Great Marin County Hikes – Abbotts Lagoon

Short, easy, scenic Point Reyes National Seashore path winds to dune-backed beach.

A mostly flat path, about 2.8 miles round-trip, winds from the Abbotts Lagoon parking lot to a dune-backed Pacific Ocean beach and back. Amid this lush environment, you’ll come across yellow bush lupine and other flora, along with quail, wild rabbits, and grazing dairy cows. In fall, migratory shorebirds increase the already formidable avian population, and from March through September, the endangered western snowy plover nests along the coast here.

Difficulty level: Easy.

Why locals love it: Lush flora; native and migratory birds; setting.

Cut to the chase: Less than a half-mile from the parking lot, a bench near the lagoon’s southern edge provides a serene perspective.

Reward yourself: The salt sea air at Abbotts may well put you in the mood for a bivalve or two at the Saltwater Oyster Depot, 6 miles away in Inverness. Or head into Point Reyes Station (10.5 miles) for more choices, including Side Street Kitchen.

Getting Here

Abbotts Lagoon, part of Point Reyes National Seashore (admission free), is off Pierce Point Road about 3.5 miles northwest of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. From U.S. 101 heading north from Sausalito, take Exit 450B toward San Anselmo and follow Sir Francis Drake for 32 miles to Pierce Point Road. From Novato and elsewhere in northern Marin, take Exit 463 and head west on Atherton Avenue and San Marin Drive, north (right) on Novato Boulevard, and west (left) on Point Reyes–Petaluma Road. Turn left onto Highway 1, following it through downtown Point Reyes Station before turning right onto Sir Francis Drake to Pierce Point Road. From Petaluma, pick up the Point Reyes–Petaluma Road and follow the directions above.

Info

Abbotts Lagoon Trailhead
Pierce Point Rd., Inverness 94937

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More Hikes Locals Love

Battery Mendell to Battery Townsley
Coastal Trail to Bass Lake and Alamere Falls
Coastal, Wolf Ridge, Miwok Trails Loop
Dipsea Trail
East Peak Mount Tamalpais
Mount Tamalpais Muir Woods Loop
Olompali State Park
Rodeo Lagoon to Point Bonita Lighthouse
Rodeo Lagoon Trail Loop
Roy’s Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Steep Ravine to Matt Davis Loop
Tennessee Valley
Tule Elk Preserve

This story first appeared online in 2017; it was most recently updated in 2025.