While on the trail, we could see the mountains which made for a great viewing. The cutoff trail leads through Alman Marsh to the Petaluma Marina.The park hours are from sunrise to sunset. It took us 2 hours to complete the trail and the cutoff trail that runs over the iron bridge. We saw a lot of birds along the trail, and ducks swimming in the river. Some sections are quite muddy, and it can be a little difficult to navigate them, however it’s nothing that one can’t handle. We came here on a sunny Saturday afternoon, and the trail was moderately busy. It was fascinating to read about all of it. The sections are called stations, and you can scan the barcodes at those stations to know more about it. It is mostly well managed, with pertinent information about each section of the trail along the way. The main facilities along Sir Francis Drake Highway are on the sheltered east side of the coast at Drakes Beach, which has a second visitor center (Kenneth Patrick) and a cafe.This is a great park and trail in Petaluma near the wetlands. Nearby Chimney Rock is guarded by more dramatic cliffs, provides the best overall views of the south side of the peninsula, and is home to a particularly varied selection of wildflowers. The rocks below the lighthouse are home to a noisy population of sea lions, and the overlook - officially the windiest location on the whole Pacific coast - is also one of the best places in the park to watch migrating grey whales, who pass by between January and April. This saw continuous service for over 100 years, before being retired in 1975, replaced by an automated system. Side roads branch off to Point Reyes Hill (one of the highest summits on the peninsula, at 1,336 feet), to three trailheads and to several beaches, before ending right at the far end of the land at Point Reyes Lighthouse, built in 1870 at the edge of the rugged cliffs quite high above the water. The road follows the west side of Tomales Bay, passing several small villages and private enclaves within the federal land, then turns west, across wooded Inverness Ridge and down into flatter, unforested terrain near the ocean, much of which is used as grazing for working horse ranches. The main road in Point Reyes is Sir Francis Drake Highway, commemorating the English mariner who visited the peninsula in 1579, stopping for a while to repair his ship in an sheltered lagoon now known as Drakes Estero. Walking along the beach is possible only in sections, as the protruding rocks sometimes extend quite far out to sea creating an impassable obstacle. The Coast Trail follows much of this part of the shoreline, often right at the edge of the cliffs though occasionally veering inland to avoid several deep, bushy ravines. All the beaches are clean and litter-free, the sands covered in places only by mussel shells and patches of seaweed. This is perhaps the most scenic section of the whole coast, although the shore is similar for about 10 more miles southwards, to the far end of the Point Reyes peninsula at Bolinas Bay. The rocks extend into the water in some places, forming terraces, arches, mini islands and other photogenic features one good location is Sculptured Beach, 2 miles from the carpark and also reachable by a 6 mile trail from Bear Valley. In the other direction, the beach also remains mostly sandy and is soon flanked by vertical sandstone cliffs that rise up and become around 200 feet high. To the northwest, Limantour Beach continues a long way, forming a narrow promontory between the ocean and a large inland lagoon. Like most beaches along this part of the California coast, strong currents and big surf usually make the sea to rough for swimming, so the preferred activities are sunbathing, picnicking, bird-watching or just walking about.
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