Heart's Desire Beach (Tomales Bay State Park)
About
Heart's Desire Beach is a public beach in Tomales Bay State Park, within Point Reyes National Seashore in California, about 4 miles from the town of Inverness. It's set up for an easy day at the water: restrooms are on site, the beach has accessible access, and swimming is allowed. A fee is charged, and dogs are not permitted. Late summer into early fall is the most comfortable stretch. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Bodega put September highs around 66°F with just a few wet days, while winter months bring highs in the mid-50s and more frequent rain. Several trails start close by. The Johnstone Trail begins about a tenth of a mile away, the Indian Beach Nature Trail sits roughly 0.3 miles off, and the Jepson Trail is about 0.7 miles away. A short drive farther, the Abbotts Lagoon Trail lies about 2.6 miles from the beach.
Beach Details
Swimming
Allowed
Lifeguards
None
Dogs
Not allowed
Parking
Available
Fee
Fee charged
Restrooms
Yes
Accessible access
Yes
As published by the managing agency. Lifeguards, fees and dog rules are often seasonal, so check posted signs before you swim.
Location
Heart's Desire Beach (Tomales Bay State Park)
California
Data: California Coastal Commission, YourCoast public access data. Source metadata
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Jun–Oct. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 61–66°F and lows of 49–52°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Bodega 6 Wsw, CA weather station, 16 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan56° high45° low
- Feb56° high45° low
- Mar57° high46° low
- Apr57° high46° low
- May58° high48° low
- Jun61° high49° low
- Jul62° high51° low
- Aug63° high52° low
- Sep66° high51° low
- Oct62° high49° low
- Nov59° high47° low
- Dec55° high44° low
Where it is
- Point Reyes National Seashore · National Park Service
- Nearest town
- Inverness, California · 4 mi
Source: NPS Land Resources boundaries; USGS GNIS populated places
Nearby
Johnstone TrailHikingPhoto: ANNLF19271, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)0.1 mi- Indian Beach Nature TrailHikingPhoto: ANNLF19271, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)0.3 mi
- Jepson TrailHikingPhoto: ANNLF19271, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)0.7 mi
Abbotts Lagoon TrailHikingPhoto: ray_explores, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)2.6 mi
Kehoe Beach TrailHikingPhoto: Greg Schechter from San Francisco, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2.9 mi- Walker CreekCanoeing5 mi
Estero de San AntonioCanoeingPhoto: Stepheng3, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)9.9 mi- Stemple CreekCanoeing10 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Is Heart's Desire Beach (Tomales Bay State Park) open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Point Reyes National Seashore.
As of · Source: NPS · Point Reyes National Seashore. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
