79. Home Bay, Drakes Estero, and Sunset Beach

Length:	7 miles round trip
Hiking time:	4 hours
High point:	400 feet
Total elevation gain:	800 feet
Difficulty:	easy to moderate
Season:	year-round
Water:	bring your own
Maps:	USGS 7.5' Drakes Bay
Information:	Point Reyes National Seashore

Bring your binoculars for close-ups of shorebirds and packs of basking harbor seals on this journey along mudflats and estero (Spanish for "estuary"). The spectacular views include Inverness Ridge and numerous overlooks of Home Bay and Drakes Estero.

From Highway 1 in Point Reyes (14 miles north of Stinson Beach), turn west on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Drive 9.9 miles to a sign marked "Estero," then turn left and drive 0.9 mile to the trailhead.

The obvious trail starts level near cattle ranchlands where clover grows among pasture grasses, native bunchgrasses, and rushes. It twists sharply right at 0.5 mile near a small community of Scotch broom, offering good views of Inverness Ridge eastward beyond the fields.

Proceed past a thick forest of Monterey pines, all the same height because they were planted simultaneously as a Christmas tree farm. At 0.6 mile, stroll past a gateway and travel briefly alongside this small forest's outskirts.

Your first view of Home Bay arrives at 1 mile next to a boggy pond. At 1.1 miles cross the bridge dividing the pond and Home Bay. From here, the trail ascends past cow parsnip and bush lupine. As you continue climbing gradually to 1.9 miles, keep checking Home Bay's mudflats and water's edge for a variety of waterbirds, including widgeons, ducks, blue herons, godwits, and willets.

The trail levels to a pasture and then heads southeast to two ponds and your first sighting of Drakes Estero. At 2.2 miles go straight at a trail fork, pass several stands of rushes, which front premium views of the estero below, and skirt two dinky ponds at 2.5 miles.

The trail stays flat the rest of the way as it overlooks the estero, where freshwater runoff meets the ocean's saltwater, creating rich habitat for numerous shorebirds. A pond at 3.5 miles marks your arrival at Sunset Beach, which offers seclusion, rocky bluffs, beachcombing opportunities, and possible harbor seal sightings.