Good morning, hope you were able to get some good rest last night. I was personally up a bit late. Excitement for our hike along Drakes Estero today is real I tell ya! Would you like to know why I decided upon the Estero/Sunest Beach Trail, the same time of year as our last hike? You’re right, all those rutting elk we got to see were truly epic! Oh no, you lost all those photos from your phone, that’s terrible. I posted some images in the Tomales Point Trail section of the blog page, feel free to reminisce anytime, I know how important photos can be!

The Estero/Sunset Beach Trail is actually a seasonal trail.

Harbor seals use Drakes Estero as grounds to raise their pups. Meaning, in order to see some of the best landscapes of the estero, we have to avoid pupping season, which is why we are here in early November. The National Park Service implements closures of Drakes Estero from March 1st-June 30th, along with Drakes Estero, Double Point and the western end of Limantour Split are also effected by these closures. To reach the shoreline today we will be hiking 4 miles, one way, give or take due to the tides, and will be just shy of 900’ of gain in total. Yes, thats right 8 miles total, that along with the tidal chart is why I picked you up so early.

Low tide is the best time to visit Sunset Beach, you can reach the inlet of Drakes Estero if you time it correctly!

Looks like we will be to the trailhead about 8:05am. We’re only a few miles away now and this crisp, morning fog is perfect for hiking. Driving around the windy road leading to the trailhead, it didn’t take long to run across the first animal in our path. Can you do me a huge favor? Could you gently coax that cow and her calf off the road, please? I’ll drive around them and we can get this hike underway since the trails right around the corner. Pulling into the large, gravel parking lot, we were pleased to discover vaulted toilets and trash cans. Now that we’ve used the restroom and got our gear ready, are ready for your quick pre-hike stretch? That’s right, silly me, we’re online still, sorry about that! I have my gear together and my boots are tied tight, it’s finally time to get moving!

The trail looks pretty good so far, a nice mix of dirt and rock, with some tall grasses and shrubs along its edge.

I bet this area is beautiful in July with all the wildflowers, right now there is a ton of spiderwebs and a couple milk thistles among the brush. The webs are covered in the morning dew and it doesn’t look like anyone is home. If that doesn’t keep you on trail, I don’t know what will! In the distance we can see a dark, forested area that looks uninviting. As we enter deeper into the “forbidden forest”, as you referred to it as, moss began to hang from the limbs. So thick at times it nearly strangled the trees that were unlucky enough to be caught in its grasp. After a couple watchful turns, we seen daylight again, which made way to our first sighting or Drakes Estero. A small foot bridge helps us continue through the marshlands and to the other side, where we must climb up our first incline.

Would you look at this view!

Foggy conditions made the bay larger than life. Its shoreline seemed endless as they wrapped from one peninsula to the other, as the water vanishes through the dense skies. A curious hawk flew above and faded into the forested area through the haze. The trail is basically a small, dirt and gravel road now, to the right is where all the distractions come in and to the left are rolling hills as far as the eye can see. I stop to read a sign that’s posted at the overlook. Did you know that in 2015, the park lead a restoration project that removed 500 tons of…pressure treated wood and 1,300 tons of debris from these waters? Most of the debris was left from the years of oyster farming that was done within Drakes fertile bay.

I know I don’t have to tell you to pack out your garbage,

thankfully, but it still amazes me how many don’t understand that concept. I’m glad we have these views today and not ones of an old oyster farm! Kayakers can be seen paddling through the shallow ecotone, off in the distance. How much fun would that be? I wonder how many seals come up to see what kind of strange, bright log they’re on. We continue towards the shoreline and come to a trail split. From here, we can veer off to the left towards Drakes Head Trail, or continue slightly right onto the Sunset Beach Trail. We’re currently 2.5 miles in and decided to stick to the plan. It’s all downhill from here! As we started our descent, we passed by a small pond to the left, filled with vibrant vegetation and a lone cow. These guys really do have it made living out here! Approaching the marsh, we see our first group of people riding their bikes towards us, the trail is much narrower now, so we will need to step aside as they pass.

“Good morning! Lovely day to be out here isn’t it”,

one of the bikers said as he rolled by. Really is a beautiful morning and some of the fog has parted to show a glimmer of blue skies. We are fully at marsh level now and quickly approaching the shoreline. Large, weathered posts protrude from the dense vegetation and mud, watch your step through here, its a bit slippery. The lack of winds, produce painting like reflections of the landscape across the estero…Look at all those pelicans, seagulls and other sea birds along the sandbar, theres hundreds of them in the distance!

The trail has all but vanished and we are now among the tidal zone.

The rocks are still wet from receding ocean waters, saturated with green moss and slime. This portion of the trail is going to take our undivided attention, watch your footing and look for small crabs or shells as you step, I bet we find something out here! It didn’t take long for you to call me over with a large clam shell in sight, looks like that one went to the birds! Here’s another one, this time we uncover what looks to be an empty cockle shell.

Large boulders cover the terrain as the ocean waters continuously erode the cliffs away.

Sand below the boulders make way to solid rock as we approach the end of the Sunset Beach Trail. We timed the tides well, let’s take a break and eat our sandwiches while examining a few exposed tide pools. With the abundance of birds, I’m not expecting much to be scurrying around in the open here. In one particular pool, we found a creature that truly goes with the flow…A vibrant sea anemone made its home here, attached to the kelp covered rocks, it moves with the swaying currents, entrapping unsuspecting prey that may pass too close to it’s flowing tentacles. Let’s get going, the tide changes quickly along this shallow estero and the last thing I want is for us to get trapped out here.

We are about 4.5 miles from the trailhead and there’s no cell service after all.

On our way back towards the trailhead, a solo harbor seal peaked its head above the still waters, seaming to admire us humans as we passed by. Well, probably not, “admire”, but that sea dog looked like he wanted to play fetch! Are you okay? That seagull wasted no time getting out of here, he might’ve been the one you chased last week! Take it easy, these rocks are slippery and it doesn’t take much to roll an ankle, especially on this terrain. If it starts to bother you, let me know and we can wrap it up. Speaking of wrapping it up, let’s hike out of here and find a sunset spot.

The morning fog burned off to beautiful blue skies!

The rising temperatures made me thankful to have brought layers of clothing, it also brought a whole family of cattle to the pond we passed earlier. Look at that little calf at the edge of the water, what a cute little guy! This trail really is perfect for birdwatchers. We’ve seen pelicans, seagulls, hawks, massive black birds and a wide variety of sea birds. Even as we speak there’s a turkey vulture soaring above us. Hey, that reminds me…How’s your foot doing? Vultures tend to circle injured animals you know! Oh, okay good, I’m glad to hear your foots fine and your sense of humor is still intact as well. Oh man, what perfect timing that was! I just so happened to capture a photo of those quail that bolted across the trail. This one is great, check it out! Really looks like a runway model striking a pose, doesn’t it? We’re just about out of here now and have to pass through your favorite part, the “forbidden forest”.

The aura has really changed since the dense fog lifted out of here!

This mini-climate, of the small wooded area is intriguing. I wouldn’t wander off trail here with the poison oak around, but I’m sure you could locate a variety of mushrooms throughout this damp, wooded area. Unfortunately, I’m no mycologist and gathering without knowledge of the variety can be deadly, I’ll leave that to the experts. Also, gathering of any kind within the Point Reyes National Seashore is strictly prohibited. This includes all shells, rocks, tide pool creatures, mushrooms and any other, “cool” items you may find!

Make sure to practice the “Leave No Trace” motto while visiting

and only remove the garbage you may find along the trail. If you’d like to hand me the litter you found along the way, I’ll go throw it away now that we’re back at the trailhead. You did great out there, that was the perfect winter trail for us to explore today! I hope you had fun and enjoyed the scenery, even though we didn’t get into much brush, I would still suggest looking for those pesky ticks before hopping in the car. Hopefully you’re able to join me on the next adventure, it’s been awesome having a hiking partner who’s interested in the small details along the way. No ticks? Perfect, that’s what I like to hear! Let’s hit the road and chase this sunset, I know an awesome place called Chimney Rock. It’s one of my favorite overlooks, you’re going to love it!

Where should we go next? Let me know on Instagram!

Brandon P.