Student Perspectives: This blog series was written by San Francisco State University students for the Recreational Use of Parks and Protected Areas course taught by Dr. Nina Roberts in Fall 2015. The goal of Dr. Roberts’ blog assignment was to show how student support of redwood parks can create new ways to foster equal access to nature by diverse communities. For this assignment, each student visited a local redwood park and wrote about their experience. Enjoy!
The Mystery of Mount Tam
by Sean Halter
Having loved redwoods for my entire life, I felt sad that I had never been to the legendary Mount Tam. Now living in San Francisco, I found it a necessity to check out this Bay Area treasure. Taking less than an hour to get from San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge to the beautiful rural Marin area, I was amazed by what I encountered.
Mount Tam has everything to offer: miles of trails, and eastern and western sections that offer breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay and the coast. It offers release from the big city life and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of my trip. I parked over by the ranger station and proceeded towards the Steep Ravine Trail (external link) which I have heard so much about. As I walked down stairs and past skyscraping redwoods, and found myself farther away from civilization, I found more of myself. The redwoods have a way of reaching a person, making life feel so beautiful, which makes everything at Mount Tam beautiful.
I always wondered what made Mount Tam so special. It always seemed mysterious to me since I had no idea what to expect. Once I got up there, I found out for myself that Mount Tam is more than just a place in Marin, it’s my home in the redwoods.
