Marin Conservation League Walk Into History #9: TOMALES BAY STATE PARK: Jepson and Johnstone Trail Loop

Marin Conservation League's Walk Into (Conservation) History series continues into the summer with our first trip to West Marin and beautiful, historic Tomales Bay State Park.

This stunning park, with its 2,400 acres and beaches on both the west and east shore, is very much a triumph of Marin Conservation League.

At more than 12 miles long, Tomales Bay lies directly over the San Andreas Fault and was created by the fault action that is moving the Point Reyes Peninsula northward.The Coast Miwok people were the first to inhabit this coastal area of sheltered coves, beaches, tidal marshes, and forest of Bishop pines. In 1579, Sir Francis Drake landed in the area, followed by the Spanish in 1595.

In the 1940s real estate developers began to purchase large areas of beachfront land, prompting MCL, local residents and other conservation groups to act. In 1952, Tomales Bay State Park was formally dedicated and opened to the public.

Join Marin Conservation League, long-time ranger Carlos Porrata, and others who will share accounts of the conservation history of the bay and point out its unique geologic and ecological resources.

Free, family-friendly and open to the public but please rsvp here. (There is a State Parks parking fee of $8 per vehicle, cash only!)Sorry, dogs are not allowed on this trail.