It was an early Thursday afternoon and I was hanging out around the Golden Gate Bridge when I decided to make a quick day trip north along the coast to Stinson Beach. Stinson Beach sits within Marin County and along the Pacific Ocean.
You take U.S. Route 101 north a few exits from the bridge and get off on Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, and you have about ten miles to go on a two lane road.
It felt much longer than that due to the continuous hair pin curves, the road going up-and-down in elevation and with the side railings not always present along the cliffs. To those that may experience motion sickness, come prepared. I had issues as a child on this route, but was ok on this trip. 🙂
It would be a thirty-five minute drive normally from A to B, but took a lot longer due to traffic. Smooth sailing coming back.
You reach the small-town of Stinson Beach and right past the downtown area you’ll see the entrance to the beach.
Time to hit the three-and-a-half miles of sand!
There were lot’s of kids digging holes and building sand castles. Oh boy the memories of my youth.
Pretty calm waves coming onto the beach versus other areas nearby.
Lot’s of people coming and going from the icy ocean waters with their various boards. The sand was soft and comfortable to walk on.
Always gotta grab a seaweed shot.
The fog was just along the immediate shoreline, looking towards town and the mountains beyond, you had clear blue skies.
I walked inland right off the beach past a food and refreshments stand and a small, scenic park on the way to the main strip.
A nice cozy beach town with a few shops, places to get grub and lot’s of tourists and kids running around. Where’d the fog go?!
Whenever I’m along an ocean coast, I get a craving for some New England Clam Chowder. The Sand Dollar Restaurant helped me on this day.
I grabbed a quick beverage to go with the chowder deliciousness.
I walked around the main strip for a bit afterwards then made the hairpin turn drive back towards the Golden Gate Bridge. A great short day trip.
If you’re in San Francisco, can stomach a short crazy drive and love small beach towns, make the short trek to Stinson Beach. Tip: Make more of a day of it and stop at Muir Woods National Monument in route to checkout an old redwood forest.
What California Pacific Coast beach towns would you recommend checking out? Any New England Clam Chowder must stops?
That chowder looks delicious! Where was the sun??
The fog was really bad that day no matter where I was on the California coast, but you go a half a kilometer in-land and you see the blue skies and sun! Great for those in town, but for beach goers. 😦