Kid-Friendly Beach ~ Abbotts Lagoon

WooHoo!  Summer weather is here!  It's beach time!  Here's one of our favorites....

Abbotts Lagoon in Pt. Reyes National Seashore. A kid-friendly beach the kids and I just love.

When I first came up on Abbotts Lagoon,  I read 'lagoon' and I was in....being a total Gilligan's Island fan, how could I not be?!

On the drive out, just before reaching McClure's Dairy {which you can see in the photo above}, we pulled into the small parking lot at the trail head, no parking fee required, what a bonus!  We could see the lagoon and the ocean beyond from the parking lot and it looked to be about a mile and a half away.  But the kids were up for the hike.

"We're not stopping until we find the beach!"......a mission.  Kids love a adventurous mission.

Along the path we tried to find as many critters and creatures as we could.  Quite a few caterpillars.

Dragonflies that were very difficult to photograph...they didn't stop.

Tons of California Poppies and wild flowers.

We made good time, maybe about 20 minutes or so....not bad.

If you're into birds, this is a great spot for bird watching.

We came up on the cutest couple.........

Mission accomplished,  the lagoon.  Definitely worth the hike.  What a beautiful beach and scenery! 

At the lagoon, there are no worries of ocean waves which is such a bonus with kids.  They would have jumped completely in if I had let them. The kids were completely satisfied playing at the lagoon without even bothering to ask about going down to the ocean, a few hundred feet away.  

I failed to pack any extra clothes, but what's a little bit of wet clothing in the name of fun?

There's only one drawback that I can think of....the pit toilets are all the way back at the parking lot, but Bryce found just the right spot out in nature.

On our trek back, we found more flowers and critters to look at.  It was such a gorgeous day.

Bryce wanted to nap on the walking bridge in the sun on our journey back to the car.

Two pooped kids.

 Here's some info about Abbott's Lagoon......

A 2.5-kilometer (1.5-mile) walk through coastal scrub, across a bridge over a stream between two lagoons, and over sand dunes brings you to this ocean beach. The lagoons attract large numbers of migrating shorebirds in the fall, followed by the wintering ducks. Occasionally peregrine falcons are seen selecting their meals amongst these tasty morsels. The sand dunes backing the beach are home to the endangered snowy plover. The eggs and young of this ground-nesting bird are easily destroyed. Be especially careful in this area during their nesting season, June 1–September 15.

Here are directions to Pt. Reyes National Seashore if you're interested.

What's your favorite hot weather activity?

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!
 
Tweet