Sitting at the southern end of the Point Reyes peninsula, Bolinas is a small town with a well-earned reputation for discouraging tourists; the signs leading you here from Hwy-1 are regularly torn down by locals bent on keeping the place—little more than a general store, a bakery, and a bar—for themselves. Bolinas also boasts one of the coast’s best tidepool areas in Duxbury Reef, which curves around the western edge of Bolinas.
In contrast, the broad strands of Stinson Beach, four miles south along Hwy-1, are the Bay Area’s most popular summertime suntanning spots. A grocery store and deli, the Livewater Surf Shop (which rents boards and the essential wetsuits), and a couple of outdoor bar-and-grills along Hwy-1 form a short parade at the entrance to the beach. The best place to eat hereabouts is the Parkside Cafe (415/868-1272), at 43 Arenal Avenue; if you want to stay overnight, try the basic but cheap Stinson Beach Motel ($65 and up; 415/868-1712), at 3416 Hwy-1.
If you have the chance to plan ahead, try to book a night at the Steep Ravine Cabins (800/444-7275), just over a mile south of Stinson Beach on the ocean side of Hwy-1. Now part of Mt. Tamalpais State Park, these 10 rustic redwood cabins are very basic roofs-over-the-head (bring sleeping bags and food; water faucets are just outside the door) in an absolutely beautiful coastal chasm. These very popular cabins (originally owned by Bay Area bigwigs like Dorothea Lange) sleep up to 5 people and cost around $60 a night.
