My favorite beach in Marin: Fort Cronkhite

Lots of folks forget this spot but it’s quick to get to, provides nice hiking, and is breathtakingly beautiful.

From Marin you drive South on 101 until the very last exit before the Golden Gate. My favorite way to go is through the “5 Minute Tunnel.” One Saturday, I took my Mom and forgot to mention that the five minutes refers to the wait, as it’s a one-way tunnel and traffic lights are used to let cars through in each direction. We got there just as our light was turning green – when we passed through the tunnel 60 seconds later, she breathed a sigh of relief (a little claustrophobic as she is…) and wondered at how that was 5 minutes.

Driving through the Marin Headlands to get to Fort Cronkhite provides amazing natural views. More than once we have seen coyotes on the hills – and one time a smirking coyote (no really he was smirking) leisurely crossed the street after stopping traffic in both directions. He was no more than three feet from my car door. Of course, the Park Service does have posted signs throughout warning not to feed or pet the coyotes. Seeing them from my car – cool. Closer than that – not so cool.

Once you arrive at Fort Cronkhite there is plenty of parking and even convenient restrooms. For me, the first thing I do is walk over the bridge over part of the Lagoon and sit down. Just sitting and watching the waves is peaceful and Zen like; even better to dig your hands into the dark sand – I swear you can see tiny stones of every color. Once, while sitting on the beach watching the waves, I could have sworn it was the past and present merging in front of me as I saw: cargo ship, sail boat, cargo ship, sail boat…

I started doing quick trips to Fort Cronkhite when I moved to Marin in 1999 and I probably go 10-15 times a year. I find it such a great place to sit and think – just watching the waves here has helped me work through all sorts of things. But in addition to waves, the cliffs, the occasional cargo ships, and the cute surfers, there is so much more.

When I go with my kids they love digging in the sand, making tunnels, playing with whatever friendly dogs are hanging out that day, and, when it’s warm enough, playing in the water.

There is a fantastic walk around Rodeo Lagoon – here is a picture we took last weekend from the far end of the Lagoon looking out to the ocean.

There are some great, somewhat short but steep hikes from both sides of the beach –a good way to sneak in a little exercise.

And if that’s not enough, there is also the Marine Mammal Center, along with their visitor’s center. A couple years back my daughter had her 3rd grade report on the Marine Mammal Center which was being renovated. We went to the visitor’s center and learned all about Pinnipeds.

Even better, the Marin Headlands offers lots of other walks and hikes, bunkers, and incredible views, but that’s a blog for another day.

In the meantime, I am thankful that the memories are bountiful and I truly feel blessed to have this wonder in my backyard.

I created a photo gallery that contains some of my favorite images that I’ve taken from around Fort Cronkhite. I hope you enjoy it!


Posted by:Jennifer Masterson