All Marin Parks to be Closed Amid COVID-19 Spread
Public Health issues order to stem influx of visitors

San Rafael, CA – The Public Health Division of Marin County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an order March 22 for the immediate closure of all Marin parks to stem the tide of visitors during the COVID-19 emergency. Thanks for Curbed for their great synopsis.

The closure will affect agencies and jurisdictions who operate parks and open space in Marin County. Visitors may continue to use paved pathways maintained by the County of Marin, such as the popular Mill Valley-Sausalito Multiuse Pathway along Richardson Bay and the Corte Madera Pathway along Corte Madera Creek, as long as people follow guidelines on social distancing.

The order comes one day after Bay Area residents flocked to Marin locations for recreation, putting vulnerable residents at risk because of unsafe social distancing and traffic that clogged the roads in beach communities. Sgt. Brenton Schneider of the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said grocery store workers and restaurant personnel were inundated with visitors who were not respecting public health guidelines on keeping six feet away from other people.

What’s Now Closed

All Marin County Parks locations are closed until further notice to comply with the Marin County public health order issued March 22, 2020. For your health and safety please observe closure signs.

Central Marin
Marin County Open Space Preserves: Closed

• Bald Hill Preserve
• Baltimore Canyon Preserve
• King Mountain Preserve
• Lucas Valley Preserve
• San Pedro Mountain Preserve
• Santa Margarita Island Preserve
• Santa Venetia Marsh
• Terra Linda Sleepy Hollow Preserve

Marin County Parks: Closed

• Adrian Rosal Park
• Bayside Park
• Candy’s Park
• Castro Park
• Hal Brown Park
• Lagoon Park
• Lucas Valley Park
• McInnis Park
• McInnis Skatepark
• McNears Beach Park
• Paradise Beach Park
• Pueblo Park

North Marin
Marin County Open Space Preserves: Closed

• Deer Island Preserve
• Ignacio Valley Preserve
• Indian Tree Preserve
• Indian Valley Preserve
• Little Mountain Preserve
• Loma Verde Preserve
• Pacheco Valle Preserve
• Rush Creek Preserve
• Verissimo Hills Preserve
• Marin County Parks and Boat Launches: Closed
• Black Point Boat Launch
• Stafford Lake Park
• Stafford Lake Bike Park

South Marin
Marin County Open Space Preserves: Closed

• Alto Bowl Preserve
• Aramburu Island
• Blithedale Summit Preserve
• Bothin Marsh Preserve
• Camino Alto Preserve
• Horse Hill Preserve
• Old St. Hilary’s Preserve
• Ring Mountain Preserve
• Tiburon Ridge Preserve
• Tiburon Uplands

West Marin
Marin County Open Space Preserves: Closed

• Bolinas Lagoon Preserve
• Cascade Canyon Preserve
• French Ranch Preserve
• Gary Giacomini Preserve
• Loma Alta Preserve
• Maurice Thorner Preserve
• Mount Burdell Preserve
• Roy’s Redwoods Preserve
• White Hill Preserve
• Whitehouse Pool

Marin County Parks, Beaches, and Boat Launches: Closed

• Agate Beach
• Bolinas Park
• Chicken Ranch Beach
• Forest Knolls Park
• Miller Boat Launch
• Point Reyes Playground
• Upton Beach
• Village Green Park

Unincorporated West Marin

• San Geronimo Valley Community Center

Marin’s shelter-in-place order went into effect March 16 along with six other Bay Area jurisdictions, and Governor Gavin Newsom followed with a statewide stay-at-home directive on March 18.

The closure affects more than 18,000 acres managed by Marin County Parks, including dozens of park facilities and open space preserves. Parks Director Max Korten said online messages would be updated to include the public health order.

Marin County Public Health reminds Marin residents and visitors to:

• Stay local. Many local neighborhoods are walkable or have trails nearby that are easily accessed by foot or bicycle. Avoid driving whenever possible, and stay close to home when enjoying fresh air and outdoor activity.
• Continue to practice social distancing. It’s tempting to meet with friends for a day at the beach, but to prevent the spread of COVID-19 everyone needs to be at least 6 feet away from others when outside the household.

Marin’s shelter-in-place order limits activity, travel and business functions to only the most essential needs. The guidance comes after substantial input from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and best practices from other health officials around the world.

Answers to frequently asked questions can be found on Public Health’s webpage.