Tomales Bay State Park in Marin County spans about 2,000 acres in two separate sections on opposite sides of Tomales Bay, with its main area on the Point Reyes Peninsula. The shoreline had been home to the Coast Miwok for several thousand years before Europeans arrived, including Sir Francis Drake in 1579 and Sebastián Vizcaíno, whose naming of La Punta de Los Tres Reyes led to Point Reyes. Because the peninsula stayed relatively remote, much of it avoided heavy development. As private ownership spread along some beaches, public agencies and conservation groups secured land for public access, and the park opened on November 8, 1952.