SUNDAY DRIVE
What’s in it for you: A pretty country drive on a road in the Suisun Marsh can be parlayed into an adventure at Belden’s Landing. You get a launch point for kayaks and powerboats, a pier for fishing, and access by boat or car in the area for bird watching — and a good chance to see river otters.
Location: Belden’s Landing is along Montezuma Slough, south of Suisun City and Fairfield in Solano County.
Boating: A boat ramp with a dock provides access to Montezuma Slough. You get access to a tidal river that extends for miles along marshland, with many side sloughs and cuts, that connects from Collinsville in the lower delta (to the southeast) up to Belden’s Landing (to the north) and around to Grizzly Bay (to the southwest). Since it’s a tidal estuary, be sure to time your trips for before and after the top of the tide.
Wildlife: Egrets, herons and river otters are the most common sightings along with dozens of species of waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors. The numbers become impressive as the seasons change and more birds arrive. In one trip in my canoe at the start of the early fall migration, I counted 30 species of birds in an hour.
Fishing: No. 1 here is catfish, best enticed on bait at the top of the tide. At times, there are good numbers of small striped bass, often caught by those fishing for catfish. Those on boats fishing for striped bass — and, in the winter, sturgeon — should anchor above holes and ledges and cast bait to the bottom of the hole, as the tide pushes through.
Tides: On Sunday, a minus-0.3-foot tide at 9:07 a.m. is followed by a high tide of 4.4 feet at 2:18 p.m. and a low tide of 1.5 feet at 8:42 p.m. Note: Tide heights and times are sited at the Montezuma Slough Bridge, adjacent to the boat ramp.
Dogs: Leashed dogs are permitted for transfer from vehicle to boat only; otherwise no dogs permitted.
History of the name: For more than 20 years, into the late 1960s, there was a
small restaurant, bar and dock with boat rentals owned by Jim and Mary Belden, and everybody called it “Belden’s.” It burned down in 1968, but the name remains.
History of the area: The Suisun Marsh extends over Montezuma Slough to Grizzly Island, which is named for the grizzlies that were common in the early 1800s. In fall, pioneers documented that grizzly bears from the Mount Diablo region would swim across Suisun Bay and through Grizzly Bay and to Grizzly Island to feed on blackberries, hence the names.
Grizzly Island Wildlife Area: Located 3.5 miles south on Grizzly Island Road. Now closed. It opens to the public for the last two weeks of September, then reopens to the public in February.
Cost: $6 parking; $10 boat launch ramp (includes parking fee), not applicable to car-top boats that are hand-launched; annual pass available with discounts for residents, seniors.
Contacts: Belden’s Landing, Solano County Parks, (707) 784-6765; www.solanocounty.com — hover over “Services” and in the drop-down window select “Park Information.” Grizzly Island Wildlife Area, (707) 425-3828; California Department of Fish and Wildlife, www.wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit.
HOW TO GET THERE GPS: 3186 Grizzly Island Road, Suisun City
How to get there: From San Francisco, take the Bay Bridge east (get in left lane) and continue on Interstate 80 east for 40 miles. Take exit 43 for Highway 12/Rio Vista. Take that exit and drive east on Highway 12 for 5 miles to Suisun City and the stoplight at Grizzly Island Road. Turn right (enters Suisun Marsh) and drive 5.4 miles (paved) to Belden’s Landing on the left.
Distances: 8 miles from Fairfield, 33 miles from Concord, 50 miles from San Rafael, 53 miles from downtown Sacramento, 54 miles from downtown San Francisco, 85 miles from San Jose.