Stinson Beach near San Francisco, California

Address:Stinson Beach, California

The Stinson Beach experience starts on Central California's scenic Highway 1, just across San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Meander through eucalyptus and redwood forests, wind and weave through green pastures, until you find yourself on a cliffy outcropping that overlooks the great Pacific. Stop here, park, and hike down to Stinson Beach or continue on to the tiny, seaside Stinson Beach community for less strenuous access to the sand. With three miles of wide shores, Mount Tamalpais looming overhead, and lifeguards on duty, Stinson Beach is always abuzz with beachcombing Bay Area residents on fog-free summer weekends. A low-key, nature-lovers scene, you can hike the Mount Tamalpais trails, swim, sunbathe, surf or stroll. No matter your preference, a day on Stinson Beach is a day well spent.

Used as a setting and filming location for movies, the camera loves Stinson Beach. Be sure to take a few shots with your own camera. But besides photographing Stinson Beach's natural beauty, there are quite a few other ways to spend your time there. While the air and water are both quite cool even in the midst of summer, adults and children love to swim and bodysurf the Stinson Beach waves. The surfer scene is refreshingly small and there are certainly enough fun peaks to keep a short boarder from getting bored. Heed the lifeguard warnings and signs about riptides. Shark sightings are not uncommon (there was an attack in 2002) so keep your wits about you at all times.

Stinson Beach is situated near a 51-acre park where you will find more than 100 picnic tables and a snack bar open April through September. For Stinson Beach fishing, stop in the town of Sausalito or San Rafael for deep sea fishing charters or at bait and tackle shops to help you make heads and tails of the local fishing scene. While parking spaces abound, don't be surprised if you need to hunt a bit during the peak summer months; Stinson Beach is very popular. The best parking is in the State Park parking lot behind the Parkside Café (on Arenal Avenue).

.Stinson Beach and Highway 1 have a lovely little collection of boutique restaurants with fresh, gourmet menus. The redwoods of Muir Woods are just near Stinson Beach so you can pay your respects to some of the world's most monolithic trees. For a serene road trip away from San Francisco's hip and happening bustle, a weekend stint at Stinson Beach is a delightful choice.