Sculptured Beach

Did you say you want a nice secluded beach with tide pools that hardly anyone visits (at least since I posted this?) Then you have found the right beach. This hike is entirely on the beach and it starts at Limatour Beach. Something that is odd is how Limatour Beach is almost as wide as Stinson, does not have dangerous surf but many people visit Stinson Beach but only a few visit Limatour. It must be that some people want a more developed beach but for me, I love it when it is desolate. Recently, Limatour Beach and the surrounding area are becoming more popular as people spill over from Stinson Beach. Still, Sculptured Beach should have a few people only on the heaviest beachgoing days.

Difficulty: Easy
Terrain: Flat and sandy. No shade
Crowds: Small but in the summer, Limatour Beach will have a fair crowd.
Best times: Good anytime, best at low tide near the full moon.
Length: 3 to 5 miles round trip, depending how far you walk along the beach.

Directions: The drive out to Limantour Beach is about an hour long from San Anselmo and from Mill Valley, it is closer to 70 minutes. From San Anselmo, take Sir Francis Drake up to Bear Valley Rd, turn left on Bear Valley Rd until you hit Limatour Rd. From Mill Valley, take Shoreline Highway until you reach Bear Valley Rd in Olema. The road up to Limantour Beach appears to resemble Fairfax Bolinas Rd but Limatour Rd is actually not a roller coaster. The drive combines views of the ocean that make Point Reyes famous and Douglas Firs that put you into a deep forest. you hit the beach parking lot, there is a short walk there, keeping the beach more natural. Take the nearest trail out to Limantour Beach. If you wanted to look at other habitats besides the beach, the trail passes over a bridge through a salt marsh so the walk brings together two habitats of California's coast. I would suggest in parking in the parking lot to the left because it is about 0.2 miles closer to Sculptured Beach than the first parking lot. Sculptured Beach is about a 2 mile walk one way from Limatour Beach.

The hike: Once you leave the parking lot, turn to the left. The walk to Sculptured Beach begins with the dunes. Gradually, the dunes begin to rise and they change to little cliffs and then large cliffs. There are no tidepools yet but you should see a few seagulls and the gentle surf. Chimney Rock should be visible to the right and the views to the south extend to Millerton Point which is about 6 miles from Bolinas. There should be few people to begin with on the hike but the further you walk away, the less people there are. These people are mostly locals. This may change soon because Limantour Beach is becoming a hot spot and people may venture further and further away from the beach near the parking lot. 1.4 miles into the hike, you should pass a creek emptying into the sand. A path follows the creek which leads to Coast Camp. During the winter, you may have to get your feet wet by passing the creek but it is not too difficult to cross. It's the beach so you should expect to get wet anyway. About ten minutes later, you should reach Sculptured Beach. Rocks make this landscape rock by creating all the tide pools. Remember not to disturb the wildlife in the tide pools because this is a sensitive wildlife area. However, you should snap away with the camera. The terrain of the rocks is not all the same. Some rocks are jagged and tall, some are short but the ones closest to the water are tall and flat. Be careful if you have to walk on these rocks, they are slippery.

The rocks at Sculptured Beach start with a big group of them which have fantastic photo opportunities. Many of these rocks have mussels and barnacles. In the tidepools, I saw some hermit crabs, sea anenomaes and even a few starfish. Expect to see seagulls congregating here. Do not feed them because they will become dependent on humans if you do. Then there is a short stretch without any rocks. Then the rocks return. Earlier, the rocks close to the coast were easy to walk in but now, it is more dangerous to go right next to the coast. The rocks now extend to the cliffs. Once you climb those rocks, there is a small flat area and a drop of about 7 ft into a short tunnel. Water covers the sand unless it is a minus tide from this point out so plan around the tides. There are even more grander rock formations, tide pools and some caves.

Overall, this is the perfect beach for escaping crowds, photos, a reward after a nice walk on the beach and observing tide pools.

A few quick reminders:
Check the tides before you visit Sculptured Beach because during high tide, the tide pools will not be visible. Also, low tide at Point Reyes hits about 40 minutes earlier than Golden Gate tides. The descriptions of Sculptured Beach are all in the low tide. During high or even medium tide, most of the rocks except the ones close to the coast are shrouded by water.

I mentioned this already but remember to leave this beach better than you found it which basically means do not leave litter and pick up litter you see. This beach needs to remain beautiful.