Directions to The Cal Alpine Lodge - 730 Panoramic Hwy, Mill Valley, CA from:
San Francisco | East (Sacramento, Reno) | South East (East Bay, Berkeley, Yosemite) |
Mill Valley | Napa | Santa Cruz/Monterey | Bus

Note: Google, Yahoo and Mapquest will all give slightly different directions, but are all within 5 min. of each other. Some of them are wrong (e.g. the google map from Mill Valley to the Lodge will take you thru a tennis court at the end of a dead end road. Following are our recommendations.


See Marin Map for more detail

San Francisco 1 hr. from airport, 36 min. from downtown

  1. Take US Hwy 101 across the Golden Gate Bridge (no toll this direction)
  2. Go 4 mi. toward San Rafael
  3. Take the State Hwy 1 N. exit toward Stinson Beach/Mill Valley
  4. Turn left in about 0.5 mi to continue on Hwy 1 - Shoreline Hwy.
  5. Follow Hwy.1 (also called Shoreline Hwy.) signs about 3 miles
  6. Right turn on Panoramic Highway on top of a ridge.
    (Hwy.1 continues downhill to the west and is signed for Muir Beach. Don't go there.)
  7. Follow the ridge.
    (there will be views of the Pacific if it is clear) to another large intersection (Sequoia Valley Rd. and Muir Woods Rd.) in about a mile.
  8. Continue on Panoramic Hwy. (double yellow lines) about 45 degrees left
    and signs to Mt. Tamalpais and Stinson Beach.
  9. The Lodge is on the right:
    1.4 miles from Sequoia Valley Rd., Muir Woods Rd. intersection.
    0.9 miles from Madera, Monte Simas (large F) sign.
    100' past Marin View.
  10. There is a parking area just before the Lodge with three yellow posts protecting a gas meter in the lot and just beyond, a small sign that says CAC that may be hard to see in the dark.
  11. There is parking at either end of the lodge. Front door is on the north (far) side.
  12. If you come to a large brown Mt. Tamalpais State Park sign on the left, or Mountain Home Inn you have gone about 150 yards too far.
Google directions form Sierra Club Headquarters
Google directions from San Francisco Airport

From the East (Sacramento [1 hr 45 min], Reno [3 hr 45 min], ..)
1 I-80 West past Vallejo over the Carquinez Bridge
2 Continue on I-80 6.8 mi
3 Take Exit #20/San Rafael (I-580)/Fitzgerald Drive 0.3 mi
4 Turn Right On Richmond Pky 5.1 mi
5 Bear to the right On Castro St (Truck route) Toward Castro/I-580 1.7 mi
6 "Take ramp to I-580 W San Rafael
Continue across the Richmond - San Rafael bridge"
5.9 mi
7 Take the Sir Francis Drake Blvd exit 0.4 mi
8 Slight left at Sir Francis Drake Blvd 1.5 mi
9 Merge onto US-101 S via the ramp on the left to San Francisco 4.4 mi
10 Continue past the first Mill Valley exit (see shortcut below)
11 Take the CA-1 exit toward Stinson Beach, Continue right around the corner. 0.1 mi
12 Turn left at light to CA-1/Shoreline Hwy 0.5 mi
13 Turn left to continue on CA-1/Shoreline Hwy toward Stinson Beach
14 Follow directions from 5 above.
Yahoo Map
You can save some tolls by taking CA-37 from Vallejo around the north end of San Pablo Bay to US-101 south, but you are likely to run into traffic from Sears Point (Infineon) Raceway on weekends.

Shortcut thru Mill Valley (saves 4 min.)
1-8 (to San Rafael) above
9 Merge onto US-101 S via the ramp on the left to San Francisco 2.7 mi
10 Take the E Blithedale Ave exit 0.3 mi
11 Turn right at E Blithedale Ave 0.7 mi
12 Turn left at Camino Alto 0.3 mi
13 Turn right at Sycamore Ave 0.3 mi
14 Slight left at La Goma St 0.1 mi
15 Cross Miller Ave Continue on Montford Ave 0.1 mi
16 Miller Ave South 0.7 mi
17 Turn right (west) on Montford between the 2AM Club and Jiffy-Lube. 0.1 mi
18 Turn right to stay on Monford 0.1 mi
19 Turn rignt on Molino Ave and follow the yellow reflectors
(Street name will change Edgewood, Walsh and Sequoia Valley)
2 mi.
20 Turn right (north) on Panoramic Hwy 1.4 mi to CAC. 1.4 mi.
Google Map

From the Southeast - East Bay or southern valley (Modesto [2.5 hrs], Yosemite [4 hrs], Monterey [2 hrs 30 min]...)
1 Take I-580 (I-880 from Oakland, Hayward, ...)
2 Merge with I-80 east near the San Franisco Bay Bridge 5.2 mi.
3 "Slight right at I-580 W/John T Knox Fwy (signs for I-580/San Rafael)
Continue to follow I-580 W across the Richmond San Rafael bridge"
11.6 mi.
Continue with 7 in the Sacramento directions above.

From downtown Mill Valley
1 Miller Ave South 0.7 mi
2 Turn right (west) on Montford between the 2AM Club and Jiffy-Lube. 0.1 mi
3 Turn right to stay on Monford 0.1 mi
4 Turn rignt on Molino Ave and follow the yellow reflectors
(Street name will change Edgewood, Walsh and Sequoia Valley)
2 mi.
5 Turn right (north) on Panoramic Hwy 1.4 mi to CAC. 1.4 mi.

From Napa (1 hr. 12 min.)
1 From CA-29 S
2 Turn right at CA-12/CA-121/Sonoma Hwy 8.2 mi
3 "Continue straight onto CA-12/CA-121/Fremont Dr
Continue to follow CA-121/Fremont Dr"
1.1 mi
4 Turn left at Arnold Dr/CA-121 6.6 mi
5 Slight right to stay on Arnold Dr/CA-121 0.2 mi
6 "Slight right at CA-37/Sears Point Rd
Continue to follow CA-37"
7.1 mi
7 Take the exit toward US-101 S 0.2 mi
8 Keep left at the fork, follow signs for San Francisco/
San Rafael/US-101 and merge onto US-101 S
14.9 mi
9 Take the CA-1 exit toward Stinson Beach 0.3 mi
10 Turn left at CA-1/Shoreline Hwy 0.5 mi
Follow directions from 4 (San Francisco)

From Santa Cruz or Monterey:
Mapquest and Google send you via I-280, San Francisco and the GG bridge.
Yahoo sends you via I-880, East Bay, San Rafael bridge.
Times are the same.

Bus
San Francisco Airport to Mill Valley - Marin Airporter - every 30 min. - $20 - 415-461-4222
The pick up point for Marin Airporter is outside of baggage claim (located on the lower level), on the center courtesy island. It stops at the Manzanita Park and Ride lot, underneath the freeway at the junction of Shoreline Hwy (CA-1) and US-101, across from the Buckeye Roadhouse restaurant in Mill Valley.
The trip takes a minimum of 50 minutes. No reservation required.

Local bus to CAC - West Marin Stagecoach (Marin Transit) - $2 - 415-526-3239
Take Route 61 from Mazanita Park and Ride to Mountain Home Inn (1 block north of the CAC).
It runs every 1.5-2 hrs. on weekends and less frequently during the weekdays. Schedule.

See also: Directions from the California Alpine Club

last updated 18 July 2009