Abbott's Lagoon Hike (6/21) 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, Point Reyes Checkerbloom and more! Some years we've seen endangered Snowy Plovers, a Sora, and an Osprey carrying a fish! We also saw endangered Bumblebee Scarab Beetles, Tiger Beetles, and a Point Reyes Blue butterfly! 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 Google Maps map that shows the location of the trailhead. Right click on the teardrop icon on the map or click on "Directions" to the left of the map to get driving times and directions from your location.

Carpool from St. Rita at 8:55 am. Pit toilets at trailhead.

Weather forecast: Dick Jordan is on vacation, so click here for an updated National Weather Service forecast. For real time weather conditions, updated every 10 minutes, at the RCA field just south of Abbott's Lagoon, click here.)

It can be windy at this beach so bring layers of clothing even if the weather forecast looks great!

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).