SUNDAY DRIVE

Bass and Pelican Lakes

The payoff: Pelican Lake is likely the prettiest lake in the Bay Area that the fewest know about. Nearby Bass Lake provides some of the best swimming. The bonus is you have to hike to reach them, and together, they rate a 10 on a sunny afternoon on the coast.

Location: Pelican Lake and Bass Lake are located along the Coast Trail out of the Palomarin Trailhead, north of Bolinas, in the southern section of Point Reyes National Seashore.

Trailhead view: If all you do is drive to the parking area near a cliff, you get sweeping views of the Marin coast.

The hike: Coast Trail, 7-mile round trip, easy. From the clifftop trailhead, the hike starts on a service road where you enter and then exit a series of ravines: down, then up, and then, at 2.2 miles in, climb up to a trail junction at a coastal ridge. Stay left here. You skirt past Bass Lake on the left (2.8 miles in), with good access. You can continue past Crystal Lake (hidden, on right) and then above Pelican Lake on the left.

Bass Lake: Across the Bay Area’s 275 recreation sites, this is one of the best lakes for swimming. Foggy mornings in summer keep it cool, warm afternoons mean it’s not too cold. When you reach the lake, the best access is on a route on the north side of the lake, on your left, which descends on a path over trampled wild blackberries. For swimmers, plan to rely only on yourself. If you aren’t a good swimmer, don’t go in.

Pelican Lake: The trail is routed just above Pelican Lake, a gorgeous sight. It is tucked in a coastal pocket, edged by tules and surrounded by lush vegetation. From the trail, through a notch in the hills on the west side of the lake, you can see the ocean in the background.

Why now: Coastal fog on peak summer mornings keeps people away. On clear mornings in winter and spring, this trailhead is one of the most popular in Northern California; 5.5 miles one-way to Wildcat backpack campground, and then another mile on the beach south to the base of Alamere Falls.

Cost: Parking, access, map/ brochure, free.

Trail/park rules: No dogs or mountain bikes from Palomarin Trailhead.

Contacts: Point Reyes National Seashore, (415) 464-5100, www.nps.gov/pore; lodging: www.ptreyes.com.