Annie's Garden Cottage

a restful getaway to West Marin

If this is your first visit to West Marin, you will no doubt want to spend some time visiting the National Seashore. In order to appreciate the opportunities for enjoying the Seashore, you might want to stop first at the Visitors’ Center which is located less than ten minutes away in Bear Valley. At the Center, maps and exhibits will provide you with a helpful overview of the park, and National Park Service Rangers are there to answer questions.

A distinct advantage of staying overnight in West Marin is that you have the opportunity to explore the area well in advance of many visitors. By rising early, you will often find the parking lots and trails in the park nearly empty, offering the opportunity not only for peaceful hikes, but also the chance to meet the variety of wildlife who inhabit the park before they are spooked from the trails.

One example of this is the road to Tomales Point, which will take you into the park’s densest elk country. A large herd of Tule Elk can usually be found roaming the hills near the end of the drive, at historic Pierce Point Ranch, and the likelihood of the elk being near the road is greater early in the morning than it is later in the day. In addition, this road provides an opportunity to visit the historic ranch, and serves as the trailhead for Tomales Point, a wonderful hike – particularly when the fog burns off.

Another hike which is often more fun in the early morning is Mt. Wittenberg, accessed near the Bear Valley Visitors’ Center, where trail maps will show you the way. A relatively short, but rigorous hike to the top the tallest point in the Seashore will often allow wonderful views in all directions. By mid-day, especially on weekends, many folks will join you at the top of Wittenberg.

Hiking the spit at Limantour Beach can also be quite peaceful in the early morning. With the ocean on one side and an estero on the other, this hike will allow encounters with a range of birds and animals, including seals and sea lions at the end of the spit.

If you have kids with you, it goes without saying that the beaches of the Seashore will be an attraction. In the late summer and fall, the waters of Tomales Bay may be suitable for swimming, and Hearts Desire, Shell, and Chicken Ranch beaches all offer calm waters for children. Ocean beaches at Limantour and Drake’s also usually offer calm, safe water conditions, which is certainly not the case at the northern beaches in the Seashore, where entering the water is a very bad idea due to the undertow.

You might also consider taking the kids to the Earthquake Trail, near the Visitors’ Center, which offers a short hike and some interesting information about earthquakes and the Seashore. Above the Visitors’ Center is the Morgan Horse Ranch, where horses are bred for service in the National Park system, and there are exhibits, as well. Also nearby is the Miwok "village", which offers a glimpse of how native Americans once lived in this area.

Depending upon weather conditions, the lighthouse (closed Wed/Thur) offers a unique destination, but wind and fog can often create less than perfect conditions. On the road to the lighthouse is the turnoff to Chimney Rock, the hike to which is particularly rewarding in the spring when wild flowers litter the hills on your way to the Rock. There are a number of opportunities for picnics in sheltered locations near the parking lot. Similarly, just short of the lighthouse, there are protected picnic spots on the ocean side of the road, which not only provide great views but also the sound of the seals and birds far below.

If you brought your dog, remember that dogs are not allowed on any trails in the Seashore, but they can be taken to certain beaches on leash (although this restriction is often overlooked on lonely beaches or during weekdays). Dogs are allowed at Chicken Ranch Beach, which is located on the Bay north of Inverness, right at the point where Sir Francis Drake turns west to head into the Seashore.

Sights at Point Reyes Bear Valley Visitors’ Center

The National Park Visitors’ Center is fifteen minutes away in Bear Valley, just moments from the tiny town of Olema. The Center offers some interesting exhibits and provides an overview of the entire park. Nearby is the earthquake trail, an easy and pleasant walk through the woods which crosses the San Andreas fault line and demonstrably portrays how the earth jumped sixteen feet northward in 1906. Also nearby and above the Center is the Morgan horse farm, where the Morgan horses which are deployed through the National Park System, are bred and raised. Exhibits and yes, horses.

Lighthouse

The lighthouse at the Point takes about forty minutes to drive to from our place, but it is a pleasant drive through the National Park. It is open Thursday through Monday, beginning at 10 or 10:30 am. Best time to go is midday (noon to 2) when the chance for no fog is greatest. Nearby are overlooks where seals and sea lions can be seen and heard on the rocks far below. On the road to the lighthouse, you will notice signs to North and South beaches. From the parking lots, you can watch what often is some spectacular wave action.

Tomales Point

Instead of staying on the road to the lighthouse, follow the fork to the right (see map) and head north toward Tomales Point, where Tomales Bay meets the Pacific. Although it is a five mile hike to the Point, you will cross into Tule Elk country on the drive to the end of the road, and if you leave early in the morning, you should see groups of elk on the hillside, part of a herd of over 300 in the Park. This is a beautiful drive in clear weather, even without any elk, and at the end of the road is Pierce Point Ranch ranch, a preserved 19^th century ranch, as well as views of both Tomales Bay and the Pacific.

Hearts Desire Beach

Located in Tomales State Park, off the road to Tomales Point, this is a small but very picturesque beach which is only steps from the parking lot; an ideal place for a picnic lunch since it is sheltered from the northwest breezes, and offers tables.

Drake’s Beach

Drake’s Beach commemorates where Sir Francis Drake spent some time with his ship repairs before wandering southward and, like everyone else, missing the Golden Gate. Anyhow, there is a small visitor’s center here and stunning cliffs (Dover) but the café is open only on weekends. There are nonetheless tables available for picnics, next to the visitors center.

Limantour Beach

Probably the most accessible beach, Limantour is a pleasant twenty minute drive from the house, and offers, if you follow the path down toward the beach, a hard surface walkway which will take you through the dunes right to the beach, and Drake’s Bay. The drive will take you through some of the reminders of the terrible fire of four years ago, October, which took 49 homes on Inverness Ridge before turning west and burning all the way to Limantour.