Point Reyes National Seashore
Managed by National Park Service
2,126 acres9.3 mi of trail
Inverness Ridge TrailSchumachers
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the trailhead
Point Reyes Lifeboat Rescue Station, 1927 · Photo: Evan1007 · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Inverness
44% of Inverness’ land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 44% of Inverness’ land is conserved, about 1,819 acres. 1,559 acres are parks and preserves, 1,158 per 1,000 residents.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
44%
1,819 acres · of 6.4 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,559 ac
1,158 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Inverness?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Inverness have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Inverness is among the top 1% of U.S. towns. All four inputs put Inverness near the top nationally; conserved land ranks highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Inverness’ overall grade.
Conserved land44% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land1,158 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,559 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Water is 6% of Inverness’ area (0 of 7 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 42%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Point Reyes National Seashore, with 9.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tomales Bay State Park
Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
361 acres1.5 mi of trail
Schumachers
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
Managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
503 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve
Managed by California Department of Fish and Wildlife
226 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Point Reyes National Seashore2,126 acres · 9.3 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsTomales Bay State Park361 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · California Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsGreater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary503 acres · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
DirectionsTomales Bay Ecological Reserve226 acres · California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Second Valley Path and Open Space3 acres
DirectionsMartinelli Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,819 conserved acres
44% of Inverness’ land. Water is left out: Inverness has 6.4 square miles of land and 0.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Inverness’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service834 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits623 ac
State parks553 ac
State fish & wildlife212 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land48 ac
County2 ac
National Lakeshore or Seashore · 646 acPrivate Conservation · 623 acState Park · 553 acState Conservation Area · 212 acNational Recreation Area · 139 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 49 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point Reyes National Seashore National Lakeshore or Seashore | National Park Service | 646 | Open |
| Bishop Pine Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 606 | Closed |
| Tomales Bay State Park State Park | State parks | 553 | Open |
| Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 212 | Open |
| Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Recreation Area | National Park Service | 139 | Open |
| Audubon Canyon Ranch Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 17 | Closed |
| Chicken Ranch Beach Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Inverness
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Inverness
Teachers Beach
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.5 miUnpaved · 1.3 mi
Schumachers1.0 mi
Inverness Ridge Trail0.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
6Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Schreiber, Brock, Boathouse and BeachBuilding · listed 1978
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Inverness: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 57 | 59 | 60 | 62 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 67 | 60 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 7.1 | 6.8 | 5.1 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 4.0 | 7.9 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 69 °F). 7.9 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Inverness →
Next door
Inverness and its neighbors
Inverness has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inverness | 44% | 1.8 | 1,158 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Point Reyes Station | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Inverness
Where can I hike in Inverness?
The longest trail networks: Point Reyes National Seashore, 9.3 miles; Tomales Bay State Park, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Inverness is conserved land?
44% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Inverness’ trails?
Point Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Inverness?
61,313 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Inverness or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,559 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Inverness have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Inverness neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →