The Best Beach in Marin County CA: Go To Stinson!

In our Top Ten Things To Do in Marin post (that’s Part One, you can find part two here), we suggest a visit to Stinson Beach. This classic wide crescent shaped Northern California beach is perfect for a hang out day this time of the year, when the fog has cleared and the temps are usually a beach-friendly 75ish degrees from now until mid-November. Sounds perfect, right? Let’s get down to details!

Getting There. From our Marin Hotels, plan on a 30-40 minute drive. You have a couple of choices on routes: Highway 1 or Panoramic Highway. Highway 1 is famous for its beauty and almost any section of the road counts as one of the most scenic drives in the country. It is also twisty. And there are several spots on the road that have that “sheer drop to the ocean feeling”. Is it safe? Yes. But, if you’re the type who gets a little nervous behind the wheel, we suggest taking Panoramic. Still absolutely beautiful!

When To Go. If you’re planning to go on a weekend, go early to secure parking in the beach lot. During the week, you’ll have no problem getting parking. One thing about going early: there may be fog, but at this time of the year, it usually pulls back mid-morning. Oh btw, parking is free.

What To Do. The most obvious thing to do is to set up for the day and just enjoy being outside at this beautiful beach with the rolling hills of Marin as a backdrop.

If you’re feeling active, take a surf lesson or walk the entire length of the beach (this usually takes around two hours round-trip). Note: the facilities are located near the parking areas, so go before you head out on on your surf or walk, as there are no other facilities.

Eating & Drinking. There are several restaurants in the small town of Stinson, as well as The Siren Canteen on the beach. You can easily walk to all of them and decide what speaks to you on the spot. Pro Tip: we like popping over to the Parkside Cafe takeout window for a slice of really good pizza or the tomato tart, which is especially good this time of year. You can take that back to the beach, or head to the little playground/park across the street for an alfresco lunch with a view of the surrounding hills.

And Another Thing. If you’re taking Highway 1, consider a stop at Muir Beach Overlook on the way home. The views of the coastline and ocean are spectacular.

See you out there!