Whether on bike, foot or snug in a backpack carrier, the trails of Mount Tam Watershed in Marin are the ideal antidote to the busy traffic filled streets, stressful workdays and constant onslaught of technology that surround us day in and day out. Those of us who live here are eternally grateful to have the woods as a close escape to get lost in and to shake off all the external pressures of life. Marin is overwhelmed with nature and many spots are well kept secrets. Some are hard to get to but, at times, even the not-so-hard-to-get-to parts seem completely undiscovered.

There are multiple intimate redwood groves, off the beaten path waterfalls, beaches, lakes, rivers, swaths of open space, and quiet lagoons, all waiting to be explored and all protected from construction of any kind. To get lost, deep in nature and stroll along the water’s edge with no one in sight except for a family of camouflaged deer, a stray gray heron or a fuchsia necked Anna’s hummingbird, is the ultimate way to turn inward and leave civilization far behind, even if only for an hour. It’s the gift for the price we pay to live here, which is inevitably steep, from rent to food to taxes.

Once you hike along a pine needle covered winding trail on Mt. Tam that takes you up high to a stunning view of the Pacific or ride swiftly along the rim of Lagunitas Lake over wooden bridges that cover rocky creeks, you won’t look back to your former life. When the cool air pushes you to walk longer, run faster, ride harder or simply stop and take it all in, with the brilliant sun on your back, it’s easy to remember why living here in Marin is truly priceless.