Sweeping views meet local history on West Marin trail

The Green Gulch Farm Zen Center was founded in 1972 as one of the last requests of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, the monk and spiritual teacher widely credited with popularizing Zen Buddhism in the United States. Located in a small glen between Tennessee Valley and Highway 1, the Zen Center allows hikers on its property, though the same respect one should afford any spiritual space must be observed while crossing.

The Zen Center has several properties along the Green Gulch Trail (not to be confused with the Middle Green Gulch Trail, subject of a previous column). One of the delights of the Green Gulch Trail is passing by these little outposts of civilization deep in the far-flung expanse of West Marin — including the under-repair Hope Cottage, which sits bucolically beneath a small grove of trees near the edge of a cliff like something out of “The Lord of the Rings.”

This hike is not dog-friendly.

• Summary of hike: Start at the Muir Beach parking lot, then walk up the Pacific Coast Highway until just before it intersects with Shoreline Highway, where you’ll see a trail leading to the right. Follow the trail through the property for 0.9 miles until you reach the Green Gulch Trail. Walk 1.5 miles up the Green Gulch Trail to Coyote Ridge Trail. You can then return either by the Coastal Trail (1.7 miles) or the Middle Green Gulch Trail (2.5 miles). Expect to walk 4 to 5 miles total.

• The hike: The entrance to the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center is across the way from the Pelican Inn. The inn is one of the only places in Muir Beach providing food and refreshments. I often stop there for a glass of water or a lemonade to hydrate before or after walking the Green Gulch Trail.

The entrance to the center is marked by a gate. Please be sure to close the gate, which separates the Zen Center’s pioneering biodynamic farm from hungry critters like deer that might otherwise make quick work of it. Biodynamic farming is a method based on the theories of early 20th-century occultist Rudolf Steiner. Alan Chadwick, the “architect” of the center’s gardens, was heavily inspired by Steiner’s theories and in turn influenced the ’70s California cuisine movement through his promotion of organic farming. As you scan the rows of chard, cabbage and other vegetables, consider the history folded into this seemingly innocuous patch of garden. (You can sample the farm’s produce at San Francisco’s long-running vegetarian restaurant Greens.)

Please be quiet as you approach the zendo and other structures on the property. You may see large groups of California quail congregating. At the far end of the property past the Zen Center parking lot, you’ll see a “Hiking Trail” sign. Follow the trail up. This is an uphill and rather strenuous hike, and it feels significantly longer than its 1.5 miles on the way up, but it more than rewards the required effort with its splendid wildflowers and sweeping views of Muir Beach and Green Gulch.

You will pass various properties owned by the Zen Center on the way up. Please be respectful of their occupants. The Hope Cottage sits at the crest of the trail. Once available for overnight stays, the cottage is currently under construction.

Look out for deer, lizards and California quail. You may see turkey vultures and other raptors hovering in the canyon below. Please note that the trail is occasionally very narrow and overgrown, so please pay attention to oncoming bikes. (Bikes are only allowed uphill, so don’t worry about being run over by two speeding wheels.)

The trail ends at the Coyote Ridge Trail. You can return to Muir Beach via the Middle Green Gulch Trail for more flowers, forest and views of the valley, or you can take the shorter, less verdant Coastal Trail, which offers ocean views and takes you straight back to the parking lot where you started.