Dip your baby toe into the backpacking experience via a short hike to a surprisingly secluded—and often overlooked—campsite in the Marin Headlands. Hawk Camp is 2.5 miles from the popular Tennessee Valley parking lot, and the only road leading to it is a wide dirt one intended for hikers, bikers, and equestrians (not vehicles). It's a gradual grunt up Marincello Trail before dropping down into Gerbode Valley and making a sharp right. The final section is mostly flat with wide-open views of the Pacific. But you have to work for it the last 100 feet! Hawk Camp has only three sites—all with distant ocean views. Namesake raptors glide overhead while jack rabbits and quail rustle in the brush. The only other sound you'll hear is the wind whistling through the creaky pine trees. As a reminder that this bit of nature is not far from home, San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid pokes over the green and tawny hills. Hawk to it.
To make a reservation call 415-331-1540. There are no fees for Hawk Camp. No water is available at the sites so pack in your own. Access the camp via the Marincello and Bobcat Trails. Here's a map of the Marin Headlands. No dogs.