San Quentin / Windsurfer Beach
COMPROMISED
NEXT MILESTONE
Prison management engagement
In March 2025 the prison began enforcing parking restrictions at the West Gate area that boardsailors used for decades. The remodel continues. The east-side launch has fewer than 10 spaces and a two-hour limit.
A Bay Trail project along the launch. Marin County Public Works is designing the East Sir Francis Drake Bay Trail Gap Closure, a 0.6-mile bike and pedestrian connection between Andersen Drive at I-580 and Remillard Park in Larkspur, the stretch of road that runs past Windsurfer Beach. It would be either a multi-use path or a sidewalk with protected bike lanes. Planning and design began in May 2025 with a $700,000 federal earmark, the county held a public workshop on January 29, 2026, and near-term "quick build" improvements are being designed. Final design and construction are not yet funded. Sailors currently park along the shoulder and reach the beach by rough steps cut into the bank.
2026–27 priorities:
- Establish whether the public has a right of access to the shoreline here.
- Resume contact with prison management as construction winds down.
- Work with Marin County Public Works on the East Sir Francis Drake gap closure so the design keeps shoulder parking for the launch and builds safe access down to the beach.
Plans and documents: Marin County, East Sir Francis Drake Blvd Bikeway Gap Closure · Marin County, workshop notice, Jan 2026 · Marin County Bicycle Coalition, project page and map