Abbott's Lagoon

Point Reyes had me at "hello" and our recent trip to Abbott's Lagoon only solidified my love affair with this stunning part of West Marin. It is honestly one of the most beautiful areas that I have ever visited and thankfully there seems to be no shortage of ideas for future trips to the area!

We started our morning off with a stop at The Bovine Bakery in Pt. Reyes Station and then picked up some picnic goodies from Cowgirl Creamery. This is our second trip to Pt. Reyes (see the first here) and there must be something in the air because on both visits I have immediately felt so relaxed and at ease in this small town. The kids must feel it too, because they immediately dart off to start chasing birds or playing hide and seek. If I ever win the lottery, this will be the first place I buy a vacation home (sigghhhh).

Check out the size of the scone from Bovine Bakery!

I'm in love with this picture. Our youngest was playing hide and seek in these bushes. This is her hiding.

After a relatively short visit in town, we headed another 15 minutes down the road to Abbott's Lagoon (find directions to trail head here). There is a parking lot with bathrooms at the trail head and then a beautiful walk out to the lagoon and beach (~1.5 miles one way). The trail is relatively flat and easy for all ages and abilities. I am really at a loss of words as to how to describe how beautiful everything was, so I am just going to let the pictures speak for themselves. And there are a lot of them!

The first glimpse of the lagoon from the trail.

There were wild flowers along the trail during our visit in late April

Once you cross over the final bridge, there are several lagoons for the kids to play in and endless beaches and sand dunes to explore. I loved how calm the water was and the shallow little lagoons that were formed alongside the larger bodies of water were perfect for our kids to splash in freely.

My little sister...taking in the beauty :)

The kids had so much fun splashing in the calm waters of the lagoon.

...and of course jumping down the sand dunes with Dad!

Both kids fell asleep on the walk back to the car.

Want more? Check out our first trip to the Point Reyes National Seashore.

What are you favorite places to explore in West Marin?

The facts: Point Reyes Station is a little over an hours drive from Berkeley, and Abbott's Lagoon is an additional 15 minutes from Point Reyes Station. The walk out to the Lagoon is stroller friendly until the very last portion, at which point we just picked the stroller up and carried along the portions that were too narrow for the stroller wheels to pass through. We then ditched the stroller when we reached the sand and picked it up on our way back out. The weather in Point Reyes can be unpredictable, so bring layers in case the wind picks up. Abbott's Lagoon is known for an abundance of wildlife, so bring your binoculars if you want to do some bird watching. 

Cost: Gas/Toll ($10), Pastries ($7), Lunch at Cowgirl Creamery ($20)