McNears Beach Park
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: 201 Cantera Way, San Rafael, CA
Directions:
From Highway 101 in San Rafael, take the Central San Rafael east (exit 452). Take 2nd St. east. This merges into 3rd St., and then becomes Point San Pedro Road. Follow the winding Point San Pedro Road for 3.6 miles, with the bay along the right. Look for the sign for McNears Beach Park on the right at Cantera Way. Follow Cantera Way (ranger booth/pay station at front) to the large parking lot.
Starting Point: Once you’re at the McNears Beach Park parking lot, you can take a stroll in any direction.
McNears Beach Park info link:
https://www.parks.marincounty.org/parkspreserves/parks/mcnears-beach
Marin County hours, entrance and parking fees info link:
https://www.marincounty.org/depts/pk/divisions/parks/main/info
Distance:
McNears Beach Park is listed as a 55 acre park. You could make this an end-to-end walk from one end of the bayside beach walk to the other, and add a walk up and down the pier to have a more invigorating walk, or just take an easy stroll.
Considerations:
• Park use/parking fee applies.
• No dogs except service dogs.
• Toilet facilities by swimming pool and tennis court.
• Snack bar operates seasonally.
• Swimming pool open seasonally.
• Pay attention to bay water quality alerts.
• Scattered picnic tables along bayside pathway open to all.
• Reservations can be made for large group events.
The trail:
An outing doesn’t always have to be a challenging hike. An easy stroll along a paved pathway, with stops to observe shorebirds and watch sailboats at a distance, is sometimes just the right level of effort.
The paved pathways make for easy access for all.
Our habit is to head from the parking lot toward the swimming pool/bathroom facilities. The paved pathway continues on in that direction past the tennis courts and palm trees. At a certain point, the paved pathway ends, but beach walkers can keep walking down the beach until reaching a concrete wall.
Straight out from the parking lot facing the bay is a long fishing pier. The views from the end of the pier facing north up San Pablo Bay or facing south in the direction of San Francisco Bay have their own unique charms.
Heading to the right from the parking lot when facing the bay, the pathway again follows the bay with scattered picnic tables and a small playground area.
Whether on a hot day with bright blue skies, or a cool, overcast day when the grays of the sky and the water blend at the horizon, McNears Beach Park is a good stop for an easy outing in a scenic place.
(McNears Beach Park Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Finding Vacation” Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: 201 Cantera Way, San Rafael, CA
Directions:
From Highway 101 in San Rafael, take the Central San Rafael east (exit 452). Take 2nd St. east. This merges into 3rd St., and then becomes Point San Pedro Road. Follow the winding Point San Pedro Road for 3.6 miles, with the bay along the right. Look for the sign for McNears Beach Park on the right at Cantera Way. Follow Cantera Way (ranger booth/pay station at front) to the large parking lot.
Starting Point: Once you’re at the McNears Beach Park parking lot, you can take a stroll in any direction.
McNears Beach Park info link:
https://www.parks.marincounty.org/parkspreserves/parks/mcnears-beach
Marin County hours, entrance and parking fees info link:
https://www.marincounty.org/depts/pk/divisions/parks/main/info
Distance:
McNears Beach Park is listed as a 55 acre park. You could make this an end-to-end walk from one end of the bayside beach walk to the other, and add a walk up and down the pier to have a more invigorating walk, or just take an easy stroll.
Considerations:
• Park use/parking fee applies.
• No dogs except service dogs.
• Toilet facilities by swimming pool and tennis court.
• Snack bar operates seasonally.
• Swimming pool open seasonally.
• Pay attention to bay water quality alerts.
• Scattered picnic tables along bayside pathway open to all.
• Reservations can be made for large group events.
The trail:
An outing doesn’t always have to be a challenging hike. An easy stroll along a paved pathway, with stops to observe shorebirds and watch sailboats at a distance, is sometimes just the right level of effort.
The paved pathways make for easy access for all.
Our habit is to head from the parking lot toward the swimming pool/bathroom facilities. The paved pathway continues on in that direction past the tennis courts and palm trees. At a certain point, the paved pathway ends, but beach walkers can keep walking down the beach until reaching a concrete wall.
Straight out from the parking lot facing the bay is a long fishing pier. The views from the end of the pier facing north up San Pablo Bay or facing south in the direction of San Francisco Bay have their own unique charms.
Heading to the right from the parking lot when facing the bay, the pathway again follows the bay with scattered picnic tables and a small playground area.
Whether on a hot day with bright blue skies, or a cool, overcast day when the grays of the sky and the water blend at the horizon, McNears Beach Park is a good stop for an easy outing in a scenic place.
(McNears Beach Park Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Finding Vacation” Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop page! Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, Twitter at @HikingAutism, Instagram at lisalouis777, and Bluesky @hikingautism.bsky.social
