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Outdoor Art ClubPhoto: Bento00 (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
Walking tour · Mill Valley

Mill Valley Walk: Downtown and Old Mill Park

A sawmill, a crooked railroad, and the women who saved the redwoods

32 min5 stops0.7 mi

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Stop 1 free · $12.99 unlocks all 5 · up to 4 phones · refund within 7 days

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Thirty-Five Women and a Redwood Roof

Stop 1 · Outdoor Art Club · 2:09
0:002:09

You're standing outside the Outdoor Art Club, at 1 West Blithedale Avenue in downtown Mill Valley. Take a look at the clubhouse in front of you, and especially at its roof. The people who wanted this building were 35 women who couldn't yet vote.

In 1902, Mill Valley was a young town with a train depot just a few minutes' walk from where you're standing. Large redwoods grew near that depot, and they were being removed. A group of 35 local women decided that was worth organizing over. They founded the Outdoor Art Club, dedicated to preserving the area's natural environment.

Consider what those women were up against. In 1902, women in California had no vote. That wouldn't come until 1911. So if you wanted a say in what your town looked like, you couldn't elect anyone. You built an organization instead. The club drew on the City Beautiful movement of the 1890s, which promoted the civic value of public beauty. These women took that idea and pointed it at their own redwoods.

Shortly after founding the club, the members commissioned a clubhouse that would reflect their values of nature, beauty and community. It was designed in 1904 by Bernard Maybeck, one of California's most influential architects, who designed both the building and its grounds. Maybeck is known for using natural materials in creative ways, and the clubhouse is a classic example of Arts and Crafts style. The roof is held up by an unusual truss system, and the building is noted for it.

The clubhouse served the whole town, not only the members. In 1904, the club established a library for townspeople here. The original library was one small room behind the stage.

The club is still here, a member-run organization that has worked to preserve natural environments and carried out community service projects. The building was listed as California Historical Landmark number 922 in 1978, a recognition for what these women built. These days it's also a popular spot for weddings, which means Maybeck's roof has probably heard more vows than speeches.

When you're ready, walk west on Sunnyside Avenue, about three minutes, to the Depot at Lytton Square, where the town's trains once set off up the mountain on a famously crooked line.

About this walk

You're standing in front of the Outdoor Art Club, in downtown Mill Valley. Look at the clubhouse and the trees around it. Thirty-five Mill Valley women founded this club in 1902, and what set them off was the removal of large redwoods near the train depot. That is the knot at the center of this walk. Mill Valley is named after a sawmill, a place built to turn trees into lumber. Yet these women organized to save trees. So how did a town named for cutting become a town known for saving, singing and running? The answers come from a railroad so crooked it was billed as the Crookedest Railroad in the World, with its longest straight stretch only 413 feet. They come from those 35 women, from a music hall where, by the club's own account, a once-in-a-lifetime show was a commonplace occurrence, from an Irishman named John Thomas Reed, whose mill gave the town its name, and from a footrace that has climbed out of this valley since 1905. Reed's mill, like the whole town, stood on the homeland of the Coast Miwok people, and that is part of the story too. Now, back to the clubhouse in front of you, and the women who started it.

The route

  • 0.7 mi · about 32 min with the stories
  1. 1
    Outdoor Art Club

    Thirty-Five Women and a Redwood Roof

    Outdoor Art Club

    You're standing outside the Outdoor Art Club, at 1 West Blithedale Avenue in downtown Mill Valley.

    Open this story
  1. 2
    The Depot at Lytton Square

    Eight Miles, and Only 413 Feet Straight

    The Depot at Lytton Square

    You're standing at Lytton Square, the little heart of downtown Mill Valley.

    Unlock to hear this stop

    Walk west on Sunnyside Avenue (about 190 m, 3 min).

    About this stop
  2. 3
    Sweetwater Music Hall

    Where Once-in-a-Lifetime Happened Weekly

    Sweetwater Music Hall

    You've walked a block or so from the old depot, and you're on Corte Madera Avenue, in front of number 19.

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    Walk north on Miller Avenue (about 160 m, 2 min).

    About this stop
  3. 4
    Old Mill Park

    The Irishman Whose Sawmill Named a Town

    Old Mill Park

    You're in Old Mill Park, at the corner of Throckmorton and Cascade, standing in a redwood grove.

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    Walk southeast (about 600 m, 9 min).

    About this stop
  4. 5
    The Dipsea Steps

    The Man Who Climbed These Steps 67 Times

    The Dipsea Steps

    You're at the foot of the Dipsea Steps in Mill Valley, where the town runs out of flat ground and Mount Tamalpais begins.

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    Walk west, then continue onto Cascade Way (about 220 m, 3 min).

    About this stop

The other 4 stops unlock with the walk

$12.99 once · all 5 stops · up to 4 phones · refund within 7 days if it didn't work for you.

Plan your walk

How long

About 32 min for 0.7 mi with all 5 stories. Going inside the sites adds time.

How it works

  1. 1. Try the first stopPlay stop 1 here, before you buy, at home or on the spot.
  2. 2. Unlock with Apple Pay or Google PayIt opens right away in your browser, and the links arrive by email.
  3. 3. Walk with your phoneTap each stop, or let the free app play each story when you arrive.

Take it with you in the app

GPS auto-play starts each story when you reach the stop, with your phone locked in your pocket. Download the tour and it works offline.

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Questions people ask

How long is the Mill Valley walking tour?

The route covers 0.7 miles (1.2 km) from Outdoor Art Club to The Dipsea Steps. Walking alone takes about 14 to 22 minutes depending on pace, and the narration adds about 16 minutes.

Is the Mill Valley walking tour free?

The first stop plays free on the web page, and no app or account is needed to listen there. Unlocking the full tour costs $12.99 as a single purchase.

Where does the Mill Valley walking tour start and end?

It starts at the Outdoor Art Club and ends at The Dipsea Steps. Along the way there are five stops, including The Depot at Lytton Square, Sweetwater Music Hall and Old Mill Park.

Can I take the Mill Valley tour offline?

Yes. The full tour works offline in the Stories app, and it also plays on the web.

What will I learn on the Mill Valley walk?

You'll hear about the Outdoor Art Club, founded in 1902 by 35 Mill Valley women, and the Mount Tamalpais railroad that once ran from Lytton Square toward the mountain. You'll also hear about John Thomas Reed, who built Marin County's first sawmill, and the first Dipsea Race in 1905.

Do I need the app?

No. After you unlock, the tour plays right here in your browser: keep the screen on and tap each stop. The free Stories app adds GPS auto-play, so each story starts by itself when you arrive, with your phone in your pocket, and works offline.

How many people can listen?

One purchase covers your group on up to 4 phones. Share the link from your receipt, or everyone can sign in to the app with the same email.

Does it work offline?

In the app, yes: download the tour on Wi-Fi before you go. In the browser you need a signal, which is fine on most city streets; open the tour once before you leave.

When can I start?

Any time. It is self-guided, so there are no departure times and no group to keep up with. Pause for coffee and pick up where you left off.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. If the tour did not work for you, email support@getstories.app within 7 days and we will refund it.

Who made this tour?

Stories writes each tour from public sources, checks every claim against them, and narrates it with a synthetic voice. A person reviews each tour before it goes live. The sources are listed at the end of this page; if you spot a mistake, tell us at support@getstories.app.

Sources and how this tour was made

Stories writes each tour from public sources and checks every claim against them; a synthetic voice narrates it, and a person reviews it before it is published. Last reviewed October 2026.

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Mill Valley Walk: Downtown and Old Mill Park

5 stops · $12.99 · up to 4 phones

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