Day Trips from Dillon Beach
Wine Country: Napa and Sonoma
Approximately 50 minutes from Downtown Sonoma and 1 hour 20 minutes from Yountville, Napa. Experience California Historic Wine Country and bring a bottle (or two or three) back to the beach to drip as you watch the sunset. If you are looking for recommendations on wineries, restaurants, guides, or drivers, just let you know, and we can give a list of our favorites
Stinson Beach
Stinson Beach is one of Northern California’s best-kept secrets. It’s located about 20 miles NW of San Francisco alongside Mt Tamalpais State Park. Being only a 35 minute trip from the Golden Gate Bridge, Stinson Beach is a very popular day trip for residents and tourists of the San Francisco Bay Area. there is also a cute little town great to stop for brunch or lunch.
Bolinas
The Town of Bolinas is picturesque, quirky, and one of our favorite places to visit and hang out! The Beach is also gorgeous has consistent small waves perfect for longboarding and learning to surf. It is a quiet public beach in the small town of Bolinas. It’s often called Brighton Beach because the main access road to the beach is Brighton Avenue. Parking is a problem in this area, especially on sunny weekends. Get here early to find legal street parking spots (local police will enforce the parking rules). Bolinas Beach is at the mouth of Bolinas Lagoon in a spot where waves wrap around the point and roll in softly. For this reason, it’s known as a great surfing beach, especially for beginners. It’s also popular with dog owners since pets can roam off-leash, but this also has led to complaints about poop on the beach. It is possible to walk a long way on the remote beach west of here at lower tides.
Tomales Bay | Point Reyes Station
Oyster farming is a major industry on Tomales Bay. The two largest producers are Hog Island Oyster Company and Tomales Bay Oyster Company. You buyer fresh oysters to go or have a picnic there with a view of the bay and boats harvesting the oysters. The bay sees significant amounts of water sports, including sailing, kayaking, fishing, and motorboating.
Towns bordering Tomales Bay include Inverness, Inverness Park, Point Reyes Station, and Marshall. Additional hamlets include Nick's Cove, Spencers, Duck Cove, Shallow Beach, and Vilicichs. Our Favorite being Point Reyes Stations which is an adorable town with great food.
Bogeda Bay
Nestled into a stunning stretch of Sonoma County's 55-mile Pacific Coastline, Bodega Bay is a favorite destination for travelers and residents alike. This long-time home to a fishing boat fleet is a small, friendly town with quirky oceanside shops, art galleries, and excellent seafood restaurants
Petaluma
Just 30 minutes drive is Petaluma, with many great antique shops, restaurants, and its gorgeous historic downtown. First settled in 1851 and chartered in 1858, Petaluma is one of the state's oldest cities. It was prosperous from its early days, thanks in large part to the fact that it straddles the Petaluma River, making it an important regional shipping port back in the day.
Also not far from the Downtown is Petaluma Village Premier Outlets. There are over 30 designer stores in the Outlet Mall, which also host events.
Close to the outlets is Lombardi's BBQ and General Store, which has amazing BBQ, Sandwiches, and Prepared Foods. We suggest stopping here on your way to the house from Marin, Oakland, or San Francisco ;)
Muir Woods
Muir Woods National Monument is part of California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area, north of San Francisco. It’s known for its towering old-growth redwood trees. Trails wind among the trees to Cathedral Grove and Bohemian Grove, and along Redwood Creek. The Ben Johnson and Dipsea trails climb a hillside to view the treetops, the Pacific Ocean, and Mount Tamalpais in adjacent Mount Tamalpais State Park. Make sure to reserve a parking space well in advance!
Elephant Rock
Elephant Rock is an outcropping of large rounded rocks near town. They are about halfway between Dillon Beach and Tomales. These rocks attract climbers and those who enjoy bouldering. Photographers and site sees oftena re set up to watch sunsets and sunrises from his gorgeous spot. It is just a unique and fun place to walk around. The Elephant Rocks are located about three miles down the Dillon Beach road from Tomales. A flat gravel parking lot is provided for those who want to stop and check them out
Blue Gums Beach
South Blue Gum Beach is a boat-in camping beach on Tomales Bay in Point Reyes National Seashore. Boating and kayaking on the bay are your only options for getting here. The beach has no potable water or toilet facilities so you must bring in water and carry out all waste. Note that South Blue Gum Beach is seasonally closed from March all through June each year. Boats can be launched at Nick’s Cove public boat launch (nickscove.com) or rented at Lawson’s Landing (lawsonslanding.com). Kayaks can be rented in Inverness or Marshall from Blue Waters Kayaking (bwkayak.com).