Dillon Beach beach vacation rentals

Tiny Dillon Beach is one of Marin County’s more under-the-radar destinations. Home to just a few hundred people, this pretty, isolated town is made up of a tight cluster of homes and shops on a picturesque shoreline, ringed by windswept agricultural lands. Visitors come here to slow down and enjoy a bit of small town idyll (affordable high-speed internet arrived in Dillon Beach only a few years ago) and as a base for exploring the rugged wilderness that surrounds it. The town is also home to that California rarity — a private beach. Most beaches in the state are public. Visitors can enjoy the beach for a day fee, and will find a general store and restaurant here. The beach is especially beloved by those with dogs, as well-behaved pups are permitted to roam off-leash. Undomesticated visitors to these shores include bottlenose dolphins and, depending on the time of year, migrating gray whales.

Thanks to the Bay Area’s coastal microclimate, you may be in for fog or chilly days no matter when you travel, so be prepared with extra layers year-round. Summer and early fall are generally the warmest and sunniest times of the year, so if you’re hoping for postcard-perfect beach days, plan to travel during these months. In spring, wildflowers bloom along the many nearby hiking trails, and in late fall and winter, temperatures dip and gray skies are more common. But you’ll still find plenty to do here, such as sampling locally produced foods in nearby towns and hiking through dramatic landscapes.

Tule Elk State Natural Reserve

Head here for a truly unique wildlife viewing opportunity. A herd of nearly 4,000 elk roam this seaside reserve, meaning you’re just about guaranteed to run into some of these magnificent animals, albeit from a safe distance. Bulls can grow to 700 pounds and sport large antlers. During rutting season in August through October, the males put on a show, bugling (calling) to and sparring with one another.

Earthquake Trail

View one of the most dramatic geologic features of the California landscape here — the San Andreas Fault, a division between two massive tectonic plates whose occasional slips cause earthquakes, including the 1906 one that rocked San Francisco. A short, paved loop that starts in the Bear Valley Picnic Area of the Point Reyes National Seashore will carry you to an unusual sight: a wooden fence that was ripped in two during that historic quake.

Bodega Bay

It doesn’t get much cuter than this little seaside town nestled on Highway 1, about 25 minutes from Dillon Beach. Here you’ll find quaint stores selling saltwater taffy, art, and local beers and wines. A walk along Bodega Head, a rocky peninsula that juts into the ocean, affords dramatic coastal views and also the chance to see whales. After you’ve worked up an appetite hiking, avail yourself of fresh crab or piping hot chowder at one of the local eateries. Just inland from Bodega Bay, the tiny town of Bodega hosts Saint Teresa of Avila, a white wooden church famous for its inclusion in a classic 1960s horror film about terrorizing birds.