Looking for Big Sur vibes without all the traffic? Give Marin’s Owl Trail a try. The trail connects Muri Beach Overlook to Slide Ranch, a non-profit education farm, with stunning coastal views, Monterey cypress, a whale bone cemetery, and an idyllic goat and sheep paddock. The Tide Pool Trail near the ranch buildings connects to the rocky beach below, making the journey about 3 miles round trip. While the trail can be an add-on to a longer trail run up Coastal to Cardiac, I usually reserve it for an after-work out-and-back when I want to avoid Tennessee Valley crowds, or for a family-in-town-for-the-weekend kind of hike. The angle of the trail, occasional stairs and abundant wildflowers make this a content creator’s dream with the vibe of a coastal road trip much farther away from the Bay.
