I have been to Stinson Beach so many times before and cannot believe that I had never noticed these cabins then. My sister stayed at the Steep Ravine Cabins and was raving about them. We decided to book a family glamping trip there in December 2017. The cabins are located right on the coast, just steps away from the ocean and only ~1 hour drive north from San Francisco.

I was already so impressed as we were driving up to the parking lot, and even more so as we were moving our equipment into the cabin. I’m sharing our tips, steps to book, and things we packed / wish we brought. Hope you make it out there!

Tips

• Reserve early since these cabins can get booked up months in advance (even the random weekday slots). Slots open 6 months in advance so just keep searching.
• Aim for Cabin #4 or #10, those were my favorite ones based on location.
• Prepare supplies and pack well beforehand. These cabins do not have water or electricity (see my “What we brought / wish we brought” section).
• Be careful of wild animals in the evening, we saw many raccoons and foxes once the sun went down.
• Check Waze since some of the roads can be closed due to construction. We wasted an hour driving one way and then had to circle back.
• My family and I decided that next time we would do 2 nights to really enjoy everything. We felt like it was too rushed just doing one night.

What to expect

Fair warning that these are very bare bone cabins. There is no electricity or water inside them. You can find shared water stations (to wash things), picnic tables, and BBQ grills on the campgrounds. There are two restrooms (with a sink and modern day toilet) and an area to buy firewood near the parking lot. Although it requires a lot of camping supplies, you can consider this stay a glamping experience (no tent required!). Also, hope you don’t mind the sound of waves. You will be sleeping and waking up to waves crashing just a few feet away.

 

Each cabin comes with a lock (for the front door) and a broom (must sweep after your stay). The cabins have an enclosed fireplace where you purchase or bring your own firewood to heat up the cabin, counter space where the kitchen used to be (remember there is no electricity but you can store food and use your camp stove), a large wooden table and benches, and various wooden benches to sleep on.

How to book

• Use this site (Reserve California) and search for “Mount Tamalpais SP” and click on “Reserve“

• On the “S Rav Cabin Area,” click on “Reserve” to view the options. You may need to adjust the date on the top right area to get the Reserve button to appear.

• You can then search around by the different cabin numbers. I personally think Cabins 4 and 10 are the best since they are closer to the cliff and a bit more isolated. Select your desired date and finish the reservation.