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Muir Beach, Marin County, California

Posted August 7, 2009 , trackback

Northern California beaches can usually be classified as one of two types: large wild expanses of dunes and ice plants, Great Beaches, if you will, and smaller beaches nestled between cliffs, great in their own right. Muir Beach is one such smaller beach, a strip of coastline south of the Point Reyes National Seashore.

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View from the south end. http://www.flickr.com/photos/fatmandy/3189241742/

Located just off 101 north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Beach is 6 winding miles from the Hwy 1 exit. Nestled in a coastal valley at the edge of Mount Tamalpais, the small “town” of Muir Beach is comprised of 150 homes, the nearby Muir Woods National Monument, Green Gulch Farm/Zen Center, Slide Ranch and, of course the “old” English Pub, The Pelican Inn. There is a medium sized dirt parking lot that is rarely full, and one must walk across a small bridge and a wooden walkway over the lagoon to get to the beach. The area is rife with wildlife: butterflies, deer, frogs, salmon, fox, coyote, and yes–sharks Great White and otherwise have been spotted in the water here.

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Shark carcass decaying on the rocks. http://www.flickr.com/photos/orangejoshuas/3345107157/

The beach itself is usually filled with families: kids and birthday parties, boogie boarders, teenagers, some surfers. Down the beach to the right a few hundred yards is the unofficial nude beach. Here there are obviously naked people, but there are also excellent tide pools and some very friendly seals that like to warm themselves on the sand. (The seals are also nude, you see.)

Muir Beach offers a range of very basic amenities: pit toilets, water, trash cans and picnic tables are all located at the south end of the parking lot. Fires are permitted in fire rings only, three of which are on the beach toward the south end. Pets are allowed, albeit on leashes to protect wildlife.

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