Exploring Muir Beach
Alternate title: the quickest beach day everrr.
I was looking through my photos and realized I never shared any photos from our very short time at Muir Beach back in April!
After oohing and aahing our way through the redwoods, we decided to stop by my sister's favorite place: the beach.
Our plan was to eat lunch on the beach and hang out for a while. But when we got there we realized the winds were much stronger than we thought they'd be.
I mean, we're no beach newbs. We know the beach is always, always, always windier than any inland area. This, though? This was more than we expected.
Luckily, all of us were in a great mood and happily ate our homemade sandwiches in the car--which were delicious by the way.
After we'd had our fill we bundled up and ventured towards the beach.
Muir Beach offers a lot more than just the beach. There are bunches of trails that I'm sure have gorgeous, stunning views.
The whole time we were in the redwoods I was upset with my decision to wear jeans instead of shorts because the weather was so nice in that valley. But man was I fine with my choice once we hit the beach. The winds were so strong they were kicking up grains of sand at a crazy speed and we were caught in the crossfire. We didn't even bother to lay out a blanket because it was practically impossible with the wind.
We were there long enough for me to snap some photos before we all agreed to call an audible on the beach part of the day and instead head up to the overlook to catch some views.
We spent more time at the overlook, where I actually gasped when I saw the way the ocean looked that day.
It was almost hard to see where the sky ended and the ocean began! It was stunning and totally made me miss living near the ocean.
We had a really wonderful time soaking in the vista. I'm glad we got to celebrate my sisters this way.
To get from the beach to the overlook, head left after exiting the parking lot (this puts you onto Shoreline Hwy). Keep left to stay on that road and follow Shoreline Hwy up the hill. Turn left again at Muir Beach Overlook and soon enough you'll arrive at the parking lot! The overlook is a short distance from there and it doesn't disappoint.
You can bring your own picnic to the beach or the overlook but there's also an amazing little pub and restaurant called The Pelican Inn which sits at the corner of the entrance to the Muir Beach parking lot. You literally can't miss it if you're heading to Muir Beach. Best fish and chips I've had.
Full disclosure: I've never been to the UK so I'm not claiming these are the best fish and chips everrr, just that they're the best I've had in Northern California.
Parking is free but it isn't the largest lot in the world. Weekends get especially busy but lots of people park their cars on the side of the road and walk down to the beach. The furthest I've ever had to park was about a five minute walk to the beach. There are restrooms and the beach is dog friendly. I highly recommend this place! It's my little gem of a NorCal beach.
