Drakes Beach Picnic Area

Four picnic tables are located among the cypress trees next to the Kenneth Patrick Visitor Center.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Drakes Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore. Geo-coordinates: 38.0285, -122.9632.

Amenities

8 listed

Grill, Picnic Table, Recycling, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Water - Drinking/Potable, Water - Non-Potable

A seasonally wide stretch of beach backed by dramatic sandstone cliffs makes Drakes Beach a very popular place, especially among families. The majority of the picnic tables at Drakes Beach are adjacent to the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center and two are located along the northern edge of the parking lot. Use of the picnic areas is free of charge and first-come, first-served.

Rules for Picnicking:

• Leaving food unattended is prohibited.
• Don't feed the wildlife.
• Don't litter. Take all waste home or dispose of all waste in garbage and/or recycling receptacles provided. Please don't put any non-recyclable materials in recycling receptacles.
• Leave No Trace. Do not carve into the picnic tables.
• Gas Campstoves and Charcoal Grills:
  • Visitors are welcome to use their own small portable gas campstoves or charcoal barbecue grills.
  • Wood fires are prohibited in the picnic areas. Visit our Beach Fires page for information about building wood fires on beaches in the national seashore.
  • Only charcoal briquettes are permitted to be burned in barbecue grills; e.g., no wood.
  • Gas campstoves and charcoal fires must be attended anytime they are generating heat. Do not depart until the coals and ashes are cold to the touch.
  • All ash and used and unused briquettes must be packed out of the park. Do not put ash or briquettes in park dumpsters or trashcans.
• If you move picnic tables, before you leave, move them back to where you found them when you arrived.
• Groups of over 25 people who wish to picnic in the park must first obtain a permit. Because there are limited places in the park which can accommodate a picnic group of this size, and to minimize the impact of such a group on other visitors, a permit system is necessary for groups of 25 or more. Contact the Special Park Uses office at 415-464-5111 for more information.

Basic Information

• Picnic tables: nine (9)—two (2) along the northern end of the parking lot, four (4) under the cypress tress on the north side of the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center , and three (3) between the visitor center and the beach
• Charcoal grills: two (2) along the northern end of the parking lot
• Parking: Potentially adjacent to the picnic tables at the northern end of the parking lot; ~100 feet (~30 meters) from the picnic tables on the north side of the visitor center; and ~165 feet (~50 meters) from the picnic tables between the visitor center and the beach.
• Toilets: Flush toilets are adjacent to the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center.
• Water: A drinking fountain is located between the men's and women's restrooms.
• Refuse disposal: Garbage and recycling receptacles are located close at the northern end of the parking lot and near the visitor center.
• Shade: None.
• Exposure to wind: Moderately exposed; very exposed if winds are from the south.