Limantour Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore

Just a 1.5 hour drive north of San Francisco is a beautiful beach with a handful of nearby trails of varying lengths (right-size your adventure for the time you have available!) but if you want to be still and soak in the glory of the NorCal coast—set your bottom down at Limantour Beach. You can see shorebirds and beautiful grasses and incredible sunsets and watch the harbor seals play. It’s stunning.

Last weekend there was perhaps an anchovy run, and hundreds or thousands of gulls and pelicans swarmed just offshore. Here’s an action shot of a smaller group of nearby pelicans. Took my breath away. Beautiful.