Tim Kizirian - Point Reyes North Beach to Abbotts Lagoon: A Straight-Line Outing Without the Crowds

My name is Tim Kizirian. Long before I spent evenings polishing audit worksheets at Ernst & Young or mornings breaking down cost allocations for students at Chico State, I was out on coastal trails trying to figure out how far a ham-and-cheddar sandwich could fuel me. That hasn’t changed; only the sandwich is better, and I now write a short blog so fellow hikers can avoid wasted weekends. Today’s post covers a lesser-used slice of Point Reyes—North Beach down to Abbotts Lagoon and back—simple navigation, big sky, and solitude if you time it right.

Why I like this route
North Beach to Abbotts Lagoon is a straight 6.8-mile out-and-back on firm sand and a short boardwalk. Most visitors aim for the lighthouse or Alamere Falls and leave this section untouched. That means fewer dog tracks, cleaner tide lines, and wildlife that still acts like you’re not there—plovers darting at your boot tips, harbor seals bobbing just offshore.

Getting there
Park at the North Beach lot before 8 a.m. on a weekend; fog is your friend. I log arrival times in a pocket notebook—the same habit I used to keep audit checklists on schedule—because it shows patterns: first surfers appear around 9, family groups at 10, and by noon the lot is full. A dawn start buys you three quiet hours on firm sand.

Walk details
From the lot, turn north. Footing is hard-packed for the first mile, then alternates between damp and dry ridges. Keep to the damp strip for efficiency; you’ll notice a one-mile-per-hour difference in pace. After 2.9 miles you’ll see the wooden boardwalk that ushers you into Abbotts Lagoon. Take it, cross the bridge, and climb the brief dune for the best panoramic shot—lagoon to the right, breakers to the left, Inverness Ridge behind.

Snacks and numbers
I target a 30-minute break at the lagoon. Peanut-butter tortilla, half an apple, 250 calories, fifteen fluid ounces water. Not because I’m counting macros—it’s just enough to reset blood sugar but not so much that I slog in the sand on the way back. Years of budget variance drills taught me that small corrections early prevent big corrections later; that applies to blood sugar just as well as general-ledger imbalances.

Return and time check
Fog usually burns off by the southbound leg, so toss a brimmed hat in the pack. My moving time for the full hike averages 2 hours 10, elapsed right at three with the lagoon break. Use those numbers as a reference, not gospel; if you’re newer to sand walking, tack on 30 minutes to each half.

Leave-no-trace without preaching
You won’t find trash bins on the beach. Pack a quart zip bag and carry out snack wrappers. It’s not heroism, it’s housekeeping—same as sharpening a pencil before audit fieldwork. One quick sweep at the lagoon often nets a stray Clif bar foil; pocket it and forget it.

Safety reminders
Check tide tables; any forecast above five feet will push you up into soft sand and double effort. Cell coverage is weak; download an offline map. Point Reyes can throw wind spikes without warning—windproof shell weighs six ounces and removes excuses.

Why bother
Big wave energy, empty horizon, and the rare feeling that you’re walking a place that still looks the way it did before trail apps turned everything into check-ins. If you’re driving all the way from Chico for a single outing, this is reliable payoff per gallon—no lines, no shuttle, and you’ll be back on Highway 101 by late afternoon.

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Other popular hikes Hidden Waterfalls, Family Friendly Hikes, and Scenic View Hikes.