YOUR GROUP SIZE/COST

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The 1,300 feet of vertical rise over the 3.6 miles of trail is often so imperceptible that it's tough to tell you're ascending at all. But you are. Consider, as well, that 400 of those 1,300 feet come in the final quarter-mile climb to the peak -- a climb that many hikers eschew in favor of the photographic wonders of the 360-degree trail around the sub-peak.

Distance: 7.4 miles (round-trip)

Time: About 4 hours, including a stop at a 116-year-old inn (and perhaps some wild tales from the innkeeper) and a backpack lunch at the summit.

Type: Out-and-back trail, with the latter half of the hike retracing the 3.7-mile trail from mid-mountain to summit.

The redwood belt on Mount Tamalpais ends at 1,400 feet above sea level, which is precisely where this hike starts. But that's not a bad thing. Redwoods block out the landscape, and this hike is all about the spectacular scenery spilling downward from both sides of the summit trail: San Francisco Bay to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Photography-wise, this is one of the most awe-inspiring urban hikes in North America.

This is a rare example of a roller-coaster loop along the Pacific Ocean in the Bay Area. Trails on the windward and leeward sides of coastal ranges tend to get up and down in a hurry, but the trails along the dramatic shoreline in southern Marin County rise and dip without regard for convention. For us hikers, it means that the none of the challenging rises on the west side of the hike last for long. If you're in decent shape, you got this.

Distance: 5.8 miles (round-trip)

Time: About 3.5 hours, including a backpack lunch atop a bluff with a majestic panorama of the Pacific, from San Francisco to Point Reyes.

Type: Loop, ascending from sea level to 1,900 feet in a series of three impressive rises. The final mile is flat, a magical stroll through a sea-level spirituality center.

This the opposite of Hike 1 in virtually every respect: all but a mile or so takes place under dense foliage;  second-growth coastal redwoods But that's not a bad thing. Redwoods block out the landscape, and this hike is all about the spectacular scenery spilling downward from both sides of the summit trail: San Francisco Bay to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Photography-wise, this is one of the most awe-inspiring urban hikes in North America.