Beaches:
Tomales Bay State Park:
Heart’s Desire Beach – no waves, warm, shade, trails. (only beach w/entrance fee).
Shell Beach – probably the best beach for swimming. Swimming platform & shade.
Stinson Beach – popular – crowded on weekends. Fine sand- swimming/ running around.
Point Reyes National Seashore:
Kehoe Beach is NOT FOR SWIMMING
Abbots Lagoon – 1 mile hike to beach. NOT FOR SWIMMING. Fly kites, bird watching
Point Reyes Beach North & South NOT FOR SWIMMING. Build Driftwood house.
Drake’s Beach – shelter from summer wind! Visitor center. Sand Castles. Swimming.
Limantour Beach – the best. Good swimming, pelicans, seals. No shade, though.
Marshall Beach on Tomales Bay– 1 mile hike, peaceful, shade, no waves, warm water.
Sonoma Coast State Beaches, especially Goat Rock Area NOT FOR SWIMMING
Agate Beach County Park in Bolinas – Rocky. Good Tide Pooling when tide is low.
(Make necklaces from snail shells with natural holes in them.)
Look for Fossil Whalebone around Bolinas. Rocky shoreline, not really a beach
Marconi/RCA Beach near Bolinas- it’s hard to describe how to get there, and it isn’t on the
map. But it’s pretty and secluded, with driftwood, sand and rocky reefs. NO SWIMMING.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area:
Kirby Cove: 1-mile hike from G.G. Bridge overlook. Picnic, city view. NO SWIMMING
Rodeo Beach: small, coarse sand, nearby. NO SWIMMING. Good for kites.
China Camp State Park: best during the week when its quiet.

Hiking Trails:
Sonoma Coast State Beach – level Kortum Trail along the coast.
Point Reyes National Seashore: Many trails including Chimney Rock (beautiful views),
Tomales Point (Elk), Estero, Olema Valley, etc., etc… Bear Valley Visitor’s Center.
Samuel P. Taylor State Park: Devil’s Gulch is very pleasant & easy for children.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area: Many Trails, including Tennessee Valley (do it on
a weekday), Gerbode Valley, Kirby Cove, Bolinas Ridge Trail. Headlands Visitors Center.
Muir Woods National Monument: huge trees, shade, very crowded! Go early, or in the
rain. Or, to access Muir Woods from the back side (& avoid crowds) start from the
Panoramic Trail off the Panoramic Highway in Mount Tamalpais State Park.
Mount Tamalpais State Park: The Coastal Trail has great views and is level and easy. Rock Springs, Bootjack, etc.
Marin Municipal Water District Land: Tucker Trail (cool & shady), Pilot Knob, Kent Trail…
Ring Mountain in Corte Madera: Interesting minerals, wildflowers, views, petroglyphs
Phoenix Lake: Start at NatalieCoffin park in Ross. Bring food for ducks.

Easy Overnights:
Pigeon Point Lighthouse Youth Hostel in Pescadero. Need a reservation for Family Room.
Point Montera Lighthouse Youth Hostel. Need a reservation for Family Room.
Environmental Cabins at Steep Ravine, Mt. Tamalpais State Park. Reservations are very
hard to get (start speed dialing at 7:58 AM on the first of the month seven months in
advance!) But you can’t beat the views, and the price.
Camp at Salt Point State Park on Sonoma Coast – we like the Gerstle Cove campground.
Asliomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove (to visit Monterey Bay Aquarium – reserve.)
West Point Inn on Mt. Tamalpais
Camp at Kirby Cove - you need a reservation.

Wildlife:
See Elk at Tomales Point, Point Reyes National Seashore. They rut in September.
There are always elephant seals at Ano Nuevo State Preserve and sometimes at Pt. Reyes.
Watch Harbor seals at Goat Rock & Limantour spit.
Look for Pelicans at Limantour Beach
Egrets, etc. at Audobon Canyon Ranch in the spring.
Salamanders in the spring on Waterfall hike, near Fairfax Meadow Club.

Animals in pens:
Visit injured wild birds at Terwilliger Nature Ed. Center in San Rafael.
Go to San Francisco Zoo- FOGGY & COOL. Good when it’s hot at home.
If you’re in the area anyway, Pet-A-Llama Ranch in Sebastopol.
Little Farm Environmental Education Center in Tilden Park, Berkeley. This one’s great!
You can feed the farm animals if you bring your own lettuce or celery (nothing else!)

Historical Sites:
Point Reyes Lighthouse including the Fog Room. Awesome views. Whale watching.
Point Bonita Lighthouse – Golden Gate. Open weekends only.
Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge – lots of cannons!
Fort Ross State Historical Park – old Russian Fort on beautiful Sonoma Coast.
Sonoma State Historical Park- old Spanish Mission & Barracks
Mission Dolores – San Francisco
Mission San Rafael is worth a quick look, but it’s not original.

Museums:
California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park has a good aquarium.
San Francisco National Maritime Museum has big sailing ships to run around on.
Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito- little kids love it, but expensive & crowded.
Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley
Oakland Museum of California: Natural history, California history and art.
The Exploratorium in San Francisco is full of hands-on science exhibits.

Playgrounds:
Ross Common Town Park - not exciting, but close to our house.
New Millennium Playground in San Anselmo “Dinosaur Park” popular, little shade.
Dolliver Park in Larkspur “Dark Park” shaded by redwood trees, creek. Cool in summer.
Creekside Park near Marin general “Splinter Park” No shade, lots of nannys.
The Children’s playground in Golden Gate Park – Excellent! First Playground in U.S.
The Chinese Playground on Sacramento Street (between Stockton & Grant) in Chinatown
in San Francisco – a good way to end a trip to Chinatown.

Rides:
Steam Trains in Tilden Park, Berkeley. Really Cool! They open at noon (11:00 AM on
weekends) Since the trains open so late, we always go the Little Farm and feed the
animals first, then maybe ride the carousel while we wait for the trains to open.)
There are carousels at Tilden Park, Berkeley, The children’s Playground in Golden Gate Park, and the San Francisco Zoo. Golden Gate Park one is best, and ride is only 25 cents!

Other:
Golden Gate Park: Besides the museums and playground, visit the Japanese Tea Garden
(it’s free admission early in the morning) & have some tea, take a walk in the Strybing
Arboretum, feed the squirrels, rent a boat at Stowe Lake, or sail a toy boat in Spreckles
Lake. Sunday, the model boat club is there.
Go to Chinatown – Park at Sutter/Stockton Garage – walk around, visit shrines, eat.
Visit the Farmer’s Market – Sunday Mornings at the Marin County Civic Center.
On a hot day, play in the creek at Samuel P. Taylor State Park.
See all of the Bay Area from the East Peak, Mt. Tamalpais
See all of San Francisco from the top of Coit Tower
Pier Crabbing at Fort Point Wharf or under Golden Gate Bridge or Paradise Park in Tiburon
(We have Crab nets) FOR OLDER CHILDREN ONLY – the pier has no railings! Nearby Visitors center at Crissy Field.
Fishing for Bluegills (summer) at Phoenix Lake – buy red worms at Western Sport shop.

Seasonal Outings:
March, April, May: Wildflowers! Chimney Rock, Drake’s Head, Pierce Point, Ring Mountain. March: Whale watching at Pt. Reyes. Egrets and Herons nesting at Audobon Canyon Ranch through June. Salamanders.

June, July, August: In August, wild huckleberries at S. end of Bolinas Ridge Trail and Ridge Trail/Teixeira Trail. Blackberries at San Geronimo Golf Course. Swim at Samuel P. Taylor Park. Perseid Meteor shower Aug. 11/12. Bluegills at Phoenix Lake.

September: Elk in rut at Peirce Point. Apple harvest around Sebastopol.
October: Raptors at Hawk Hill. Historic apples at Fort Ross, Samuel P. Taylor.
November: Pacific flyway migration in CA central Valley, Tule Lake.

December, January, February: Elephant Seals at Point Reyes, Ano Nuevo. Whale Watching at Pt. Reyes. Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown. February: Daffodils at Pt. Reyes Y.H.

Basic Day Trip Packing List:
Canvas Bag: Sun hats, wool hats, warm Jackets for everyone. Sunscreen.
Hiking Boots, socks and sock liners all around. First Aid kit. Poison oak ointment?
Car: maps, glasses, sunglasses, wallet, full tank of gas, toys, books, tapes for kids.
Day Packs: Food, water, milk, cups, knife, extra pants, underwear, shirts for kids.
Optional: kites, beach blankets, sand toys, bathing suits, binoculars, camera, field guides.