Abbott's Lagoon Hike (6/17) Preview

This week we continue our summer hiking strategy of staying near the coast with another trip to Point Reyes National Seashore.

Here's Wendy's description for this outing: "On this lovely level walk we should see Yellow Sand Verbena, Dune Primrose, Giant Coastal Hedge Nettle, Cogweb Thistle, Heliotrope, endangered Point Reyes Checkerbloom and maybe the Endangered Beach Layia! We'll also check out birds on the lagoon and ocean. Brush rabbits and muskrats are possible. Learn about the  endangered Snow Plovers that nest on this beach. Lunch on the beach. "  (Click here for a recap of the June 2009 hike).

Directions to the trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Turn right at Olema and make an immediate left onto Bear Valley Road. (Stop at the park visitor center at Bear Valley to use the restrooms if you don't want to wait to use the pit toilet at the trailhead).

Continue until you pick up Sir Francis Drake again. Go through Inverness.

After you top Inverness Ridge and head down the other side, the road splits: Going left takes you the wrong way and you'll head out to Drake's Beach and the lighthouse. You want to bear to the right (Wendy says "Go straight") onto Pierce Point Road. Pass Tomales Bay State Park. The parking area for Abbott's Lagoon will be on your left. (Click here for a MapQuest Map that will show the location of the trailhead; click on #1 for driving directions and time.)

Carpool from St. Rita at 8:45 am. Restrooms at trailhead.

Weather forecast: As of Tuesday, June 10th, the National Weather Service forecast was patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 60.. (Click here for an updated NWS forecast. For real time weather conditions, updated every 10 minutes, at the RCA field just south of Abbott's Lagoon, click here).

More on this hike: "G16 -Beach and Lagoon Trails" from the Martin's book, Hiking Marin, shows the trails in this part of the seashore, as does Tracy Salcedo-Chourre's Exploring Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Both books have a 3.0 mile hike at Abbott's Lagoon, although our route could be different since you can roam off-trail rather far and wide, up and down the beach, and around the upland areas. (Click here to view and print the seashore's North District Hiking Map which shows the location of the roads, trailhead, and trails).

The following Google Earth image shows the area where we'll be hiking. (Click on the image to open a larger version in your Web browser).