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About Shell Beach at Tomales Bay State Park in Inverness, California

Shell Beach is the southern beach in Tomales Bay State Park near the town of Inverness. This sandy beach has calm water for swimming and is located on the west side of Tomales Bay. To reach Shell Beach requires a short, medium, or long hike. The closest parking area is at the end of Camino Del Mar Road at the north end of Inverness and leaves you with less than a half-mile walk each way to Shell Beach. The other trailheads are at the end of Shallow Beach Road (medium hike) and at the main Heart’s Desire Beach parking area (long hike). Because of the easy access from Inverness, this beach can be busy on nice days. Another sandy beach can be found just north of Shell Beach. To get there, take the trail at the north end of the beach.

Address
255 Camino Del Mar
Inverness, CA 94937
Park Name
Tomales Bay State Park
Owner
State Park
Pet Details
No dogs allowed
Fees
Free parking
Activities
Hiking, Swimming
Amenities
Toilet, Trails, Wetlands
Map of Shell Beach at Tomales Bay State Park
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Inverness, US
11:07 pm, Jun 12, 2026
weather icon 55°F
L: 53° H: 57°
scattered clouds
Humidity: 93 %
Pressure: 1011 mb
1 m/s E
Wind Gust: 3 m/s
UV Index: 0
Precipitation: 0 inch
Clouds: 25%
Visibility: 10 km
Sunrise: 5:48 am
Sunset: 8:34 pm

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Nearby Lodging

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Reviews

1.0
2 review(s)
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Terrible
July 16, 2025

It’s kinda funky, see the other review. The bathrooms down at the beach are all locked, so either people go where they should not down there or you have to hike all the way back to the parking lot. 💩

Elizabeth
September 19, 2024

Porta potty at parking area

Rustic outhouse near beach

No running water anywhere

Small parking area;

Very limited parking

Can be windy

Lagoon can be smelly

Wild animals might steal any food, even if in softer containers

Beach and bay a combination of sand, small sharp rocks and slimy mud

Eel grass seaweed, Bat rays, Jellyfish

F