Course Photographs

Ed and Helen Bodington (the race director’s esteemed parents) hiked the entire Miwok course over a series of weekends in 2005 and Ed photographed all of the trail intersections, as well as views and other points of interest.
The photos are being re-ordered to reflect course changes and will be linked to the Miwok site just as soon as I can get that done!

Course Description

This 2011 course description is for reference only, since the first aid station will now be Bolinas Ridge and runners will arrive at Rodeo Lagoon aid midday for that incredible San Francisco skyline/Golden Gate Bridge view. The new detailed description will be posted here February 15, 2012.

Very hilly (approximately 10,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain) with spectacular views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, Mt. Tamalpais, Tomales Bay and the Point Reyes National Seashore. Modified out and back. Mostly fire roads and single track trails with approximately three miles on roads.

Rodeo Lagoon
Start is on the beach at Rodeo Lagoon. Cross the beach and veer left onto Lagoon Trail. Lagoon Trail comes out at the Marin Headlands Visitor Center, where you will turn right and run up Field Road for only half a mile, then turn left onto Conzelman Road (the old course took you out much further on Field Road – don’t forget to turn left!) all the way to the Conzelman/McCullough/Coastal fire road intersection. Turn left onto Coastal fire road and follow it for 1.5 miles, then take a sharp left onto Coastal Trail singletrack. If you get to Bunker Road, you’ve missed the turn. Roll along the singletrack until it drops you out just above the Visitor Center. Follow the markings and Volunteer course monitor back over to Lagoon Trail, then run along the lagoon side of the beach, cross the foot bridge, and turn left to the Rodeo Lagoon Aid Station.

Rodeo Lagoon Aid Station (7.1 miles) Water and GU Brew only
Take Coastal fire road and the stairs up, up, up to Wolf Ridge. Follow markings around the back side for a great view of Tennessee Valley while you’re climbing. Turn left from Wolf Ridge onto Miwok Trail, then turn left again onto Old Springs and follow it down to the aid station.

Tennessee Valley Aid Station (11.1 miles)
Turn Left out of the aid station toward the ocean on the paved road. Turn right onto Fox Trail. Follow Fox all the way up to Coyote Ridge fire road. Turn right onto Coyote, and then take a sharp left onto Miwok. Stay on Miwok all the way down to the Redwood Creek Trail. Turn right and follow this trail for about a third of a mile, where it comes out at Muir Woods Road. Cross the road – carefully! - and head up Deer Park Fire Road. Deer Park Fire Road merges with Coastal Fire Road. You will continue to climb uphill on Coastal and enter the forest. Just as the road finally dips, veer right onto Old Mine Trail (the sign post says Coastal on three sides, Old Mine on the side facing the road), and stay on Old Mine Trail till it meets the paved path at Pan Toll. Run straight across the path to the lower Pan Toll parking lot where you'll find the aid station.

Pan Toll Aid Station (20.0 miles)
Run to the upper parking lot, turn left and cross Panoramic Highway to Coastal Trail. Follow Coastal to junction of Matt Davis - ~1.4 miles. STAY on Coastal and follow it for another 1.6 miles to another trail junction. STAY on Coastal till it leads you onto Ridgecrest Road. Run North along the road for .08 miles and join up with the trail again on the left. Stay on Coastal to Bolinas-Fairfax Road crossing.

Bolinas Ridge Aid Station (26.7 miles)
Trail is a wide dirt road along Bolinas Ridge, rolling ups and downs. You will run out Bolinas Ridge Fire Road for 5.5 miles to the intersection of Randall Trail and the fire road. Look for the ribbons on a gate on your left. (We are not allowed to use flour or chalk anywhere in the park, or we’d put an arrow in the dirt here!) Turn left down Randall (an old, rutted fire road) and run the switchbacks through the forest 1.7 miles to the bottom.

Randall Trail Aid Station (33.9 miles)
Retrace your steps back up Randall Trail to Bolinas Ridge Fire Road. Turn right onto the fire road back to the Bolinas Ridge Aid Station.

Bolinas Ridge Aid Station (41.1 miles)
Retrace your way back on Coastal Trail/Ridgecrest Road/Coastal Trail to Pan Toll. Take care crossing the road (those quads are a little more tired than on the trip out) and run through the upper parking lot to the lower lot aid station.

Pan Toll Aid Station (47.8 miles)
Retrace your way along Old Mine Trail and Coastal fire road back down to Deer Park Fire Road and down to Muir Woods Road. Cross the paved road carefully and get back onto Redwood Creek Trail. (If you’re really fast, you will see the markings where you came down Miwok hours ago, but this time you’re heading out to the beach so don’t turn left onto Miwok.) Stay straight on Redwood Creek Trail until it comes out on Muir Woods Road. Look for traffic, cross the road and turn left onto Muir Woods Road. Then go straight onto Shoreline Highway (Highway One) then turn right just after the olde English-style Pelican Inn. If you’re feeling low on carbs right now and you’re ahead of schedule, stop in for a Guinness or a Boddington’s. Turn left onto a gated fire road after the Pelican Inn’s parking lot and follow it to the aid station.

Muir Beach Aid Station (53.5 miles)
Head up the hill on Coastal fire road (did I mention it’s uphill?) and singletrack, alongside the lovely Pirates’ Cove and its old wood stairs in the hillside. Up and over. At the bottom, veer left to stay on Coastal all the way in to Tennessee Valley aid station.

Tennessee Valley Aid Station (57.6 miles)
From the aid station, head back up Old Springs. Turn right onto Miwok. Stay on Miwok all the way down into Rodeo Valley. Turn left onto Bobcat Trail for only 250 feet, then veer right onto Rodeo Valley Trail for less than a half-mile. Turn right to cross a short bridge and come out at Bunker Road. Follow the course ribbons and road monitor to cross Bunker Road to your right and then go left to run up past the stables, on Coastal Trail. Be especially quiet as you pass the stables, we don't want to get the horses riled up during their afternoon nap. In a half-mile, Coastal singletrack grazes Conzelman Road. Leave the singletrack and, mindful of cars, turn right onto Conzelman for a sweet one-third mile sweep down to the finish at the Marin Headlands YMCA.

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