Inverness Park, Inverness, CA

Inverness Park stretches along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard between the village of Inverness and Point Reyes Station, with Tomales Bay on one side and Point Reyes National Seashore on the other. It is more a string of roadside lots and hillside streets than a town with a center. Housing runs from older places beside the road to subdivisions up on the ridge, laid out to catch ocean and bay views. Fire swept that ridge in October 1995, when the Mount Vision fire destroyed dozens of homes, so the age of a house on the hill can differ from its neighbor's, and the pattern of streets hides that. The national seashore begins at the edge of the community. The Bear Valley Trail to Arch Rock starts nearby, and the Earthquake Trail trailhead is a short drive up the same road. Visitors use Sir Francis Drake as well as residents, so weekends are busier than the lot sizes would suggest. The Inverness Park Market at 12301 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is the place everyone knows. A deli counter turns out sandwiches, soups and burritos, an espresso bar sells house-made pastries, and shelves hold produce, local fish and wine. The attached Tap Room pours craft beer and wine and serves dinner. The market is closed Sundays. For coffee beyond the market, Toby's Coffee Bar at Toby's Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station takes cash only. The shops of Point Reyes Station are just down the road, which is where bigger shopping trips start. The market covers daily basics, but its kitchen and the Tap Room keep set hours, so a late errand or a Sunday meal takes some planning. A trailhead and a sandwich share one road in Inverness Park, which makes for an easy plan with no reservation. Picnic supplies from the market travel easily into the seashore, and the weekend crowd does exactly that. Paradise Ranch Estates adds another recognizable residential pocket to the broader Inverness Park landscape.