Stinson Beach Day-Trip
A wide Marin sand beach beyond Mount Tam, one of the area's best for swimming.
The call
Worth it if you are watching the budget and you are traveling with kids.
Why
- 01
A broad, soft three-mile beach in a sunny pocket of Marin — one of the few Bay Area beaches mild enough to actually lounge on, reached by a gorgeous winding coast drive.
Our read - 02
The catch: the drive over the mountain is slow and twisty, summer weekend parking fills early, and the water is still cold.
Our read
Is it a fit?
Go if
You are watching the budget
Stinson Beach Day-Trip earns the spend, even on a tight budget.
You are traveling with kids
With kids, Stinson Beach Day-Trip is an easy yes.
You are traveling as a couple
As a couple, Stinson Beach Day-Trip is an easy yes.
You are traveling solo
Solo, Stinson Beach Day-Trip is an easy yes.
Think twice if
You only have one day
Keep Stinson Beach Day-Trip only when it outranks a half-day elsewhere.
Plan it well
- Cost
- $ (free; gas + parking)
- Timing
- Arrive before late morning on summer weekends to find parking.
- Allow
- Half–full day
- Accessibility
- Beach wheelchairs may be available seasonally; the main beach is soft sand.
- Getting there
- About an hour north over winding Mount Tam roads; a car is needed.