This is an easy scenic walk with plenty parking. See 25 photos and 2 tips from 144 visitors to Tomales Bay Trailhead. If you turned back once reaching the water, it would be a perfect after lunch leg stretch without any bushwhacking required. The park has a microclimate, and often has sunny days and pleasant temperatures when other neighboring coastal locales are damp and cold. Squeezed on three sides by water, the only sounds are wind, surf, and bird cries. Johnstone Trail leads bayside from Heart’s Desire Beach to Shell Beach. Pretty vistas of the bay and fields. Contact Us. It is located approximately 30 mi (48 km) northwest of San Francisco. On this hike you will pass by a couple ponds then rise over a small hill with views of the area before ending at the marshy shoreline (just over one mile each way). The Tomales Point trail passes through the Tule Elk Reserve, and the 300-odd gray-brown grazers will gaze at hikers from various points along the trailsides. The bay is a submerged rift of the San Andreas Fault. The hills are quite enchanting though, and I can't wait to see what it looks like with the wildflowers in spring! Tomales Bay is a wonder of a water feature that is formed by the San Andreas Fault as it runs directly under the 12-mile long inlet that separates the Point Reyes Peninsula from the California mainland. There are a few peaks in the Bay Area that are worth summiting for their sweeping views and beautiful… Review of Tomales Bay State Park. This is one of the best trails north of San Francisco. The fault is the reason why the Tomales Bay exists and is the shape that it is. The Tomales Bay Trail is a hiking route that provides access to the part of Tomales Bay where the salt water mixes with freshwater from Lagunitas Creek. From the parking lot at the Tomales Point Trailhead, walk to the left of the historic Pierce Point Ranch, which offers a glimpse into the early dairy ranching days on the Peninsula.. Continue straight, in a general northern direction, on the same trail for 7.6 km until the trail dead ends at Tomales Point. Tomales Bay State Park is composed of 3 distinct use areas: Heart's Desire - Located at 1100 Pierce Point Road, in Inverness, Heart's Desire is the heart of Tomales Bay State Park. Pretty easy hike. It’s located just outside the tiny town of Olema and just three […], Tomales is a beautiful town of approximately 200 residents who reside near the winding Shoreline Highway 1 that runs along the east side of Tomales Bay and overlooks Point Reyes National […], Copyright CaliforniaBeaches.com Lots of Holsteins grazing on lush green grass with big boulders nestled among them. Next the trail skirts two small ponds ringed by marsh grass and cattails. Great short hike with gorgeous vast open views. About Us | Contact Tomales bay Trailhead - great hike. Start at the Tomales Point Trailhead near the Historic Pierce Point Ranch. Horse Trail, Sky Trail, Woodard Valley Trail [CLOSED], Valley, Woodward, Coast, Sky, Meadow Loop Trail [CLOSED], Bear Valley, Meadow and Old Pine Trail [CLOSED], Mount Wittenburg, Woodward Valley, Coast Trail, and Glen Camp, Bear Valley Loop Trail [CLOSED], Laguna, Coast Trail, Glen, Baldy, Sky Trail Loop [CLOSED], Inverness Ridge, Drakes View, Bayview Trail Loop, Sky, Woodward Valley, Coast, Laguna and Bayview Trail Loop [CLOSED], Bear Valley, Coast Trail, Greenpicker, Rift Trail [CLOSED], Inverness, Bucklin, Muddy, White Gate, Drakes Head, Estero, Glenbrook, Bayview, Horse, Sky, Old Pine, and Bear Valley Trail [CLOSED], Bear Valley, Mount Wittenberg and Wildcat Campground [CLOSED]. September is our summer. Super disappointed as it looked really nice. There are a lot of cows (and manure). Parking at the trailhead is easy and free in a small lot. Also, come for the tule elk. 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