Wildcat Beach(Point Reyes National Seashore)

Located in Point Reyes National Seashore, Wildcat Beach is a long and usually clean beach that has light brown sand.  The west-facing beach is located below steep coastal bluffs. 

Wildcat Beach does not have any lifeguards or other amenities, so prepare accordingly.  

Wildcat Beach offers many fun activities including swimming, surfing, kite surfing, windsurfing, paddleboarding, kayaking, hiking, biking, canoeing, fishing, boating, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, sunbathing, beachcombing, and wildlife watching.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, or surf near Wildcat Beach, we recommend being careful because the water near the beach is known to have dangerous and unpredictable rip-currents.  Depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals in the water near Wildcat Beach including seals, sea lions, dolphins, and migrating grey whales (between December and April).  Please note that seals, sea lions, dolphins, and whales are protected under a law named the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and harming them can result in a civil penalty up to $11,000 and possible imprisonment.  Another popular activity in Wildcat Beach is fishing – you can catch a variety of fish here including croaker, surfperch, and bass.  If you are planning to fish near Wildcat Beach, please follow the fishing regulations that can be found on the website of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Point Reyes National Seashore’s webpage on the National Park Service’s website.  Wildcat Beach is ideal for vistors looking for a quieter beach experience because this beach sees fewer visitors than other nearby beaches.  Towards a bit further south of Wildcat Beach is the Alamere Falls that flows down from the blufftop area above the beach.

Getting to Wildcat Beach can be hard – you need to hike more than five miles on the Coast Trail from the Palomarin Trailhead.  This trailhead is located at the end of Mesa Road and it is easily accessible from Pacific Coast Highway / Shoreline Highway.  You can also hike to Wildcat Beach from the Bear Valley VisitorCenter (which is also located adjacent to Pacific Coast Highway/ Shoreline Highway) by hiking on a trail that starts from the visitor center – this trail is called the Bear Trail.  If you are travelling by mountain bike, you can take the Stewart Trail from the Five Brooks Trailhead, which is also easily accessible from Pacific Coast Highway/Shoreline Highway, and is the shortest biking trail to the beach.  There are free parking lots available at all the trailheads. 

There are many attractions near Wildcat Beach.  Duxbury Reef is a coastal area that is located near a beach park named Agate Beach County Park and it offers many interesting tide pools – these tidepools are home to a large variety of plant and animals  that live in local intertidal environments including many kinds of seaweed, chitons, and sea urchins.  Bolinas Museum has interesting exhibits that highlight the vibrant and unique history of northern California and Marin County.  The Earthquake Trail is a hiking trail that passes through meadows and near groves of alder and willow trees.  The trail also offers unique information about a major local tectonic faultline named the San Andreas Fault and it also offers an insight into the descturction of the local landscape that was caused by the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.  If you are looking for another interesting attraction near Wildcat Beach, Samuel P. Taylor State Park offers interesting hiking, biking, and equestrian trails that passthrough the beautiful redwood groves near Lagunitas Creek – these trails offer a unique opportunity to explore its vibrant biodiversity.  In addition, the park also has picnic areas and a campsite.

If you get hungry, there are many restaurants near Wildcat Beach.  Sir and Star at The Olema is an upscale restaurant that has a charming vintage ambiance and offers delicious coastal Californian cuisine.  In addition, the restaurant has been also praised by the MICHELIN Guide.  Due West (also called Due West Tavern) serves amazing salads, burgers, seafood, Italian dishes, and steak frites.  In addition, the restaurant also has a market that offers baked goods and picnic snacks.  Cafe Reyes offers excellent pizzas, seafood, and salads.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Wildcat Beach, the modestly priced Bovine Bakery offers excellent quiches, croissants, pastries, rice bowls, pizzas, and soups.   

If you are looking for a hotel near Wildcat Beach, there are many great nearby options.  If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 4-Star Casa Madrona Hotel & Spa is 50 minutes away by car – this hotel is set in a vintage 19^th century mansion and it offers many  amenities including a spa, a restaurant, a retail store, a laundry/ dry cleaning service, an on-call movie library, and a fitness center.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Olema House that offers many amenities including a restaurant, a game room with a pool table, a market, a terrace, and a large garden.  Another option is Olema Druid’s Hall that is a charming bed and breakfast which is set in a 19th century building.  The bed and breakfast has an elegant vintage ambiance andalso serves complimentary breakfast.  Another moderately priced hotel near Wildcat Beach is Smiley’s Schooner Saloon, Hotel & Kitchen  that is an adults-only accommodation with an old-world charm and it features a saloon-style bar with a pool table, live music, and karaokenights.  If you are looking for another good adnd affordable hotel near Wildcat Beach, The Stinson Beach Redwood Haus Inn (also called Redwood Haus Bed & Breakfast Inn) is a 20 minute drive away and offers many amenities including a complimentary breakfast, barbeque facilities, pianos, guitars, a DVD library, and a lobby with a flatscreen TV.  If you like camping, Wildcat Campground is a campground that is located adjacent to Wildcat Beach and offers an idyllic oceanfront camping experience.  In addition, the campground accommodates only tents and has many amenities including barbecue areas, restrooms, garbage cans, and drinking water fountains.