Things to do nearHearts Desire Beach

Hearts Desire Beach sits within Tomales Bay State Park, established in 1948 to protect one of the most ecologically rich coastal inlets on the California coast. The bay itself formed along the San Andreas Fault, giving the landscape an unusual, elongated shape that shelters the water from prevailing ocean winds.

Visitors can swim, kayak, and explore tidepools rich with sea stars, hermit crabs, and anemones. The calm, relatively warm water makes this one of the few swimmable beaches in the greater Point Reyes area, drawing families throughout the warmer months.

The surrounding forest of bishop pine is one of the rarest plant communities in North America, and short trails from the beach lead through this quiet woodland to neighboring coves like Indian Beach. Birders often spot egrets, pelicans, and shorebirds feeding along the water's edge.

Hearts Desire Beach rewards those who seek natural beauty without the crowds of more famous California shores, offering a rare combination of calm water, old-growth forest, and dramatic coastal scenery in a single, unhurried setting.