Beach

As mother to a three year old, this is what I would like in a beach: calm water, a relatively small beach so I can keep my eye on her, no wind, some (harmless) wildlife, restrooms, drinking fountains, picnic tables and a bbq. And I found all of that at a beach in Point Reyes aptly named Heart’s Desire.

Calm waters. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bad_music_laine/3648941404/

Located over the Inverness Ridge on Tomales Bay, Heart’s Desire is protected from the wind and the huge surf for which Point Reyes beaches are famous. Unlike many Northern California beaches, this little bayside cove is actually safe for swimming. The shallow water is warmer than one would expect, and the swimming area is bordered by buoys to keep larger boat traffic away. This is also a popular place to put in kayaks and canoes, which can be fun for the kids to watch. Older kids and adults might choose to swim out to the anchored raft.

Bayside Beach. http://www.flickr.com/photos/moomoo/1010277352/

Because the water is warm(ish), there are often jellyfish floating at the water’s edge. Not to worry–they are harmless. The area is also home to migrating shorebirds in the fall, peregrine falcons and the endangered snowy plover. Be careful as the snowy plover is a ground-nesting bird; their nesting season is June 1st – September 15. In addition, deer roam freely, and if you’re lucky, you might spot a fox.

To get there, drive past Inverness on Sir Francis Drake Blvd., then bear right onto Pierce Point Road. Continue on Pierce Point Road until you see the sign for Tomales Bay State Park, then make a right turn into the park. Unlike the rest of Point Reyes National Seashore, this is a State Park, so you’ll have to pay a $6 vehicle entry fee at the ranger station. It’s worth it, though. Pack some oysters for the bbq, some Goldfish crackers for the kids, a bunch of sand toys and some towels, and have a nice, warm, relaxing day at the beach!

North Beach: the Grand-Daddy of all beaches, the Godfather of the Point Reyes National Seashore. With over 10 miles of undeveloped sand, North Beach (and its sister beach to the south, aptly titled “South Beach”) boasts impressive dunes and the drama of heavy surf. Often shrouded in fog and open to the Gulf of Alaska’s every temper tantrum, high winds and all, this beach is not for the suntanned of heart.

Beach? What beach? Here there is fog. http://www.flickr.com/photos/yathin/2507059462/

What makes this beach so exceptional, perhaps, is the very thing that makes it relatively uninhabited. North Beach is wild. It is vast. It is exposed and salty, the water rough and unruly. Unpredictable. The sun may be shining in town and so you make the drive, crest the hill and then–bam! Met by a thick bank of fog. Or, better yet, in town it may be cold, windy and yet you bundle up to go to the beach anyway and then–wow! North Beach is bright, clear, the sweet warm scent of beach grasses lilt in the still air. Who knew? Who knows? This is North Beach, and here North Beach is boss.

On second thought... http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_stark/347289761/

Then there is the water itself: Cold, thick, fast and burly. Just past the waters edge the beach drops off abruptly, creating severe rip currents and a strong undertow. Swimming is strongly not recommended, but there is a handful of local surfers who brave the cold and the sharks and the everything else scary for the thrill of the very large waves. Hopefully you won’t spot any Great White Sharks, but if you visit between January and May you just might spot a Gray Whale during their migration from Mexico to Alaska. They often swim close to the coast, popping up every now and then to spout off a quick spray of salt water right off the beach in front of you.

Sometimes simply referred to as The Great Beach, North Beach is nothing if not impressive. Cold? Yes, most days. Foggy, dangerous, windy, gray, and yet? Still: Beautiful, stunning, breathtaking, peaceful, quiet, noble, grand–The Great Beach, North Beach.

Drive, drive drive, and then drive a little more. Past cows, an oyster farm, past green pastures, cliffs, more cows, fog, past estuaries and yet more cows. Drive, drive, drive, because Drake’s Beach is well worth the drive. Located approximately 40 miles WNW of San Francisco, Drake’s Beach is almost at the tip of the Point Reyes National Seashore. If you’ve hit the lighthouse, you’ve gone too far. If you get out of the car and are hit with howling off-shore winds and wonder why you drove so far for such a windy beach, you’re there.

Dramatic cliffs. Photo courtesy of Mahesh Chittur. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mchittur/3452122296/

What makes Drake’s Beach so popular with the locals is the white sandstone cliffs, not only because they are beautiful (they are), but because the cliffs block the ever-present wind. While it may seem like an inhospitable beach from the parking lot, walk out on the sand, turn right in front of the cliff and you will find the wind still, the air actually warm, the beach broad and perfect and beautiful. The rule goes that you wear a parka in the parking lot, a bathing suit on the sand.

High tide. Photo courtesy of Rongzoni. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rongzoni/1102554711/

The beach has drive up access, a large parking lot, restrooms and houses both a visitor’s center and the small Drake’s Beach Cafe which serves organic fresh food and oysters from local farms. Beach goers may see elephant seals, whales if they’re lucky, sharks if they’re not so lucky. Do be careful if you opt to swim as this portion of coastline can be dangerous. Also, try not to set up camp too close to the sandstone cliffs as large chunks of rock have been known to fall as the coast continues to erode and change with the wind and tides.

Dramatic and stunningly beautiful with surf and perfect sand, it is no wonder that Drake’s Beach is one of the most popular beaches in the Point Reyes National Seashore.