How to Visit Hearts Desire State Beach at Point Reyes
Hearts Desire Beach is the centerpiece of Tomales Bay State Park, one of the public recreational areas on Point Reyes Peninsula (most of which is run by the National Park Service as a national seashore). Tomales Bay itself is a long bay reaching back from the Pacific. It is sheltered by the peninsula, so the waves are gentle. The surrounding landscape is largely undeveloped. Hearts Desire Beach is a favorite destination at Point Reyes, and has something to offer nearly any visitor.
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Instructions
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Go to the Point Reyes Peninsula, and get on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, the main road into Point Reyes National Seashore. The road will lead you up Tomales Bay, through the town of Inverness, then will turn inland and climb up Inverness Ridge. When you pass the boundary sign for Point Reyes National Seashore, at the top of the ridge, watch for Pierce Point Road on the right.
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Turn onto Pierce Point Road and follow it to the entrance to Tomales Bay State Park, on the right. Turn and follow the entrance road down to the ranger station, where there is a fee due for day use. Keep going on the entrance road, and follow the signs to Hearts Desire Beach. Park in the large parking lot here.
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Continue to the beach, which is right next to the parking lot. Of the beaches at Tomales Bay State Park, Hearts Desire has the most amenities. It includes a restroom, dressing room, picnic area, and drinking water. The beach is small, both in length and width, and hemmed in by cliffs in both directions. The water is calm, but cold. While there is no boat launch, you can bring a kayak, or any other kind of boat that can be launched by hand.
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Branch out from here; people tend to focus on Hearts Desire Beach and miss the rest of the park. At the north end of the beach, near the restrooms, you will find the Indian Beach nature trail, a short track that leads through the forest to Indian Beach, where you will find reconstructed Miwok houses on the shore. The trail itself includes signs explaining the local forest life.
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Hike in the other direction, south along the bay to Pebble Beach, or try one of the park’s other trails. The forest is dense throughout much of the park, but the trails are clear, and allow you to explore much of this surprisingly wild place.
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