In brief:
2.3 mile out and back hike along a lagoon, leading to a sandy beach.

Distance, category, and difficulty:
Very easy. This 2.3 mile out and back hike with about 200 feet in elevation change is a good outing for beginners.

Exposure:
Full sun.

Trail traffic:
Moderate.

Trail surfaces:
Dirt trail that shifts to loose sand as the route reaches the turn-around point.

Hiking time:
1 hour.

Season:
Good anytime, although often muddy in winter and early spring.

Getting there:

From US 101 in Marin County, exit San Anselmo (Sir Francis Drake). Drive about 20 miles west on Sir Francis Drake. Turn right onto CA 1, then after about 0.1 mile, make the first left onto Bear Valley Road. Drive about 2 miles to the junction with Sir Francis Drake, and turn left. Drive about 5 miles to the junction with Pierce Point Road, and turn right. Continue about 3 miles more to the trailhead on the left side of the road.

GPS coordinates* for trailhead:
Latitude 38° 7'24.59"N
Longitude 122°56'8.49"W
(* based on Google Earth data, shown as degrees, minutes, seconds)

Gas, food, and lodging:
Pay phone, stores, and restaurants back on Sir Francis Drake in Inverness. Gas in Point Reyes Station. There are overnight accommodations available on the eastern fringes of the park, including a handful of motels in Inverness, and numerous bed and breakfasts just off Sir Francis Drake. Point Reyes has several hike-in campgrounds -- inquire at the Point Reyes Ranger Station in Bear Valley, or read more about the options here. No car camping in the park. Read my page describing Point Reyes hikes, accommodations, food, and more.

Trailhead details:
No entrance or parking fees. Plenty of parking in a dirt lot. Pit toilets on site. There's a map under glass at the information signboard, but none to take with you. There are 2 designated handicapped parking spots, and the first 0.4 mile of the trail is wheelchair accessible. There is no direct public transit to this trailhead.

Rules:
No dogs. No bikes. No horses permitted past the 1 mile mark (with no outlet you will probably not encounter equestrians on this out-and-back hike).

The Official Story:
Point Reyes website.
Bear Valley Visitor Center (Ranger Station) 415-464-5100

Map Choices:

• Point Reyes maps from NPS
• Hiking Marin, by Don and Kay Martin, has a simple map and trail descriptions (order this book from Amazon.com).
• Point Reyes by Jessica Lage (order this book from Amazon.com) has a good map and descriptions of this hike.
• Trail Map of Point Reyes National Seashore, by Tom Harrison (order from Amazon.com) is the best all-purpose map to Point Reyes.

Abbotts Lagoon in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to the featured hike.




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