Inn in Mill Valley, Trojan Point located above the Pantoll Ranger Station and the Amphitheater located in the western, forested ridges.

Conservation and management issues

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Since Mount Tamalpais is a very popular mountain biking area, there has been considerable controversy around trail access on Mount Tamalpais for mountain bikes, both in terms of environmental impact and the safety of other trail users. As a result, bicycles have been banned from the majority of narrow, single-track trails, though bicycles are still allowed on fire roads.^[17] Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Mountain biker riding in the Arizona desert. ...

Miscellaneous

Mount Tamalpais State Park now offers AT&T Wi-Fi Service. Visitors with wireless enabled devices may access the internet from within about 200 feet (61 m) of the Park Ranger Station. Mount Tamalpais State Park is a California state park, located in Marin County. ...

View of Mt. Tam from Panoramic Highway near Four Corners

References

1. ^ "Sinister quake hazard may lurk beneath Mount Tam" by Keay Davidson, San Francisco Chronicle, December 16, 2004.
2. ^ San Francisco State University SFSU Bay Area Rainfall Map
3. ^ Worldclimate.com Rainfall station at about 950 feet (290 m) elevation.
4. ^ Davidsanger.com Photograph of snow on Mount Tamalpais.
5. ^ Sightseeingworld.com Climate description of the local area.
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Shufford WD, Timossi IC. (1989). Plant Communities of Marin County. Sacramento, CA: California Native Plant Society. ISBN 0-943460-15-8
7. ^ Howell JT. (1970). Marin Flora (2nd ed). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-00578-3 ISBN 0-520-05621-3
8. ^ "Mt. Tamalpais" by Kathleen Goodwin, Point Reyes Visions.
9. ^ "Legends of Mount Tam" by Alison Hill, SFGate.com: Get Outside!, June 1997.
10. ^ ^{a b c} "Miwok and Rancho Days" by the San Anselmo Historical Society, San Anselmo Historical Museum, November 11, 2006.
11. ^ ^{a b} Robertson, David. (1991). Mt. Tamalpais: The Legendary Birth of a Holy Mountain. California History 70(2):146–161.
12. ^ Skolnick, Sharon. (1989). Dreams of Tamalpais. San Francisco: Last Gasp. ISBN 0-86719-357-3
13. ^ The Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway (website) by Don Hargraves.
14. ^ Wurm, Ted and Graves, Al. (1983). The Crookedest Railroad in the World. ISBN 0870460633
15. ^ "David J. Carpenter: The Trailside Killer", Francis Farmer's Revenge.
16. ^ "David Carpenter", Serial Killers A-Z
17. ^ "Single-Track Trail Mix" by Gordy Slack, California Wild 53:2, Spring 2000.

Todays San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. ... The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a California not-for-profit orgaiization that seeks to increase understanding of Californias native flora and to preserve that flora. ...

Further reading

• Fairley, Lincoln. (1987). Mount Tamalpais: A History. San Francisco: Scottwall Associates. ISBN 0-942087-00-3 (hardbound), ISBN 0-942087-01-1 (paperback)
• Spitz, Barry. (1998). Tamalpais Trails. San Anselmo, CA: Potrero Meadow Publishing Co. ISBN 0-9620715-2-8

See also

• List of highest points in California by county

External links

• Mount Tamalpais State Park – official site
• Mount Tamalpais Watershed – official site
• Muir Woods National Monument - official site
• Mount Tamalpais Interpretive Association
• Tamalpais Conservation Club
• Mountain Play Association The group that performs yearly at the amphitheatre on mount Tam.
• SFAA Tam Star Parties Information on monthly star-gazing and lecture series.

Photographs

• CA State Parks Photo Slideshow: Mount Tamalpais SP
• More Photos from Mount Tamalpais by Neil Mishalov, Mishalov.com, April 4, 2002.
• Quicktime 360º panorama of East Peak, VirtualParks.org
• Mt. Tam Note-Cards (commercial, local artist)

Maps and aerial photos

• Mount Tamalpais is at coordinates 37°55′26″N 122°35′48″W / 37.92392, -122.59665 (Mount Tamalpais)Coordinates: 37°55′26″N 122°35′48″W / 37.92392, -122.59665 (Mount Tamalpais)

Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Hiking and cycling

• Hiking in Marin County, Marin County Visitors Bureau
• Biking in Marin County, Marin County Visitors Bureau
• Bicycling Wiki: Mount Tamalpias
• Marin County Bicycle Coalition
• Marin Trails (commercial site, but some free content present)