Heart's Desire Beach at Tomales Bay State Park

Tomales Bay State Park flanks both sides of the eponymous bay. My family and I visited Heart's Desire Beach on our recent trip to Point Reyes National Seashore, which is on the western side of the bay. This was a GREAT trip for us! We grabbed a bag of oysters from the Tomales Bay Oyster Company before heading out, and we got to the beach early. Our early departure was mostly because of the internal clock of our one-year old, but it really worked in our favor because this park got crowded after about noon.

In the morning, however, it was relatively calm in terms of the human population and it was incredibly calm in terms of the water conditions. The beach is protected from the wind and the water is shallow, so the conditions are perfect for swimming and wading. It's a great place to picnic as a family!

There is a nice little loop, the Jepson-Johnstone Trail (write up of the hike here), but we were focused on wading and picnicking on this particular trip. I look forward to checking out that loop in the future!