Driftwood Beach(Point Reyes National Seashore, Tule Elk Reserve)

Located in Point Reyes National Seashore, Driftwood Beach is a long and solitary beach with light brown sand. The beach is situated along Tomales Point below steep oceanfront bluffs. 

Driftwood Beach does not have lifeguards or any other amenities, so plan your visit accordingly. 

Driftwood Beach offers many fun activities including wildlife watching, fishing, beachcombing, sunbathing, and hiking. The water near the beach is unsafe for aquatic recreational activities including swimming and surfing as the water here is known to have dangerous currents. In addition, we recommend being very careful while walking or standing near the water in Driftwood Beach as sneaker waves in the water here are known to pull people offshore. The water near Driftwood Beach is home to many animals including seals, sea lions, and migrating grey whales (between December and April). The water near the beach is also a popular fishing spot - depending on the time of the year, you can catch a wide array of fish in the water near the beach including surfperch and smelt. The blufftop area above the beach has a hiking trail which you can use to explore the vibrant coastal landscape of Tomales Point. The blufftop area above the beach also has the Pierce Point Ranch, which is a historic site that was a popular dairy ranch in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. The ranch offers a unique insight into the interesting history of northern California. The site includes the main house, a blacksmith shop, barns, a dairy house, and a schoolhouse. Pierce Point Ranch is a part of the United States National Register of Historic Places and is one of the oldest surviving ranch houses in the Point Reyes Peninsula.  If you like wildlife watching, a Tule Elk Reserve is also present near the beach - from August through October, you can look for these rare elks roaming around in Tomales Point. On rare occasions, you can also see male elks fighting with each other. However, if you are planning to hike in Tomales Point, we recommend being extremely careful as this area is known to have ticks and poison oak.

Getting to Driftwood Beach is easy - in order to access the beach, you need to first reach the trailhead for the Tomales Point Trail, which is easily accessible from Shoreline Highway / Pacific Coast Highway via Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Pierce Point Road. There is a free parking lot near this trailhead. From this trailhead, you need to walk on the trail in order to reach the blufftop area above Driftwood Beach. However, getting down to this beach from the blufftop area above can be very difficult and dangerous as the bluff sides along this beach are extremely rocky and steep. Alternatively, you can access Driftwood Beach through another separate adjacent beach called McClures Beach, which has a relatively much safer access trail that starts from the nearby Pierce Point Ranch (there is a free parking lot present near this ranch). During low tide, you can walk north along the McClures Beach shoreline through some large rocks in order to get to Driftwood Beach.

There are many attractions near Driftwood Beach within a 25-minute drive. Jack Mason Museum of West Marin History has interesting exhibits on the rich history of Marin County and northern California. Inverness Ridge is a mountain ridge that has hiking and biking trails that offer a unique insight into the interesting topography and vibrant biodiversity of Marin County. If you are looking for another attraction near Driftwood Beach, Cypress Tree Tunnel is a beautiful tunnel composed of cypress trees. This tunnel offers some excellent Instagram-worthy photos.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Driftwood Beach within a 25-minute drive.  Saltwater Oyster Depot is an upscale local restaurant that is famous for its oysters and oyster-based dishes. The restaurant also serves many other kinds of excellent seafood dishes including clam chowder, fish-and-chips, and seafood risotto. In addition, the restaurant has also been praised by the prestigious MICHELIN Guide. Tap Room offers delicious sandwiches, burgers, tacos, nachos, fries, salads, and barbecued oysters. In addition, this restaurant has also been praised by the Marin Independent Journal. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Driftwood Beach, the modestly priced Inverness Store offers delicious light snacks.

If you are looking for a hotel near Driftwood Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 25-minute drive. Osprey Peak is a Zen-themed bed-and-breakfast that offers many amenities including a mini-fridge for guest use, complimentary breakfast, and afternoon wine-and-cheese sessions. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Tomales Bay Resort & Marina that offers many amenities including a pool, a beach club, a restaurant, a boat launch, a marina, and nearby hiking trails. In addition, the hotel also organizes many activities including kayaking sessions, biking tours, and massages for a fee. If you are looking for another good and affordable option near Driftwood Beach, Motel Inverness has a retro ambiance and offers many amenities including a communal kitchen with complimentary coffee and biscuits, a lounge with a pool table, and a meditation garden.