Location
Have you ever dreamed
of viewing the San Francisco Bay Area from the top of
the world?
Can you imagine looking down through primeval forests
to the vast, blue Pacific Ocean, then doing an
"about face" and gazing out over Redwoods and
Pines to sparkling San Francisco Bay, Angel Island
and the distant East Bay hills?
There is not only a place where you can
see all this, but a romantic hotel overlooking Mill Valley—a
quaint Marin County village—where you can stay, nestled
in among the trees and experience all this.
Mountain Home Inn, a hotel located on one of the ridges
atop Mount Tamalpais and bordering Muir Woods, has been
welcoming visitors for nearly a century.
Nearby
Attractions
"In
every walk with Nature, one receives far more than he
seeks."
John Muir
The
hotel is an ideal central location for experiencing the
best of the region's attractions.
Come
spend
a few, blissful days exploring adjacent Muir Woods and
Mt. Tam trails and wandering nearby Pacific Ocean beaches.
The
charming European-style villages of Mill Valley and Sausalito,
filled with boutiques, restaurants and art galleries,
are only a stone's throw away.
Also within easy reach are San Francisco and the Sonoma
and Napa wine country, about 1/2 hour to the south and
north of the inn, respectively.
The
Mountain Home is truly an ideal safe haven from which
to explore the best of the region's attractions.
Sunrise
Awake each morning to watch the oh-so famous San
Francisco fog that often blankets the Bay, slowly crawl
back over the mountain and gracefully slide down through
Muir Woods, into the sea like an elegant ocean liner leaving
dry-dock.
In place of the fog are some of the world's most spectacular
views.
Miwok
Indian
Mt.
Tamalpais
Mt.
Tamalpais, also called "The Sleeping Indian"
for a mystical Indian Princess who lies asleep at the
top, was home to the Miwok Indian people for many years.
It was a sacred mountain to them. Coyote, their name for
the God who created man, resided at its peak. Today, the
mountain still yields a spiritual pull—symbolic offerings
from Buddhists and others can be discovered alongside
Tamalpais' trails, waterfalls and streams.
The Dalai Lama has prayed at its peak.
Some of our guests come because of this peaceful setting,
they find it a restful, spiritual place to replenish their
spirit.
Others
come for the romance of the place.
And many come to enjoy the natural world: walking among
ancient trees, full moon gazing, or hiking / mountain
biking the magnificent trails of Mt. Tamalpais.
"There
is no place on earth so beautiful as Tamalpais."
Robert Louis Stevenson
Mt. Tam Mountain Biking
Mt. Tamalpais is considered the birthplace of mountain
biking; it is the 'mountain' in 'mountain biking'. Early
pioneers of the sport, who started on Mt. Tam, went on
to become major influences in the industry. Mt. Tam's
perfect combination of accessible fire roads (originally
train tracks and located right outside our door), views
and terrain is ideal for the sport. Guests are welcome
to keep their own mountain bikes here — or rent them
from the local bike shops — and ride the trails where
fat tires first appeared.
Skinny
tire devotees might be interested in knowing that the Tour of California goes right past our door. It's
not unusual to see top professional bike teams flying
down our road in training for this and the Tour de France.
The View
Many people find San Francisco Bay and its environs
among the most beautiful harbors in the world. From the
top of Mount Tam, as it is affectionately called, you
can make your own decision.
Magnificent any time of day, if you catch the view just
as darkness falls or as the sky is barely turning light
in the early morning, the City appears like a jeweled
necklace laying on a sea of blue velvet.
"If
you ever come upon a grove of ancient trees which have
grown to an exceptional height...it will prove to you
the presence of deity."
Seneca, Roman philosopher
The
Trees
Right
outside our door you can hike down into the lush, green
and quiet Muir Woods National Monument, home to
a rare virgin stand of ancient redwoods.
Mt. Tam's deep canyon walls protected these redwoods from
the logging industry that decimated America's old growth
forests in centuries past.
Feel an immeasurable peace and serenity as you wander
among thousand year old trees—the world's oldest
living things.
And lift your eyes up as you enter the majestic stand
of trees at the bottom; you'll understand why it is called
Cathedral Grove.
Architecture
The Mountain Home Inn cascades down the mountainside
like a delicate waterfall. Enter at street level where
a small lobby, bar and sitting area with a stone fireplace
welcome you with floor-ceiling windows overlooking San
Francisco Bay away down the mountain.
You have the feeling that you are floating on air.
The lodging's architecture is Northern Californian rustic-elegant:
lots of sunlight, golden wood, high ceilings and a big
outdoor deck for meals, drinks or just for relaxing.
Down one flight of stairs is half of the ten bedrooms,
all facing San Francisco Bay. One further floor down brings
you to the remaining five bedrooms and below that, the
Mediterranean herb and flower laden terraced gardens.
The architect, John Deamer, was a conceptual planner for
Sea Ranch, one of the most advanced environmentally-sensitive
architectural designs of its time. John studied under
Paolo Solveri, a proponent of human-being-influenced architecture.
Paolo was an early student of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The inn's architecture was inspired by the Grand National
Park Hotels of the l930's and their influences can be
seen in the hardwood floors, redwood columns and the natural
structure of the inn.
Directions
The
Drive
Winding up the mountain road to Panoramic Drive
that runs along the top of the ridge you may see local
wildlife, sea birds, a horse ranch here and there, houses
perched on the mountainside and many fabulous hiking trails.
When you reach Panoramic Drive, the views will take your
breath away.
From
Golden Gate Bridge
Head north on Hwy. 101 into Marin
County. Take the Stinson Beach/Hwy. l exit in Mill Valley.
After 2/3rds mile, turn left at light, staying on Hwy.
l. After 2.6 miles, bear right at fork onto Panoramic
Highway (sign says Mt. Tamalpais). After l mile, at 4-way
intersection, take the high road, Panoramic (sign says
Mt. Tam). After 2 miles, the hotel is on the right, the
last building before total wilderness: 810 Panoramic Hwy.,
Mill Valley.
From
SF International Airport
Take Hwy. 380(Westbound) towards
SF. It feeds into 280 (North). Stay on 280 until you see
signs for Route 1. Take Route 1 North into SF; this becomes
19th Avenue and leads you onto the Golden Gate Bridge.
From the Golden Gate Bridge, follow directions in the
previous paragraph.
From
Oakland Int'l Airport
Leave airport on Hwy. 880 (North)
and follow it to Hwy. 580 (West). (Follow signs pointing
towards San Rafael.) Stay on Hwy. 580 as it crosses San
Rafael Bridge. As you come off bridge, follow signs to
Hwy. l0l (South). Take Stinson Beach/Hwy. l exit in Mill
Valley and from now on, follow all signs pointing towards
Mt.
Tamalapis. After about 1/4 mile turn left at the light,
staying on Hwy. l. After 2.6 miles, bear right at fork
onto Panoramic Highway (sign says Mt. Tam). After l mile,
at 4-way intersection, take the high road, Panoramic.
After 2 miles, the inn is on the right, the last building
before total wilderness: 810 Panoramic Hwy., Mill Valley.
Car-Free Transit
The West Marin Stagecoach has a new route over Panoramic
Hwy., making a stop right at our Inn. Its South Route
61 provides direct service from Marin City, Tam Junction
and Mill Valley to our door every day of the week with
four daily round-trips.
This route also gives our
inn guests the option of hiking down the mountain to Stinson
Beach, then taking the West Marin Stagecoach back up.
For current schedule, see www.marintransit.org.
Call Golden Gate Transit,
(415) 455-2000, to learn how to connect with the West
Marin Stagecoach at Marin City or Mill Valley using Golden
Gate's bus & ferry services.
You can also hike
to downtown Mill Valley from the inn.
San Francisco Citiguide
“One of the most spectacular
settings in Northern California may be enjoyed while dining
at The Mountain Home Inn. Perched high above the treetops
on Mount Tamalpais, this rustic yet elegant inn enjoys
a breathtaking view over the hills toward San Francisco
Bay.
On the first level, there's a dramatic wine and beer bar
with a lofty cathedral ceiling supported by redwood trunks.
On the lower level, you'll find a redwood-cedar
room with comfortably upholstered
chairs that is reserved for overnight guests. During the winter months, a blazing oak fire makes this
an especially cozy and romantic spot for people spending the night.
A visit to The Mountain
Home for lunch or dinner is like a mini-vacation in the
country. As one travel magazine put it, 'there must be
better ways to spend the afternoon than sipping champagne
on the inn's sunny deck overlooking most of the North
Bay, while hawks soar above, but there can't be many'.”
