Day One

Leave SF by 8 AM and pick up your kayak at Blue Waters Kayaking

• Single kayak rental for 2 nights is $180 and a double kayak rental is $250. Reserve your kayaks as early as possible! Rentals also come with a drybag.
• Located at 11401 CA-1 in Point Reyes Station
• Open from 9 AM to 4 PM daily
• ​Last pit stop · Point Reyes Station - 11401 CA-1 in Point Reyes Station

Pick up a campfire permit from Bear Valley Visitor Center

• Depending on wildfire conditions, campfires aren't always allowed, but swing by the visitor center to make sure. It opens at 9:30 AM.

Stock up on sandwiches, water and snacks at Inverness Park Market

• Locals love their sammies, breakfast burritos, and fresh ingredients
• Located at 12301 Sir Francis Drake Blvd in Inverness Park
• Open daily from 8 AM to 8 PM

Park and launch your kayak from Chicken Ranch Beach

• This is the only dog-friendly launch site in Tomales Bay. You can also launch from Miller Boat, Hearts Desire Beach and Lawson's Landing
• The bay gets pretty windy in the afternoon so try to start paddling as early as possible. Kayak closer to shore to do some sightseeing along the way!
• It's a 1 to 2 hour paddle to Marshall Beach so pace yourself

Paddle to Indian Beach and enjoy a quick lunch break

• Or if you're feeling ambitious, enjoy lunch as you go!

Kayak to Marshall Beach and set up camp

• If you fancy another beach along the way, then set up there, but if you prefer having a toilet and trash collection, then get to Marshall Beach sooner rather than later
• Be mindful of low and high water tides so you don't wake up to a soaking tent

Cook up dinner and make a beach fire (if campfires are allowed)

• You did it! Enjoy your first night in Tomales Bay!

Tomales Bay was named after Rancho Bolsa de Tomales, a Mexican land grant given by Governor Pío Pico to Juan Nepomuceno Padilla in 1846.

Day Two

Make brekkie and prep for a day paddle

• Pack water, snacks, lunch to-go, sunscreen, bug spray, hat, and sunglasses
• Download this map (the same one from above) and choose your own adventure in Tomales Bay
• Check out Hog Island, which you can't land on due to nesting wildlife, but it's still a cool spot to paddle to
• Pick a beachside lunch spot along the way and cool off with a swim!

Chill and unwind back at camp

• Clean up and dry off your swimsuits and any damp clothes

Prep a sunset dinner

• Soak up your last dinner in Tomales Bay!

If you're feeling ambitious, go night kayaking in search for bioluminescence

• After the sun completely sets, flip on your headlamp's red light feature and go for a night paddle along the coast
• Bioluminescence is best seen in dark conditions. Try paddling north, away from homes and artificial light. Some people haven't always been able to see bioluminescence, so at the very least enjoy the starry skies

Bioluminescence is a glowing, shimmery light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism, which in this case is marine life.

Day Three

Pack up and leave camp around 9 AM

• Cook up brekkie, pick up any random pieces of litter around camp, pack snacks, and water for the return paddle back to Chicken Ranch Beach
• Layer on sunscreen, bugspray, and fill up your water bottles!

Return kayaks and stop by Side Street Kitchen for lunch

• Diners love their sandwiches and rotisserie chicken
• Located at 60 4th Street in Point Reyes Station
• Closed Mondays and Tuesdays · Open from 11 AM to 6 PM

The Coast Miwok used to live in Tomales Bay. Their villages included Echa-kolum, Sakloki, Shotommo-wi, and Utumia