We decided to attempt a one-night backpacking trip to Haypress Campground with our 4-year-old and 2-year-old one spring weekend and had an amazing time. The hike is only 0.7 miles from the parking lot, located off the Tennessee Valley trail in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
As we walked along the trail, we saw turkey vultures, lizards, giant dandelions for preschool-sized wishes, old remnants of artillery batteries up on the hilltops in the distance (or Elsa’s home, according to my kiddo), and even met some friendly horses and their riders. Here is what you need to know:
Before you go
- Plan for an hour drive. The drive to Mill Valley and the Tennessee Valley Trailhead can take about an hour from the East Bay Area.
- Check the weather. The Marin Headlands are covered in fog almost year-round, which can cool temperatures down in the mornings and late afternoons. If/when the sun peaks out, however, the weather can warm up quickly. Plan accordingly.
- Book your campsite in advance. All of the campsites in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area are popular spots for camping and are booked up months in advance. Each campsite allows 4 campers and can be booked 3 months before and can extend up to two days beyond the 3-month booking window. $25/night for a single site, $75/night for the group site.
What to pack
- Standard diaper bag essentials
- Standard camping essentials
- Sunscreen and hats
- Water
- Baby carrier or backpack
- Snacks, lunch and water for the entire trip
- Beach items – sand toys, towels, beach blankets, a change of clothes
- Wagon
Tips to Backpack to Haypress Campground with your Kids
1. Get there early—parking can be a challenge.
Even though check-in for the campsite is at 2 pm, you may want to arrive earlier because parking is limited!
There is one lot that fills up quickly either by hikers visiting Tennessee Valley for the day or by folks going to the equestrian field up the road. Overflow parking snakes its way along the road farther and farther away from the trailhead, making for an awkward place to unload your camping gear from your car and adding distance to your hike.
2. Bring a wagon.
The 0.7 mile trail is flat with few bumps, making for an easy wagon pull but not quite smooth enough for a wagon ride, so keep your kids either walking or in the carrier.
Even though it was full of camping gear, our kiddos loved to help push and pull the wagon. It gave them a job to do and kept them occupied along the trail.
3. Pack all the food and water you need for the trip.
Each campsite has a picnic table, but no fire ring or grills. Fires are not allowed in this park. You must bring in all food, water, and cooking supplies you’ll need for the whole trip.
We decided to pack in food for lunch, bring in take-out from our favorite Mill Valley restaurant, Sol Food, and bring cold overnight oats for breakfast in a soft-sided cooler. Don’t forget to pack utensils and napkins, and a bag to put your dirty dishes in because there is no sink for washing.
PS: If you decide to make a trip to Sol Food, be sure to try the ribs, shrimp, and chicken – oh my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
4. Don’t worry, there are pit toilets.
The small campground has two pit toilets for the campground’s use. The bathrooms are clean but have no running water.
Make sure to pack hand sanitizer, wipes, and a small kid’s potty for tiny tushies.
Read here for our travel potty recommendation and potty training tips for families on the trail.
5. Plan a hike along the Tennessee Valley Trail to Tennessee Beach.
The trail through Tennessee Valley is mostly flat and wide, with a reward at the end of beautiful sweeping views that feature a protected beach cove.
The hike is 1.7 miles one way, 3.4 miles round trip, and is a great route for preschoolers. The trailhead to Haypress Campground is located just a few minutes along the Tennessee Valley trail. If you continue hiking towards the beach, you won’t regret it! You will pass a picnic table to rest your legs, and a bathroom for emergency potty breaks right before you reach the beach.
Bring a picnic blanket to enjoy lunch with your kiddos on the beach before you head back to camp. Read more about our hike to Tennessee Valley here.
6. Fill your kid’s backpack with campground entertainment.
Nature is full of fun toys for kids with great imaginations. Sticks, stones, leaves, feathers – all can lead to fun pretend play games.
It is nice to offer other activities to keep your kids occupied (maybe quietly?) while little baby sister takes a nap or mama drinks her tea, for example.
Read our guide on what to bring to a campground to keep your kiddos entertained here.
7. Bring musical instruments so you can sing and play along the way.
Although the hike may not seem long, after a full day of hiking, picnicking, and playing at the beach, the mile or so hike out felt like quite the distance to our companion kid-hikers.
Our kids kept moving with the encouragement of songs like “Mickey Mouse Club House” or Elsa’s “Let it go” sung from our friend’s ukulele. Music definitely added some pep to their step and got the adults into the fun, too.
Read about how to bring music with you when you travel here.
8. Have a baby? Don’t forget a carrier.
Even if your baby or toddler can walk, they will not be hiking 0.7 miles to the campground, or if they can, they will move at a snail’s pace.
Sometimes, I don’t mind walking at a toddler’s pace (aka hella slow) but while hiking with other families and my preschooler is running ahead along the trail I feel some pressure to keep moving.
We used the Trail Magik Kid Carrier on this hike and loved it. I easily put my kiddo into the front pouch as we hiked and got to talk to her about the flowers, and the wildlife, and look at what she was pointing out. While my toddler was in the carrier, we had our own little discussion about the nature around us and I loved seeing the wonderment in her eyes.
The carrier also freed up my hands; I could carry her in the pack and use my hands to carry the various items my preschooler either took off or found. It was easy enough to attach the Trail Magik Kid Carrier while walking mid-trail to pick up a suddenly tired child and to take her out when she just had to see what her big sister was exploring too.
Click here for our other favorite baby carriers for hikes.
If you’re an seasoned backpacker like me and miss the wilderness, the Haypress Campground trail in Tennessee Valley is probably the easiest backpacking trip you’ll find: It’s not too far away from an urban area (so close, you can bring in take out for dinner), there’s a bathroom, and it has a short hike on a flat trail that even a wagon can traverse. You really can’t go wrong.
Just make sure to check that you packed everything you need for a night removed from civilization. Make that a triple check!
After spending the day hiking to Tennessee Valley and picnicking in the late afternoon with friends, we arrived at our campsite and soon realized that we forgot our tent poles. A tent does not work without poles.
Although I have spent many nights without a tent under the stars while backpacking, I was not about to try that out with my babies on our first backpacking trip. I angrily sent my husband back to the car to find the tent poles. With spotty service, I got a text message saying that the poles were not in the car. My husband had to drive back to get them. What a rookie mistake! You would think we had never been camping before!
I waited with my two little girls, wondering how long this process was going to take, and watching as the sun started to set in the sky. He came back 2 hours later with our tent poles, to enjoy our take-out meal and hurry our kids off to bed.
Although we saw plenty of BIPOC families on the trail out to Tennessee Valley and the campground was full, we were the only families enjoying an overnight at Haypress the weekend we stayed there. We want to try this campground again, this time with all of our gear, and hope to see some more families when we do. Maybe you!
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
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