Bolinas Lagoon

Bolinas Lagoon

Bolinas Lagoon is a tidal estuary, approximately 1,100 acres (4.5 km²) in area^[1], located at 37°55′05″N 122°40′52″W / 37.918, -122.681^[2] in the West Marin region of Marin County, California, United States. It is a part of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The lagoon is a back bay of Bolinas Bay on the Pacific coast approximately 15 mi (25 km) northwest of San Francisco. The trough in which the lagoon sits was formed by the San Andreas Fault which runs directly through it. The lagoon is separated from the main bay by a small spit of land, known as Stinson Beach. The sand bar that encloses this lagoon is full of beachgoers and surfers on hot days, seeking to escape both heat and the urban Bay Area.

Bolinas Lagoon is on the list of wetlands of international importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands. Portions of the lagoon are included in Bolinas Lagoon County Park, and the western shore is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Bolinas Lagoon has a 16.7 square miles (43 km²) watershed.^[1] Streams and canyons feeding into it include: Wilkins Gulch, Pike County Gulch, Audubon Canyon, Picher Canyon, Volunteer Canyon, Morses Gulch, McKinnan Gulch, and Stinson Gulch.

The lagoon is considered to be among the possible landing spots of Francis Drake on the coast of North America in 1579.