Tennessee Valley is a branch of the Marin Headlands with trails for the whole family. The National Park Service says the main Tennessee Valley Trail is mostly level, running 1.7 miles from the parking area to Tennessee Beach. Steeper trails climb into the hills above the valley if you want more of a workout.

The shipwreck

Wikipedia says early European settlers called this Elk Valley. It was renamed after the 1853 wreck of the S.S. Tennessee, a passenger steamship that missed the Golden Gate in fog and turned into what is now Tennessee Cove, about 4 miles north of the gate. The captain beached the ship, saving 500 passengers and 14 chests of gold. The park service suggests timing your visit with a low tide and the right seasonal sand conditions to see the ship's engine. If you explore the cove, be careful not to get cut off from the main beach by high tide.

The city that wasn't

The valley joined the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972. In the 1960s, a development called Marincello would have built a city of 30,000 across much of the Headlands, including most of Tennessee Valley. Public pressure and money problems stopped it, but you can still walk the Marincello trail along what would have been its main boulevard.

Through the seasons

In spring the valley is green and blooming, with lupine, checker-bloom, blue-eyed grass, California buttercup and California poppy. In summer the grasses turn gold, and by late summer you'll find fennel, lizardtail, sagebrush, sticky monkey flower and blackberry. Winter and early spring rains bring the green back.

Know the rules

  • No dogs on the valley trails: Dogs are not allowed, even on leash, on the Tennessee Valley Trail or most trails in the valley. The exceptions are the Coastal Trail where it crosses the valley, the Miwok Trail north of the parking area toward Highway 101 (on leash), and Oakwood Valley.
  • Wildlife: Do not feed or approach animals.
  • Water: Bring your own; the park service advises packing water.

Getting there

The trail starts at the Tennessee Valley parking area, and the park service says San Francisco is only about 20 minutes away. Golden Gate Transit buses stop where Shoreline Highway meets Tennessee Valley Road. Camping in the valley requires a permit.