When you gaze upon the sparkling waters of this coastal preserve, try to imagine what this scene would be like if history had taken a different course. The plan was to “improve” Highway 1 and provide a quick connector to the urban core of the county (and for San Francisco commuters). The lagoon would have been dredged to create a full scale yacht harbor, surrounded by upscale homes. If not for the actions of a few dedicated individuals, this location (and perhaps the entire western portion of the county) may have been overwhelmed by development.

Today, the main attractions at Bolinas Lagoon are the millions of shorebirds and other waterfowl that visit the mudflats and quiet waters each year. The lagoon is an important stopover point for many species of sandpipers, plovers, geese and ducks that travel the Pacific Flyway. The lagoon is also home to a thriving population of harbor seals that can always be seen at low tide when they haul out to rest and replenish their depleted oxygen supply. Wildlife at this preserve should be observed at a respectful distance; seals that are flushed into the water suffer if they aren’t allowed to spend a minimum amount of time drying out. Birds may be exhausted and near starvation after having traveled nonstop for several hundred miles to reach the safe haven of the lagoon.

This wedge-shaped estuary was formed by the volatile San Andreas Fault, which lies immediately beneath it. The fault, which divides the Pacific Plate on the west from the North American Plate on the east, produces numerous small earthquakes (and occasional large ones) as the two land masses grind against each other. Each time a major earthquake jars the sediments in the bottom of the lagoon, these heavy deposits are loosened and may wash out to sea. Because of increased sedimentation and the lack of major earthquakes in the last 100 years, the lagoon today is quite shallow, only a few feet deep even at high tide. Most of this preserve is made up of tidal flats and the surrounding banks, although the Pine Gulch Creek Delta at the north end supports a beautiful grove of alders and willows. This grove is traversed by the Bob Stewart trail, which is a fabulous place to enjoy birds and wildflowers, particularly during spring.

Bolinas Lagoon Technical Advisory Committee Page

Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Page

Bolinas Lagoon Foundation Site

Seal Watch Site

RAMSAR - The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Site
Bolinas Lagoon is a RAMSAR Designated Wetland of International Importance