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I searched everywhere online to get more info. on these cabins before we left for our 2 night stay. I hope this review is useful to anyone who will be staying there for the first time and maybe doesn't know what to expect. The cabin (#6) was much bigger than I expected. It included a small porch, lockable door, kitchen prep area with a laminate counter space, some small shelves and a garbage can with garbage bags. The living area has a large picnic table with pot belly stove close by. There are large windows next to the picnic table that look over the ocean and open to let in fresh air. There is also a large platform area big enough for someone to throw a sleeping bag on, or good for extra seating. There is also a small mirror, plenty of coat pegs and heavy duty nails to hang things on and a small bench in the living area. There was a chain hanging above the picnic table that would hold a lantern for plenty of light in the evenings. Towards the bedroom there is a closet space with a bar to hang clothes on, if you bring your own hangers, I guess if you like to unpack when you camp? There is a broom and dust pan inside. Across from this space is a very tiny room with a window and bunk bed platform with ladder. Then the very large main bedroom has a queen sized bed platform with a small shelf and a window that looks out over the ocean. There is also another bed platform in the main bedroom, it looked big enough for a full sized inflatable mattress. It has a large window above it and a small shelf as well. None of the rooms have doors, but there are nails already up if you want to bring cloth to close off the rooms. There are also wooden curtain rods with clips to hold curtains. There are tons of windows in the cabin, we brought cloth and cut it up to fit in the windows. It was nice for evenings to have some privacy and to keep the sun out in the morning. Outside each cabin is a nice bench to sit on and a bbq grill that they tried to put in a place that is blocked from wind, there is space for outdoor chairs by the bbq. We went mid week and found all the other campers to be much like ourselves, families with children or older couples. You never heard your neighbors over the ocean. No one, to our knowledge was there to party or play loud music into the wee hours of the night. There are some trails and access to a beach. There are benches and picnic tables spread out over the area. There is just pit toilets. But they were very clean and well stocked with tissue and toilet seat covers. No showers, no sink. It looks like they are just about to open brand new bathrooms, maybe they will have running water and flush toilets? There is water close to each cabin. There was plenty of firewood to purchase. There were also wheel barrows to use to bring your stuff from your car to your cabin. Stinson Beach is 1 mile away, if your forgot anything, you can run into town and get it. One thing that I had no idea how to use was the locks to get into the campground and into your cabin. You must call to get the code for the grounds and cabin. You put your code in and push the lock up onto itself to unlatch it. I had no idea how to work this kind of lock, luckily my partner did! There are mice that come into the cabin each night. You must put all your food and anything else you don't want a mouse to touch away each night, like your tablecloth. We heard them both nights we were there and found droppings each morning, however, they never came into the bedroom, that we know of. The website that you book the cabin through did not,until just recently, warn of the mouse problem. Luckily before we left I found it buried somewhere online and we knew to pack our food away. It looks like some of the cabins are a little smaller than others, but there is no mention of this on the website you reserve the cabin on.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in the Steep Ravine Cabins July 3-6th for the 4th of July weekend.
First, let me just compliment the previous reviewer, they did a fantastic job detailing these great cabins, so I won't repeat what they said. I too had a hard time finding much info about these online before our trip, so this review was a big help!
Adding on to what was stated in the earlier review, the new bathrooms mentioned are now open. There are two of them, right off the parking lot near the handicapped cabin, and they are quite nice. Tile floor and walls, with skylights, and running water sinks. No electricity or showers, but the spigot on the sink is quite high, if you really needed to you could probably wash your hair in the sink. They were always well stocked with seat covers and toilet paper, and so much better than a pit toilet!
To me, it looked like all of the cabins were the same size, with the exception of one of them, the one closest to the old pit toilet. I believe it was cabin #3 and from the outside it just looked like it didn't have the bunk bed room and closet area.
While we didn't have a mouse problem, several of our neighbors mentioned hearing them at night. However there was a ton of wildlife to see from and around the cabins, which was really neat so close to San Francisco. During our stay we saw pelicans, hawks, crabs, starfish, snails, a rabbit, a snake (a lot bigger than a garter snake, but not a rattlesnake), a grey fox, and a lot of deer. Every morning I'd end up waking up at around 6am to use the restroom, and would always see deer eating around the cabins. If you follow the trail along the bluff, the opposite direction from the beach, there are some great tide pools with a lot of sea life, great fun if you are with kids, although they are a little steep to get to.
Another thing to mention that the previous review didn't was how hard it is to get a reservation at these cabins. They have a reputation of being the hardest reservation to get in the entire California State Park system, and I believe it! They can be booked through Reserve America, and go on sale 7 months in advance. What I had to do to get our reservation was to wake up early on January 2nd (usually they go on sale the first of the month, but January 1st was a holiday) and sign on at about 7:50am. I plugged in my dates, crossing my fingers we'd get the 4th of July weekend, and then sat there for 10 minutes hitting refresh over and over in my browser. At 8am on the dot the reservation system opened up, and instantly all but 3 cabins were gone. I quickly clicked on one of the ones left and somehow got it! So don't expect to be able to pick and choose which cabin you want, you'll have to take what you can get, but I really don't think any of them looked bad, they all had fantastic views.
Also to note about making reservations, the campground map on the Reserve America site is a bit off. Usually you would think the top of the map is the north side, so online it looks like the campsites are below (south) of the cabins. However, the right side of the map is actually the north side, so the campsites are to the side of the cabins, not in front of them, and a lot further away than shown on the map. Looking at the map as is on the site, the left side faces out to the ocean, the top side faces the bay and Stinson Beach. Just an FYI, because I was expecting there would be campers and tents in the way of the ocean view, but actually from our cabin (#6) we had a great view of just the water and Stinson Beach.
And finally, be sure to bring lots of blankets and sweatshirts! It was pretty cold in the mornings and at night, even in July, and very foggy. But in the afternoons the fog burned off and it was hot, so bring your shorts and bathing suits too.
Anyway, I hope some of these additional details are useful to anyone considering staying at these great cabins. I'm including some pictures as well!
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Date of stay: July 2008
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If there's a big storm coming, people will often opt out of their reservations, and you can get in without reserving by checking at Pantoll Ranger Station up on Mount Tam after the deadline for no-shows. There is no more spectacular place to experience nature's fury than from a cozy, woodstove-warmed cliffside cabin overlooking the pounding surf. Not everybody's cup of tea, for sure... but if you're game, you WILL remember this as a peak experience.
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Date of stay: January 2013Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a fantastic three nights at Steep Ravine. Reservations are hard to come by and we reserved 6 months in advance--plan ahead! Cabins were very comfortable, especially since it was just two of us. It rained quite a bit during our visit, but we didn't mind with a dry roof over our head and a warm fire in the stove. When the sun came out, boy was it glorious. We will definitely be coming back.
They are cabins, but very basic cabins--think of it more like camping but with a cabin instead of tent.
A couple of thoughts/suggestions to echo what other reviewers have said: 1. Bring a squeegee to clean the windows so that you have a clearer view of the ocean. 2. There are mice and they poop all over the place, so secure your food and cooking supplies every night. Put them in a tub or container. 3. There are BBQs outside the cabins. 4. Bring sheets for the windows--some one had suggested this in another review and I'm glad we saw that. The cabins are close and there are windows on both sides, so if you want any privacy, you need to bring sheets. It was easy to hang them. 5. Bathrooms are two individual unisex bathrooms with a sink and toilet (with running water but no hot water). Very clean, private, and convenient. 6. There is firewood for purchase at the campground for $6/bundle but no kindling. 7. Stinson Beach is a very close drive away if you want to eat out or grab something from the store. Stinson Beach Market is very well equipped with yummy food, fire wood, propane, kindling, snacks, local/organic produce, ice, etc.
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Date of stay: April 2012
Location
Cleanliness
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are we the only visitors that have noticed the mice infestation? We've stayed there 4 times and during the first stay suspected there were mice based on some suspicious sounds. I took to sleeping in the front room so I could reset the traps after they activated. Visit no. 3 I set three traps and I kid you not-once they went off in succession- "snap, snap, snap". It was amazing. I caught 14 before I finally gave up and stopped setting traps and stuck some earplugs in my ears so I wouldn't hear them. Cabins 7 and 10 were the worst. With a flashlight I found the major entry point; through the cracks in the front door. Another entry point was the roof in the main bedroom. I've stayed in January, August, and October. They seem worst in August.
So, except for the little visitors, the place is absolutely beautiful; although getting quite expensive for a rustic cabin.
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Date of stay: January 2012
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Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Bring mousetraps or earplugs.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello just did first stay at Steep Ravine, it was glorious, as others have posted. Here are my observations as we go again tomorrow.
Stayed at cabin 7, closest to the beach, great unobstructed views but it is farther from the parking lot which means more steps to the shared restroom and more energy used to bring your stuff to your cabin. Wheelbarrows were provided, but the last steps are steep enough that we just carried everything instead.
A tip from here or from Yelp advised to bring something to clean the Windows, which I did and it made the views much better!
As for mice, we saw one mouse try to get in through a small hole in the door, that's about it. Will bring something next time to plug the hole temporarily, like a wine cork, or something.
First timers, remember to print out your reservation confirmation, and call reserve America to get the gate code and your cabin combination lock code. You should put the letter on your dash, but a lot of campers did not. But the reservation letter can be valuable in that you can park and use any California state park while camping. For example, Mount Tam has parking regulations where you are supposed to put money in an envelope to park at the lookout or trailhead parking lots, but if you put the confirmation letter on your dash, it is the same thing, as you have paid through your reservation at the cabin! Same thing if you want to picnic at Samuel P Taylor park or China Camp nearby (although to be realistic, you are better off relaxing in your cabin at Steep Ravine). But if you want to go to Pantoll ranger station at Mount Tam State Park nearby and hike from there, your letter covers your parking fee.
Most people want to go to Steep Ravine to unplug, and relax. But here is my limited connectivity observations: sprint had no connection down there, I used cell and hot spot. T-mobile had spotty coverage, connected less than 20% of the time there. AT&T the best of my providers, (I do not have Verizon) 80% connection with two bars maximum.
Bedroom has two platforms, one queen sized, one slightly larger than twin sized. Our regular camping mattress thermarest was too small for the big platform, so we found a air bed from Costco with a battery operated pump at a reasonable price.
As others have posted, bring flat sheets or thin blankets to use as curtains (most cabins have curtain rods and clips) if you want more privacy. The big ocean facing Windows do not have curtain rods, but why would you want to cover up that million dollar view anyway? One thing I found is that the middle window in the main room can open up to let breezes in, but when it gets cold at night and windy, you should close the middle window and push it in to make a better seal to keep the cabin warm.
Speaking of warming the cabin, the stove inside the cabin is glorious and has many uses besides keeping you warm. Wifey loved putting our kettle on top of the flat part of the stove to keep the water warm, you could cook soups and stews and let it simmer on the top of the stove to eat later. You can buy wood for $8 (exact change in envelope) in the parking lot, we also bought bear bricks from OSH hardware to supplement our supply.
Nearby Stinson Beach has a small market serviceable but limited, same with Bolinas, so come with enough food to cover yourself, although we did buy a slice of pizza from Stinson Beach Parkside and re heated it on the wood stove. Mill Valley would be closest for complete provisions, but it is a winding drive to get there.
If you have them, or can borrow a pair, binoculars allow you to see the ships, whales, and other interesting things outside your window. Last time saw kite sailers jumping waves and braving the insane high winds off the coast.
Since it is the centennial of our national parks, I bought a years National Parks access pass, since we would be close to Muir Woods. For $80 a year, our one visit should have costed $20 ($10 per person), four visits we break even, plus you could go to Pinnacles, Yosemite, etc. We went on the second day, around 930am and got great parking, a benefit of being so close (20 minutes) before the crowds arrived. Did the basic tour, will now explore more of the connecting trails. The locally food sourced restaurant in the park was great for a quick tuna salad, will try other choices next time.
As for other practical matters, no electricity, so battery lights or propane lighting (with ventilation) when night falls. Our regular propane Coleman lantern shone brightly, and we were glad we brought curtains so to not disturb our neighbors. This time around I got usb powered led lights that can work off of batteries I can recharge with solar panels during the day. We are night owls, so the extra time staying up required either propane lighting or our new solar recharge system. If you sleep and wake with the sun, no extra lights (except for headlights or flashlights for the bathroom run) are needed.
Other random things: there is a small closet between main room and bedroom, bring hangers for jackets and such. Push broom and regular broom with dust pan provided in closet, I will bring swiffer with wet cloths to keep place clean for next guest. Opposite closet is small platform for small people to sleep in only. We used it to stow our packs/bags with our clothes. In main room is another small platform, we used it to stow cooler and provisions, and to set up low chair to enjoy the views.
More things to follow after our next trip, thanks for looking.
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Date of stay: April 2016Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We lucked out and secured a cabin via the lottery at 2pm at the Ranger Station. For those who don't know, they have a lottery for any cabin cancellations at 2pm that day. You can call the Ranger Station and ask if there are any cancellations prior to heading over there just to save yourself a trip. Just to show you how popular these cabins are, there were 4 groups waiting for 2 available cabins on a rainy, cold Friday in February.
We had Cabin #9, and it was fantastic. Nice wood stove, locked door, separate sleeping area, and picnic table. I would say the only negative on these cabins is that they are pretty close together. Some people brought sheets to use as curtains to cover some of their windows for extra privacy. I'd probably do the same thing if I return.
Check them out if you are lucky enough to get a reservation or a lottery slot.
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Date of stay: February 2009
Value
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Cleanliness
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I've been going to these cabins for 10 years. They are hard to get--you have to book them 7 months in advance, and good luck getting a weekend. But if you do score reservations, you're in for a treat. I'd say the price ($75/night plus reservation fee) is high considering there's no electricity or running water in the cabins, but really, the site is very special. You also have to keep in mind that often this area is very foggy and windy, even in the summer--it's very unpredictable, so be prepared for a range of weather conditions.
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Date of stay: June 2009
Value
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Cleanliness
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I read about the Steep Ravine cabins about 4 years ago in the AAA Via Magazine and it was on my bucket list. We have been trying to reserve a cabin without any luck. Finally, my wife surprised me on my 47th birthday to this absolutely gorgeous place. Our family of 4 with 2 boys (14 & 8) went there on Wednesday July 13th for 2 nights and I have to say that it was incredible. I will not say that it is perfect but pretty close. After driving from hot & Humid Sacramento, we were at the Rocky Point Road. Here you have to open the gate with the key code provided in your email confirmation. We faced our first hurdle here. After repeated attempts, we couldn’t open this lock. There was no one to call. So I and my 14 year old trekked 0.5 miles downhill to the camp and asked the camp hostess who told us the trick to open the lock. Of course there was limited cell service and could not tell my wife waiting near the gate. Luckily on of the other patrons were going up and they delivered the message for us. Once my wife came down, it took us 3 trips to take our things to our cabin (#2, Dipsea) .
Once we settled in the cabin, we trekked to the beach and it was clear sunny & gorgeous day. We were able to watch an amazing sunset. After a light dinner we fell asleep to sounds of the waves crashing near our cabin. Unfortunately we woke to notice several mouse dropping in the kitchen area. That is absolutely disgusting. So on the second day, (14th) we went to Stinson beach, did some light trekking and just relaxed. However, it was cloudy and we barely saw the sun. On 15th we left around 11.30 AM.
Overall it was a great trip and loved majority of it. The wild life was exciting to watch (whales, seals, Quail, Dears, foxes). However, the drawbacks/cons are: (A) Poor instructions (B) Rodent infestation.
If you are going, take note that while all the cabins have a great ocean view, cabins 7,8,9 & 10 have the best view and cabins 8 & 9 have a small landing next to them to place you camp chairs and watch the ocean while sipping tea or Coffee. Also make sure to print your reservation email which is your parking permit.
Here is a tip about reserving the cabins. You can reserve the cabins, seven months ahead on Reserveamerica.com. So get up at midnight and make the reservation. They will gone by 12.10 AM.
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Date of stay: July 2016Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Cabins 8,9 and 10 have the best view but needs more time to move your thing from the car. Cabing...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Steep Ravine Cabins and Environmental Campsites are located just 1 mile south of Stinson Beach with great access to hiking and bike riding. It's an absolutely beautiful setting and easy drive from San Francisco. The campsites are fantastic, big and well maintained with picnic tables, fire pit, and food storage box. However, the location of the area makes it very windy, especially at night while you are trying to sleep.
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Date of stay: January 2013
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
They won't allow you to post the url here, so search for "steep ravine reservations" and select the link that is "reservecalifornia"
search for "Mount Tamalpais SP"
Hi. I have actually been there 3 times in last year. Twice camping (spot 5 and 1 - which is the best) and cabin 7 (best views of the beach/ocean). I got the spot once on Saturday and twice on Sunday. Generally, its easier to get a spot if you are not looking for Friday/Saturday. Sundays and week nights are easier to book. They all sell out within minutes so you will have to be there waiting with your finger on the mouse, but its well worth it. Hope this helps!
There are more places to choose from in the Mill Valley area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
steep ravine cabins hotel mill valley
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaMarin CountyMill Valley
NUMBER OF ROOMS
17
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