The turn onto Panoramic Highway along the shoulder of Mount Tamalpais — big views, the first redwoods, and a caution for the narrow winding road.
Get ready — coming up ahead, Panoramic Highway bends off to the right from Shoreline Highway, and that's the one we want. There'll be a sign; take it easy through the fork so you don't blow past it. Bear right onto Panoramic Highway.
Now the road earns its name. As you climb, the views open up — ridges and canyons, and on a clear day the ocean glinting off to the west — and the first tall redwoods and firs start crowding the roadside, a hint of the giants waiting in the canyon below. It's a skinny, twisting mountain road, popular with cyclists and motorcyclists, so keep your speed down and use the pullouts to let faster folks by. Stay on Panoramic Highway now; our next move is the turn down into the woods, and I'll get you set for it.
Photo: Richard Wood · CC BY-SA 3.0
