Mount Tamalpais State Park

Main article: Mount Tamalpais

Mount Tamalpais State Park
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
Hiking trail in Mount Tamalpais State Park
Location	Marin County, California, USA
Nearest city	Mill Valley, CA
Coordinates	37°55′26.12″N 122°35′47.92″W / 37.9239222°N 122.5966444°W / 37.9239222; -122.5966444Coordinates: 37°55′26.12″N 122°35′47.92″W / 37.9239222°N 122.5966444°W / 37.9239222; -122.5966444
Area	6,300 acres (25 km2)
Established	1963
Visitors	564,000 (in 2003)
Governing body	CA Dept. of Parks & Recreation

Mount Tamalpais State Park is a California state park, located in Marin County, California. The primary feature of the park is the 2,571 feet (784 m) Mount Tamalpais. The park contains mostly redwood and oak forests. The mountain itself covers around 25,000 acres (100 km²). There are about 60 miles (97 km) of hiking trails, which are connected to a larger, 200 miles (320 km) network of trails in neighboring public lands. The park received 564,000 visitors in as of 2003^[update]. Muir Woods National Monument is surrounded by the state park.

From the peak of the mountain, visitors can see up to 25 miles (40 km), in a view that encompasses San Francisco, most of the North and East Bay, and the Farallon Islands. Occasionally, the Sierra Nevada are visible, 125 miles (201 km) away.

Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre

Beginning in 1913 Mount Tamalpais has hosted theatrical performances known as Mountain Plays in a natural amphitheatre setting. In the first two decades the performances were accessed by hiking or riding the winding Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway.^[1] The railway was led by businessman Sidney B. Cushing, and in 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps began construction of a 4,000 seat stone amphitheater that was named the Sidney B. Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre in his honor.^[2][3] The amphitheatre was constructed by the corps using massive serpentine rocks.^[1] In 1967 the venue hosted the two day Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival, an opening event of the Summer of Love.^[4] Known simply as the Mountain Theatre, it hosts productions each year in the spring.

See also

San Francisco Bay Area portal

• Mount Tamalpais

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Mountain Play: History". Mountain Play Association. http://www.mountainplay.org/history.html. Retrieved 7 February 2011. 
2. ^ "Mount Tamalpais State Park CCC Features". State of California. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24889. Retrieved 7 February 2011. 
3. ^ Liberatore, Paul (April 12, 2008). "Veterans of 75-year-old Civilian Conservation Corps honored at Mountain Theater". Marin Independent Journal. http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_8905016. Retrieved 7 February 2011. 
4. ^ Lomas, Mark. "Fantasy Fair & Magic Mountain Music Festival". Marin History. Marin Independent Journal. http://blogs.marinij.com/marinhistory/2008/09/fantasy_fair_magic_mountain_mu.html. Retrieved 7 February 2011. 

External links

• Official California State Parks department site describing the park

Mount Tam from Muir Beach Overlook