Rodeo Beach

Rodeo Beach is an ocean beach in the Marin Headlands, about two miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge, beside Rodeo Lagoon and partly sheltered by cliffs. It stands out in California for its dark, coarse, pebbly chert surface, including red and green stones, and for a setting shaped by a narrow spit at the lagoon’s mouth that often forms a baymouth bar. The beach is used for sunbathing, shoreline walks, wave-watching, and year-round surfing, with large winter swells possible. Swimming is hazardous because of strong currents and possible shark encounters. In 2007, oil from the Cosco Busan spill temporarily closed the beach.

California · United States