Tennessee valley trail is a cool hike to enjoy nature and dip your toes in the ocean all at the same time. This trail is about 1.75 miles one way to the beach but is absolutely worth it. Beach lovers would love the views and variety of beach sections and the rocks around. Small stones, smaller stones, coarse sand and fine sand closer to water. What a beautiful place to enjoy the day. At low tide, you can explore the spaces behind the huge rocks. There is a pond near the beach where you can spot some ducks/geese. Dogs are not allowed on this trail. There are two paths to the beach. One is to climb the hill. The other is Lower Spur trail but the trail is open seasonally. There are winter closures and some closures when the pond water is too high. Once you start the hike, after about half a mile, you will see a fork. The left side trail is the flat trail. The right hand side one that has the wooden fence goes up and reaches the beach too and has great views. Follow the Lower Spur trail if you don't want to climb. This trail is flat and easy. We saw some parents bringing strollers on this trail. But at the end of the trail, the way is steep and rough, so you should be able to lift the stroller and carry it down. Vault toilets are available at the parking lot and the end of the trail close to the beach. Parking lot is undergoing some renovations and is open partially on weekends. It gets full very quickly on weekends. You may have to park somewhere further down the road and walk up to the trailhead. So, add this to your trail length too. There are trails here that lead to Rodeo beach too. It is about a 3-mile hike.

Wonderful hike! Peaceful, serene. Some nice elevation. Beautiful sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean! I went in on a clear day in May and could hear the whales as I hiked. There were lots of birds along the trail. It was absolutely an out-of-this-world experience. Tennessee Beach is my new favorite place!

Beautiful and worth the hike from Muir Beach. Stay hydrated. Take snacks. Enjoy!

Nice 4 mile hike from parking lot to the beach and back. I was surprised to find a shipwreck at this beach after previously hiking here 10 or more times..

Fantastic place. 1.6 miles flat hike from the parking to the beach. Great starting point for many many really good hikes.

Super nice little place. Great views and tucked in. Plenty of places to hike as well. Easy to get to this beach. It can get crowded.

Great beach, a stunning sight. Very clean and friendly hikers.

Lot of trails. I did 1.8 mile (one-way) to beach. Nice trail. You can bike it even take kids on stroller.

Great place to chill and watch the sunset. Cool breeze and good music would make it even better :)

The hike in is light (mostly paved) and the view at the end is worth it - especially when you look backwards at the valley (see images). Would also recommend climbing the semi-hidden staircase off to the right of the beach up to the pillbox for a cool view at the top, there’s a trail marker.

Gorgeous, relatively easy hike. Lots of connections to other trails, including a route to Muir Beach by way of Pirate's Cove.

At only ~30 minutes from San Francisco, this is one of my favorite short and easy hikes. At under 2 miles, and half paved, I didn't expect it to deliver much thrills ... but the beach is quite spectacular! Be sure to head partially up the hill for a view. Some folks head farther up the cliff/hill but there are clear barriers to stop people from doing so.