Fitzgerald Marine Reserve boasts some of the best tidepools in the bay area. You won't get much of a hike here (even though trudging through sand can be exhausting), but there's a path along the bluff and, combined with a stroll on the beach, you can create a mile long loop, with out and back extensions through the sand to the north or south. Families will probably want to stick to the sandy beach and rocky reefs, where tide pools emerge twice a day at low tides. If you visit when the tide is high, the pools are not accessible, but this is still a pretty and quiet beach, and armed with binoculars you might see harbor seals and even whales. Bring sport sandals if you plan on exploring the tide pools, and remember that collecting is prohibited in the reserve.
      From the trailhead the start of the short path running along the bluff is difficult to find. The preserve map (which sits just inside the preserve gates on the way to the beach) shows the trail departing across a creek, but there's no bridge and no visible way to reach the bluff. From the parking lot, walk on Lake back toward California. Just past California, on the right side of the road near a no parking sign, look for a small unsigned trail. Turn right, cross the creek on a plank, and you'll arrive on the fringes of a cypress forest. (There are quite a few paths throughout this small hunk of land, so you can explore without fear of getting lost, but keep an eye on younger children, for there are steep, unfenced dropoffs further up the bluff.) Bear right at an unsigned split, and the path heads toward the ocean. When the path splits again, bear left. The trail down to the ocean is visible to the right, across San Vicente Creek. After ascending a few feet, bear right and walk along a fenced stretch of trail. There are sweeping views past the crumbling edge of the bluff to the ocean, and sometimes all the way north to Mount Tam. Although the shaded cypress grove permits few understory plants, you should be able to pick out shrubs of coyote brush and lupine thriving downslope to the west. The narrow trail creeps along the bluff's edge, heading south. As the path draws close to the cypress grove again, you'll have the option to walk through the trees, or stay near the edge of the bluff. Regardless, keep walking roughly south and eventually the trail drops downhill a few feet, bisects a grove of willows, and approaches the preserve boundary near Cypress and Beach Streets. Look to the right for a steep path that accesses the beach. Turn right and descend. Stay to the right as the path splits, and a brief series of switchbacks will deliver you to the beach.
      You can walk south on the beach all the way to Pillar Point, or turn right and walk through the sand north. During low tide, rocky reefs appear, and you might see a variety of sea creatures, including small fish, anemones, starfish, goose barnacles, tiny crabs, limpets, urchins, abalone, and kelps. Be sure to keep an eye on the waves as you explore, and remember the cardinal rule of tide pooling: never turn your back on the ocean. On my visit I saw lots of sea life in this large reef, and the stretch of beach was nearly deserted. It's fun to sit and watch the seagulls pick through the tidepools, but look further out on the reefs for harbor seals, who are commonly spotted during low tide. If you're walking on the beach when the tide is in, you may not be able to creep past the point and continue the loop. Even when the tide is low, you'll make slow progress through a rocky area. Once you're past the point the beach broadens and there's a gap in the reef. This beach is the reserve's main drag, and you'll likely see lots of excited kids swinging strips of bull kelp and splashing about at the water's edge. There's another smaller reef opposite the obvious path that heads back to the trailhead. When you're ready, hop across the creek, walk uphill, and follow the path back to the reserve gate, with the parking lot just across the street.

Total distance: about 1.20 miles, or more
Last hiked: Friday, September 30, 2001


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