Chicken Ranch Beach, Inverness (Swim, Paddle, Pearls!)

It has easy access to a beach…swimmable water…world class restaurant nearby.

And it’s an easy 90-minute drive from San Francisco/Oakland.

Chicken Ranch Beach!

The Welcome Sign for Chicken Ranch Beach, Inverness CA

To get there, head to 13000 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard Inverness. You park on the road and walk right to the beach over this wood bridge:

The bridge to Chicken Ranch Beach, Inverness, CA

Chicken Ranch (on the Tomales Bay) is a great place for:

• Kayaks
• Rafts
• Paddle Boards
• Open water swimming (the water on the summer months I’ve swam there felt like 70 degrees)

Rafts, Kayaks, Paddle Boards on Chicken Ranch Beach

Kayaker preparing to go out on Tomales Bay off of Chicken Ranch Beach

There’s plenty of room to set up beach chairs (Chicken Ranch Beach, Inverness)

We randomly ran nto Ranger Q (my wife’s cousin)

Saltwater Depot

After the beach, make sure to hit up Saltwater Depot (1 mile down the road (12781 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Inverness, CA 94937)). It’s pricey but worth the splurge.

Here’s a fish sandwich:

Fish Sandwich from Salt Water Depot in Inverness, CA

All their salads are yummy:

Raddichio Salad from Salt Water Depot in Inverness, CA

Small but yummy wine selection at Salt Water Depot in Inverness, CA

Oysters at Salt Water Depot, Inverness

We even found a pearl (in a clam…not the oyster)

Park Rangers

We’ve seen park rangers at the beach about every other time we’ve visited.

Rangers teaching kids how to make straw rafts (Chicken Ranch Beach, Inverness)

The kids then raced their rafts in the water

Saltwater Depot has indoor and outdoor seatingo

Coffee on the Way There or Back

For coffee in the area, check out Pump at 6825 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Lagunitas-Forest Knolls, CA 94933

Pump Espresso Bar

Produce and Protein On the Way Home

If you take Sir Francis Drake Blvd. on the way home, make sure to check out The Farm Stand at Forest Knolls

The Inside of The Farmstand at Forest Knolls with Owner Jim Baum

They sell all local (mostly organic) veggies and fruits, salmon (frozen and smoked) meats, almonds and a bunch of other related foods. It’s pricey but everything was yummy.