Come discover Stinson beach, Point Reyes, Tomales Bay & Petaluma, CA.

We had an overnight trip planned with some friends in Petaluma, CA and decided to start our trip a day early and do some exploring along the central coast.

This trip was planned months before the deadly Tubbs fire that decimated many parts of Santa Rosa and burned down over 1,500 homes. After the fires, we were even more motivated to visit the area and provide some needed support to their economy.

We decided to drive to Stinson Beach first. I’ll be honest, this wasn’t our best decision.  We drove from Sacramento to Mill Valley on major highways then followed google maps advice and took the Panoramic Highway.  This route is not for RV’s.  It would be an ok route for van campers.  There are many cyclists on the road and giving them the required 3 feet was often challenging at times, many corners were blind, the road was narrow without a shoulder, mostly against a mountain or rock wall, and few narrow turn outs.

Stinson Beach–We arrived at Stinson Beach a little stressed out from our travel.  We pulled into the public beach parking lot, which was free, and there was plenty of room to park on an early Saturday morning.

We were close to the dog beach.  Our Golden Retrievers Fonzie and Elvis are both Homeward Bound rescues. Fonzie is fearful of other dogs, so to keep him and other dogs safe, we just avoid highly populated dog scenarios, so we skipped the dog beach.  We took a walk through the small quintessential beach town and had a Chai Latte and shared a decadent buttery cinnamon covered pastry from Parkside Cafe.

The town didn’t take long to explore and we decided to continue heading north.  We were still 1.5 hours away from Point Reyes, where I wanted to do some hiking and set up camp.

The drive along the one was much better, there were still a lot of cyclists but fewer than the Panoramic Highway. We were no longer along the mountain side, so there were more turnouts than before and they were slightly wider.  We drove alongside farmland   and great views of the wetland marshes along the coast.

When we started seeing forests of pines, cypress and eucalyptus, I started to get excited. I love the beach, but my soul was seeking a hike through the forest.

We arrived at Point Reyes National Seaside Park in the late afternoon and headed for the visitors center.  I always like to stop at the visitors center first and get familiar with the landmarks and features of the area I am visiting then I can determine how much time I have and what I want to see.

The dramatic lighthouse is one of the main attractions of this national park. I had been to the lighthouse before, it was 18 miles from the visitors center, but they are slow miles as the road curves dramatically in every direction over the coastal farmlands.  It usually takes about 45 minute to get out there and another 45 minutes to get back, I imagine longer in an RV.  We had enough time, but I didn’t want to spend two more hours of driving, hiking through the trees was my priority and there were several hikes from the visitors center.

It was a little after 3 pm when we arrived, so I asked the park ranger to recommend at hike that was a few miles in distance.  He recommended the Divine Meadow hike which was 1.4 miles each way, perfect for the amount of daylight we had remaining.

The beginning of the hike was through open mountainside, covered in tall dry grass, the trail lead into a beautiful tree lined hike with streams, babbling brooks, bridges, fern covered hillsides, sunlight peeking through the trees, and a relatively flat hike to an open meadow covered in tall grass. There was a bathroom and scenic lookout with benches; We arrived at sunset and the tall grass was golden in the yellow hue.  We heard birds chirping along the way, both coming and going. The trail crosses several clearly marked trail heads which would make it easy to extend your hike by whichever distance you have time allotted for.

After our hike, we continued driving north to Point Reyes Station which is a small coastal town. I say small, but it is at least twice as big as Stinson beach.

We brought dinner with us, we fine dined with the Franks the night before, and our friends graciously prepared what I call Brontosaurus Fred Flintstones steaks, paired with homemade potatoes au gratin using sharp cheddar cheese; I made bacon wrapped brussel sprouts and Ghiradelli double chocolate brownies to accompany his creations.  We had been looking forward to our first class leftovers all day.  They were delicious.

After dinner, we took a walk around town and attempted to have a drink at the Western Saloon which had a live band setting up.  The bar was cash only, which we didn’t have, so we had to settle for an after dinner drink across the street at the cafe.

The next morning we went on a quick short hike aptly named the Earthquake Hike, which was an ADA compliant flat paved walk with educational displays on the science behind earthquakes.

The trail actually passes the San Andreas Fault line, and the displays go into detail of the historic San Francisco earthquakes that were a result of seismic activity occurring blow the San Andreas Fault Line.

This hike is great for both kids and adults alike.  There were several deer families out an about in the early morning.

From there we continued on our journey along Tomales Bay enjoying the scenery.  We tried to stop at Nick’s Cove, but we were just too big to find parking, and were not interested in valet parking our RV.  Sometimes you can find a spot at the marina next door, but today all of the spots were taken by the time we arrived.

We continued onto our final destination, Petaluma, CA, where we were meeting up with some friends later that afternoon.  There were not many RV options in Petaluma, so we selected the KOA and I am so glad we did. They were a little on the high side for dry camping, but they were only 3 miles from historic Petaluma, which for us is a short inexpensive uber ride.  They also had a petting zoo, and several farm animals including donkey, sheep, goats, and chickens. I enjoyed feeding the animals breakfast.

Where to stay...Olema Campground located only a few miles from Point Reyes National Seaside Park. Full hooks ups, and water and electric available.

Lawson’s Landing– Dry Camping available at Dillon’s Beach.  Campground is located at the mouth of Tomales Bay.  Campsite has no hook ups, every site has a picnic table but not all sites have a fire ring. Activities include clamming, crabbing, fishing, and boating. Boat rentals are available.

Bodega Bay RV Park Dry camping and full hook ups available. Campground website language does not sound kid friendly.

Porto Bodega Marina & RV Park  Dry Camping and full hook ups available. Waterfront and water view sites are available. Located right on Bodega Bay.

Sonoma County State Parks  Camping site rates at the state parks are about the same as dry camp rates at the RV parks.

Petaluma KOA Located 3 miles from historic downtown Petaluma, CA.  This campground has more than you can imagine and is the perfect locations for a family vacation.  They have cabins, which sleep 2-8 people, playgrounds, bounce houses, petting zoo, and farm animals, heated swimming pool during the summer months, and hot tub.  Rock Climbing is also available during the summer months. Rates are not posted, they fluctuate by weekday and season.  We paid $44 for dry camping, no hook ups on a Sunday night in early November.

 

Things to do…

Hiking in Point Reyes Seaside National Park

Shopping in Stinson Beach, Point Reyes Station, Dillon’s Beach, and Petaluma.

Eating along the way. Stinson Beach Parkside Cafe, Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station and Petaluma,  Hog Island Oysters in Marshall (arrive before they open for parking),  Nick’s Cove (paved parking at the Marina if you get there early) Beer Brewsters Garden, The Shuckery, and Mi Pueblo El Centro.