Small with portable potty. I'd heard about this spot for years and when I finally went, I hate to admit I was truly underwhelmed. There are so many fantastic places to go to revel in nature and this isn't in my top 10. It was small, kinda dull, and flat with no amenities. Next time I'm out this way I'll go to Limantour. read more

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Interesting little beach. Not the type of beach to play in or picnic in, basically just for taking a walk or sticking a kayak in the water. The sand is full of rocks, grasses, and sticky mud from the tide going in and out. Nice place to view the water. No sidewalk or wheelchair access. The bathroom situation is a port-a-potty. Park on the side of the road and hoof it down the hill. read more

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go early in the mornings for sunrise - easy parking and a quiet beach

Here we go again. We've now officially reached that point in the year where I spend the early part of seemingly every day figuring out where I can go to escape the relentless and ever-increasing heat. Most recently, it was Chicken Ranch Beach. For no reason other than "the kids are grown" I'd avoided Chicken Ranch for the past several years. It was time for an adult visit with a book, a beach towel, a beach chair, and an Inverness-purchased sandwich. Inverness is a bit sprawling on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and, when approaching from Marin proper you'll drive through the second set of businesses before coming upon CR Beach. It sits on your right (the Tomales Bay side) of the road at the point where you see many cars parked for no apparent reason. If you happen to be coming on a day when it's empty, I guess GPS it as the only signs I saw were covered by brush and unobservable from the road. The beach itself feels very organically Marin. The sand is rock hard, you can walk far into the water and still only be up to your knees, the shore (depending on the tide) is rocky or very rocky (consider bringing water shoes), leashed dogs are permitted, and children can (and do) run wild here. This is not a beach on which to take a long walk as it's simply not that big. It's a beach to park yourself, your kids, and your dog and perhaps to go for an early swim before the wind picks up or the fog rolls in. I like this beach. I've always liked this beach. It's one of the closest beaches to reach when coming from the more populated parts of Marin and when you're intent on escaping the heat that's a plus. It's always cooler out here than "in town"; sometimes too much so, so plan appropriately. * If you want a long beach on which to walk your dog, try Limantour. * A single, reasonably clean port-a-potty near the road serves the CR beaching population. * No waves here (this is on the bay) making it safe for the young'uns. * It can get windy here; consider bringing something to break the wind (shelter or clothing). * The fog rolls in without warning and it brings a chill. Just remember though: it's still probably 25 degrees warmer back at your house. read more

If youre hoping to find a chicken ranch at this beach, you'll be disappointed. I was a little disappointed. But only because we didn't have any beachwear with us. We did stroll along to a bridge and along the water a little ways. Lots of kayakers were gathered on the shore - saw lots of kayaks for rent at the resort a ways down the beach. Coincidence? The water was cool, but not freezing cold. It was an overcast day but really pleasant by the water. This would have been a great place to throw down our blanket and spend a few hours if we didn't have other plans ahead of us. read more

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My favorite beach right now! It works for me and my toddler. I was on my way to Drakes beach with my son, however, Drakes beach is 20 minutes away from Chicken Ranch beach. I found this little place by chance when I noticed moms walking towards this beach with their young kids. This is the perfect spot for my toddler, I have been here multiple times this summer. It is safe for my son to jump and explore in the warm water. I feel comfortable going just me and my son as I noticed other families with babies and toddlers. This place is also good for fishing, my husband caught a few leopard sharks! I preferred this beach over beaches in Bodega Bay as it seems to always be sunny. If you don't have young children, I still recommend this beach if you enjoy reading a book and going for a swim. read more

WARNING: There are no chicken strips with ranch dipping sauce to be found on this beach. Saturday was gorgeous so my friend Jane and I escaped the city and headed to Marin. We had directions to one of those 'not so secret beaches' that Marin is known for. I was navigating and as such we promptly got lost. No problem. We happened upon Chicken Ranch Beach. I feel compelled to reiterate that there are NO chicken strips with dipping sauce to be found here. It is a good place to bring beer, cheese and crackers while sunning yourself and this beach allows dogs too. http://www.marin.cc.ca.us/~jim/ring/ptreyes/cranchbeach.html read more

Chicken Ranch is just a super-useful beach. Key elements: --it's closer than everything else on the bay (or ocean, for that matter) --it's a COUNTY beach, which means it isn't closed by state budget cuts, and there are no park rangers busting people for having dogs --relatively clean porta-potty at the road --great parking --it's somewhat sheltered, though when the wind really picks up, well...you can't escape that anywhere --super child friendly, between the warm shallow water and the creek --lots of locals, since it's such a chill, practical, convenient beach --swim area is theoretically off-limits to boats --for you hopeless Yelpers, there's iPhone reception Maybe the only downside is that the last 2-10 feet (depending on tide) of "beach" before the water is really rocky. Not big rocks: just those painful 2" rocks that are really uncomfortable to walk on. So you "ouch" and "oof" your way down to the cool water...a small price! read more

I was lolling about reading pulp fiction and letting my ill behaved puppy do doughnuts in the shoals here over the weekend and one day saw a slew of gorgeous teenagers doing a photo shoot and the next saw a farmer washing his draft horse. They were in the exact same spot and I will post photos of them here sooner or later because it was sweet and about describes the intersection of spirit at Chicken Ranch Beach. read more

It'a a good place to launch a kayak. We lucked out and it was high tide. It's easy to find and easy to park there. 100 yards to the calm, serene water. No wheel chair access. Always bring water, sun protectant lotion, hat, sunglasses, long sleeve shirt. If you go on the water, also bring a wind breaker, energy bar and wear your life jacket as it provides warmth. Tip: bring yourself a fine lunch whilst you kayak. About 18 to 22 miles from San Rafael. read more

This is a great place to come to while visiting Inverness. It's very close to the highway, yet sheltered from most of the wind and noise. The water is almost always calm and wade-able (I make up words way too much) The last couple of times I visited with my husband and daughter, we were entertained by the sweetest black lab, who along with his owner, was clearly loving life! read more

I love exploring new places in Marin so when I heard about Chicken Ranch Beach I just had to go check it out. I think I must have gone on a bad day. I went in March 2014 around 6pm and it was very cold. It was hot in San Rafael when I left but by the time I got there i practically wanted to turn around and go home because the weather there is totally different. The drive took forever and I didnt want to get caught out there in the dark so I didn't stay for too long. I went with my little ones, they had a good time despite of the chilly air and gloomy sky. They had fun jumping over the little streams of water and running around with one another but they couldn't play in the water because it was too far out, like waaay out and really gross looking...well, to be fair the sand/muddy stuff was gross looking and didn't look like something anyone should walk on. I have to say I was a bit dissapointed with this beach. I didn't care for the sand, it's not really sand so I was at war with my baby when he kept trying to overpower me eat it. I like the idea of this beach(small and few ppl) and If I was a local I'm sure I would frequent there but I'm too far away and to me its just not worth the drive. Make sure you go in the Summer mid day so you won't be cold and miserable. read more

Chicken Ranch Beach is a small hidden beach west of Point Reyes. There is no sign, the entrance is covered in brush and there are trees hiding the actual beach. The only way to find it is to look for cars. I don't even know why I'm writing this, I don't want anyone to know about it. In fact...this beach doesn't exist. It was closed down 10 years ago when 100 lives were lost in a tragic BBQ oyster accident. If it were still open, it would have nice sand bars for kids to play on, gentle waves from the near by cove, relatively warm waters for the bay area and maybe little manta rays swimming in the shallow water. The sand wasn't the softest, since a creek empties into the bay at this beach. read more

I absolutely love this beach. It is so sweet and ideal for a whole day spent by gentle, lapping water with small children exploring shells, rocks and sand. So very quiet. Even when there are several people on the beach, it's like people get the hushed nature of it, like walking into a sanctuary. read more

We went to this beach expecting to wade in the water and play in the sand. Unfortunately, the tide was so far out it was closer to the buoy than the beach. The sand is not the type of sand to make sand castles out of. It is full of broken seashells and tiny rocks rather than sand. Most disappointing though is that my oldest son went out into the water and came back with the bottoms of his feet COVERED in cuts, at least a half dozen were deep and bleeding. Also, just mentioning, there were a lot of naked children running around. Suns out Buns out, I guess. ;o) We won't be going back here. read more

If you are looing for a child friendly, dog friendly, warme(er) water for swimming, uncrowded, quiet spot, with sandbars...this is the place. Right of Sir Francis Drake blvd. just past Inverness. On the right where there are cars parked. Loved this place! read more