Thursday, July 8, 2010

Tomales Bay Trail to Giacomini Wetland and Lagunitas Creek


The Tomales Bay Trail in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area offers access to the southern end of Tomales Bay. From the trailhead, it is about a mile, slightly downhill, to the wetland and saltwater areas. The photography shows the view along Lagunitas Creek, meeting Tomales Bay. Fog is moving inland from the west over the Point Reyes National Seashore and over the bay. The trail splits into two dead-end trails. One is going north between Lagunitas Creek and old oak trees. The other is going southeast to the Giacomini Wetland, which is named after dairy-man Waldo Giacomini, who build dikes and levees here in the 1940s to convert parts of the marshland into pasture. Today, this is the land of white egrets, river otters, naturalists, hikers and kayaking enthusiasts—then and now, always right on top of the San Andreas fault.

Getting to the Tomales Bay Trailhead
The Tomales Bay Trailhead is about two miles away from A Street in Point Reyes Station, north of Stinson Beach in California. From A Street, take the Shoreline Hwy (Highway 1) and drive northeast for about half a mile. At the intersection with the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road, turn left and continue on the Shoreline Hwy until you see the trailhead parking lot on the left side.

Read more on Tomales Bay's restoration, wildlife and paddling:
[1] Carolyn Longstreth: A Marsh is born at Point Reyes: Just Add Water. Bay Nature October-December 2009, pp. 12-15.
[2] Physical characteristics of Tomales Bay.

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