The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuge

The park pays homage to a 19th-century fishing village of Chinese immigrants who harvested shrimp from the bay. Much of the village has been preserved, and for a couple bucks you can pay to enter and explore the old town and pier.

China Camp State Park was set up around a historic Chinese-American fishing village located next to a salt marsh. It's a very scenic spot! Such a joy to ride here.

China Camp State Park sits along the shores of San Pablo Bay, with 15 miles of nature trails to enjoy. Visitors can enjoy panoramic waterfront views, wildlife, oak trees and open meadows. The Park surrounds a historic Chinese-American shrimp fishing village and includes several unique features. A museum is located in the Park to learn about its history, a café for snacks and drinks, a walk-in tent campground and picnic areas. Annual parking + trail passes are available, or you can purchase a single day-use pass. Parking is $5 per vehicle for the day, or you can park along San Pedro Road without a fee and pay the $3 trail use fee. It is a fantastic place to spend the day hiking through the grounds surrounded by beautiful scenery.

This Park marks the official start of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail and sits in a sheltered cove boasting fantastic San Pablo Bay views. Parking is free; however, if you plan to fish off the pier, you need a fishing license. It is a great place to spend an afternoon, with plenty of picnic tables, a swimming pool, and well-maintained tennis/pickleball courts.

This trail runs most of the Park's length near the San Pablo Bay shoreline and winds through its interior, with various options for short or long loops with plenty of connecting trails. If you are relatively quiet, you will see plenty of wildlife throughout the beautiful grounds, such as deer and turkeys. There are plenty of opportunities on the route to capture some photos of the gorgeous redwoods and excellent views of the Bay.

Go early to ride an empty Shoreline Trail, especially on the weekdays. Loads of animals waking up on trail too. Fun easy trail ride to go along with a China Camp, Peacock Gap, SR Civic Center loop.

The road through the park is free and open daily 24 hours

China Camp park is nestled along the shore of the San Pablo Bay. The road through the park offers beautiful views of the waterfront, an extensive intertidal salt marsh, meadows, and oak habitats. There is a variety of wildlife, including deer, squirrels, coyote, fox, bats, and birds. A Chinese shrimp-fishing village thrived on this site in the 1850s to 1900. Nearly 500 people, originally from Canton, China, lived in the village. In its heyday, there were three general stores, a marine supply store and a barber shop. Fishermen by trade in their native country, they gravitated to the work they knew best. Over 90% of the shrimp they netted were dried and shipped to China or Chinese communities throughout the US. The museum at China Camp Village helps tell the story of these hardy shrimp fishermen. Frank Quan, the last descendant living & operating the store and shrimp fishing here, and who was a piece of living history, passed away aged 90 last summer (2016). http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=466 A Trail Day Pass is $3 per person/biker, and a Parking+Trail Pass is $5 per vehicle, which includes trail access for all people in the vehicle (or $60/year). For events and info see https://friendsofchinacamp.org