Tourist Club: Happy wanderers come upon a private Bavarian retreat

November 8, 8:47 PMSF Travel ExaminerEd Uyeshima

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The Tourist Club hidden in the forest off the Redwood and Sun Trails
(Photo: www.thrillist.com)

Even if you keep forgetting to pick up your lederhosen at the cleaners, you shouldn’t let that stop you from visiting the Tourist Club deep in the redwood forest near Mill Valley. After a not-too-strenuous twenty-minute hike along the west side of Mount Tamalpais, you come upon a most surprising sight, a Bavarian-style beer lodge that wouldn’t look out of place in the Black Forest. If you come parched, there is quite a selection of rare Bavarian and Belgian brews to quench a hiker’s thirst. And while downing a beer through your gullet, you can take in the picturesque views of Muir Woods and the surrounding hills. All that’s missing is an oom-pah-pah band.

Built in 1913, the Alpine lodge was the result of hard work by a group called the German Nature Friends, who were living in the San Francisco Bay Area at the time and wanted to recreate the bucolic splendor of the old country. Once they decided to buy a patch of picturesque land not too far from San Francisco, the founding members did all the labor themselves by pulling the building materials and supplies up the hills by mule train. It’s still a private club run by members of the Federation of Western Outdoors clubs and the Muir Woods Park Community Association, but they have been kind enough to open it up to the rest of us on selected weekends.

Faded welcome sign (Photo: www.thrillist.com) 

The club is accessible via several hiking trails. Visitors can bring their own picnic lunches and share the stunning views with members. Motorists and cyclists are required to leave their vehicles at the top of the hill in their private parking lot and walk down the steep paved road. More ambitious hikers can actually start in downtown Mill Valley and face the multitude of steps on the Dipsea Trail. From 2 to 6PM, the club sells little German sausages and pitchers of beer. And not just any beer either. One of the members has apparently created an extensive beer cellar, and there is always a tasty selection on tap, in particular, lagers from European breweries.

Since it is a private club, visitors need to be respectful of the property, and be aware that it is only open at the members’ discretion. As you would expect, Oktoberfest is the busiest day there with partying revelers easily going though the forty kegs of brew during the festivities. To curtail what could be overwhelming crowds, the members keep the date a secret until about a week prior. Smaller festivals are held in May (Maifest), July (Sommerfest) and September (Kinderfest). All feature authentic German music, food, beer and enough good cheer to keep the entire cast of “Hogan’s Heroes” happy no matter what side of the barbed wire they were on. Members don't accept tips, but regardless of when you come, they do expect a small contribution to the club per guest in exchange for their generosity. And sorry, no dogs are allowed.

   Topographical map of the area around the Tourist Club (Image: www.touristclubsf.org)

When is the Tourist Club open? That’s the tricky part since it requires a bit of pre-planning lest you face personal disappointment and a dry whistle. The members open the club to the public on the first, third, and fourth weekends of the month from 1 to 6PM only. Some weekends are closed for special events, so you should check their online calendar before coming. They are closed on the second weekend of every month for regular work days, and you can actually volunteer if you have a hankering for five hours of manual labor followed by a free lunch. To help you get in the mood for the sweat on your brow, here’s the chorus of “The Happy Wanderer”…” Fal de ri, Fal de ra, Fal de ri, Fal de ra ha ha ha ha ha…Fal de ri, Fal de ra, my knapsack on my back!”

Here’s a YouTube video clip of the thigh-slapping Bavarian dancers at the Tourist Club on Oktoberfest day in 2006:

LOCATION: 30 Ridge Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941, (415) 388-9987. From San Francisco, take Highway 101 north to Mill Valley. Exit Highway 1 north to Stinson Beach. Continue on Panoramic Highway to Mt. Tamalpais. Take a left on Ridge Avenue, and park in the lot on the right. Walk one-quarter mile down the hill to the clubhouse. Hikers can take one of two main trails - the Redwood Trail and the Sun Trail. Pick up a Mt. Tamalpais trail map for details.