Marin -- Bolinas: Mission Aborted . . . Twice

For the Martin Luther King Monday holiday I wanted to get in some part of the coast, so I chose a section that was reasonably short and accessible: Marin County section 6 from the Palomarin trailhead to Bolinas.  This was not to be but my failure did produce some decent pictures to share with you.

According to Hiking the California Coastal Trail volume 1 you can hike this segment on the beach if you do it at low tide.  Low tide on Monday was scheduled for 12:06 PM at Bolinas.  I left home about 10:30 so this was within the realm of possibility.  From Highway 101 south of Novato I followed the Lucas Valley -- Nicasio -- Point Reyes Station route.  Slow but pretty.  Left Highway 1 at the Bolinas-Olema turnoff and drove through the outskirts of Bolinas to Mesa Road.  This goes a a couple of miles north, passing itself off as a paved two lane road most of the way.  I think my driveway is wider.  Finally it turns to gravel which feels wider even if it isn't because there's no center line to force you to one side.  I arrived at the Palomarin Trailhead in the Point Reyes National Seashore around 12:30.  Not long after low tide I followed the Palomarin Beach Trail down to the Ocean.

Palomarin Trailhead.  A photo caption on Google Earth points out
 that it doesn't need a caption since it has a sign.

The weather was clear.  Visibility over twenty miles -- the Farallones were easily visible, both the larger southern rocks and the smaller northern ones.  Fog lurked somewhere beyond.

Visibility 20 miles -- the Farallones.

The beach is about a mile from the main trail so that took about 20 minutes.  The beach trail provides some great views south toward Bolinas Point.

Bolinas Point -- the first of several shots from various angles.

The beach is gravel running down to flat rocks and tidepools.  Not much life in the tidepools as far as I could see.  In fact, other than plants and occasional birds, not much life period.  Bolinas Point looked a long way off and I didn't have any idea how fast the tide might come back in.  As it was nearly 1:00 by this point and a two or three hour scramble over gravel and rocks would leave me in Bolinas, five miles away by road late in the afternoon, I chickened out.  Some other time.  Back up to the main trail and Palomarin Trailhead.

Tide Pools and Bolinas Point.

My, my, that's a long way off.  Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Lunch in my car and I'm ready for some more hiking.  By this time it's about 1:30 PM and a 10 mile round trip by road to Bolinas is looking pretty iffy.  So I decide to see how far I could get in an hour or so.  The trail follows the road for the first mile or two.  Past the Bird Observatory, past the Coast Guard communications station.  Past superior cows 'outstanding in their field.'  At last the road takes us to a turnoff marked Commonweal 451.  From here there's a farm road heading out across the fields.  I pass through the gate and head out.  Over an hour has passed since I left the trailhead.

Typical West Marin residents.

Spotting more cattle ahead, I decide that it's about time to turn around.  The guidebook urges the hikers not to frighten the farmer's cows.  What if the cows frighten the hikers?  At any rate, it's getting late and I'm in no mood to play John Wayne crossing the corral in Red River.
I turn back.

Terra Incognita: Traveller beware: Here there be cows.

Mesa Road would be a scary, dangerous place with all its hills and curves if it weren't for one minor detail -- virtually no cars.  In another hour I'm back at the Palomarin Trailhead.  Home again as the sun sets.

Mesa Road.  This would be darn near suicidal -- if there were cars.

So ended my first attempt at hiking Bolinas, cut short twice, once by sea and once by land.  The moral of the story: start earlier and give myself lots of time.  Arrive while the tide is still going out so I can say, 'Looks pretty good and it's only going to get better.'