Idea by @Dana Ruiz

If your visitor only has one full day for the coast, here is the route I'd send them on. Start early — leave San Anselmo or Mill Valley by 7am so you hit Point Reyes Station before the breakfast line at Bovine Bakery. Grab coffee and a scone, then drive out to Drakes Beach for the morning fog burning off the cliffs. After that, head north to Pierce Point Road for the tule elk preserve and Tomales Point trail — even thirty minutes out and back is enough to feel completely away from anything. Loop back through Inverness for lunch at Saltwater (or Sir and Star if it's open) and pick up cheese and bread at Cowgirl Creamery on the way out. South in the afternoon: Bolinas Lagoon for birds, then Stinson Beach if it's a sunny day or Muir Beach if you want quieter. Cap it with the drive back over Panoramic Highway at sunset, with a stop at the Mt Tam overlook above Stinson. It is a lot of driving but every leg pays you back. Bring layers, ten dollars in cash for Bolinas parking, and a phone car charger because cell reception drops out west of Olema.