Travel Guide West Marin

The journey from San Francisco to Point Reyes National Seashore is well under 2 hours, but you may as well be traveling to another world. It is a stunning natural sanctuary made of diverse habitats, including rolling hills and rich valleys, curving beach dunes and intertidal zones, salt marsh wetlands and forests. Much of this richness is due to the San Andreas Fault that runs through Pt. Reyes, which means that the Pacific and North American tectonic plates meet here. This

collision shaped the land into different geographies that creates a stunning, varied landscape. Due to this diversity, there’s an abundance of wild foods including native flowers, berries, and bay laurel nuts and acorns. Come winter, delicious wild mushrooms abound.

West Marin is famous for the oysters that are cultivated in fog capped Tomales Bay. The cheeses that come from near Pt. Reyes are some of the best in the world due to their legacy of happy cows grazing on fog covered grass. West Marin is an alchemical warp and weft of wilderness meeting progressive farming and food innovation. So plan a weekend out here this fall and enjoy the beauty and deliciousness of the region.

We are gearing up for an array of events in West Marin. We have two huckleberry and fog chanterelle mushroom hikes coming up on August 30^th and September 6^th. There are lots of hucklberries, but the mushrooms are more elusive, yet possible.

Maria has been brought on board by the Point Reyes National Seashore Association for their upcoming fundraiser, Party on a Pacific Plate, on the menu design. She has been taking the chefs from A Forkful of Earth out foraging to help them craft a menu that’s based on the forest, coast and meadows of Point Reyes. Maria will be there serving a wildcrafted cocktail “Crystal Wave” inspired by the mighty mushroom pollinator, the banana slug. Their “slime” trail is actually a crystal lubricant that powers their forward motion. And it leaves messages and attracts mates!

And we are planning an Oyster Paddle with Blue Waters Kayaking this fall where you will learn all about this regenerative seafood by sea and get to enjoy the different varieties of oysters and local cheeses.  You also don’t want to miss their bioluminescent kayaking trips.

On the weekend of December 5^th and 6^th, we will have multiple events in the West Marin region that will include foraging the riches of the intertidal zone and the fruits of the hilltop forests and a cooking class and dinner with Maria. So come make a weekend vacation out it.  Details will be posted soon.

What to do in West Marin

August and September are huckleberry high season! These complex, sweet, tart berries cannot be cultivated so get out an forage them! You’ll find them on many hiking trails throughout Point Reyes. (2 quarts per person per day.)  Join Us! Or pick a trail with redwoods and go find them!

Swim at a beach

Shell beach is a lovely, scalloped shell of a cove that is shallow with a sandy bottom that makes it warm enough to swim. A dog friendly swim beach is Chicken Beach – but it’s only fun to swim there during high tide. During low tide you have to trudge through the mud for knee deep water. You can also take dogs to Limantour, but that’s the Pacific Ocean, so we don’t recommend a swim.

Bioluminescent Kayaking

There is nothing quite like paddling on Tomales Bay on a dark, quiet night with bioluminescence lighting up each stroke of the paddle. These tiny creatures are most plentiful in September and the weather should be good as well. Visit Blue Waters Kayaking to learn more. (Starting at $145.00)

Water Buffalo Soft Serve Ice Cream

Double Eight Dairy has a very limited supply of water buffalo milk so only a few lucky spots in West Marin carry it.  With a higher protein and fat content than cow’s milk, it makes the creamiest, dreamiest soft serve. In Point Reyes Station, Palace Market sells it in the back at the deli counter– you can get a vanilla-chocolate swirl with a shot of espresso for an affogato or a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Around the corner Wild West Ferments makes seasonal probiotic sodas and you can get these as a float with the water buffalo milk gelato.

Eat Cheese and Drink Mead

The Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes Station is a fairy-tale charming spot. Surrounded by flower-filled pastures, In the center of the grounds is a large tree with a twisted trunk and cascading branches that creates a magical nook for groups to sit at and sip sparkling mead and taste local cheeses. Far from the sticky-sweet meads you may have tried at a Renaissance Festival, these are light, complex and made with traditional French Methode Champenoise, which makes them more like a sparkling wine. Tastings run $35.00 a person. Platters with local cheese are $28.00. Honey tastings are available as well. Or bring a picnic and sit under the magical Hobbit tree and sip mead.

Cheese Tastings

In the mid-19th century, West Marin was the biggest producer of butter in California. Today it's still well-known for delicious cheeses. The iconic Cowgirl Creamery started here. Marin French Cheese Company is between Pt. Reyes and Petaluma. Tomluma Farms offers a tour each Sunday and. a tasting of their Tomales cheeses, which are phenomenal. ($5.00-$40.00) Another well-known and loved dairy in the area is Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. They are famous for their blue cheese but also offer milder cheeses like their toma and Quinta. Check their website for tastings, tours, brunches and more. If you like brie and other soft cheeses, Nicasio Valley Cheese Company is place to stop. Visit for farm and cheesemaking tours and tastings.

Seafood

The fog capped Tomales Bay, with the confluence of fresh water to salt makes it prime oyster habitat. There's also a commercial fishing and crabbing fleet in Bolinas and some of the freshest seafood you'll find anywhere.

Marshall General Store sells oysters to go, or have them shucked, grilled smoked, and enjoy them on the waterfront. There's also chorizo fish stew, rock cod tacos and Dungeness crab sandwiches. ($20-28.00)

Hog Island Oyster Co. has been growing and shucking oysters for 40 years. Their Boat Oyster Bar is a destination in itself. With a deck right over the bay, enjoy the local bounty of oysters along with halibut ceviche and smoked black cod dip, and carefully curated wines and beers. Reservations Friday-Sunday. Walk-ins and shuck-your own on Thursdays. (raw, 6 for $24 or 12 for $46.00)

Coast Cafe in Bolinas serves local oysters raw ($24.00) or bbq'd ($26.00) , delicious fish and chips (MP), and buffalo milk gelato ($6.50) .

In Stinson Beach Parkside Cafe, is great place for a casual stop for baked goods and a coffee and for lunch or dinner. Hog Island Oysters on the half shell with tobiko caviar, espelette mignonette 6 for ($24). Hog Island Oysters Au Gratin baked in skillet with arugula, applewood bacon, parmesan bread crumbs, horseradish, lemon 6 for $28.

Where to Stay:

Economy: Limantour Lodge, formally the Pt. Reyes Youth Hostel, is right. inthe Pt. Reyes National Seashore, a short walk to Limantour Beach and lots of mushroom rich trails. Accommodations range from dormitory and private rooms to renting out of an entire building. There are kitchens, grills, and chill spaces. (Prices start at $175.00)

Olema House Point Reyes

Located right at the entryway to Point Reyes on Highway 1, this Boutique Hotel has lovely cottages and chic contemporary rooms. There are gardens, fire pits and a "binocular" bar for wildlife spotting. They also have a general store and restaurant, Due West, that are great stops even if you aren't staying there.

Nick’s Cove in Tomales Bay offers dog friendly cottages that ooze charm. They perch over Tomales Bay and have the wood fired stoves and soaking tubs; treat yourself to someplace dreamy. And our mushroom guide Mike Colosimo is a chef at their restaurant!  So expect porcini’s on the menu during the season and the freshest seafood around. (Around $450.00)