The beach town of Bolinas, a tight-knit community of free-spirited individuals, is one of the most reclusive towns in Northern California. Residents regularly take down highway signs pointing the way to their rural enclave, an act of rebellion that ironically has created more publicity for Bolinas than any road sign ever did. As a tourist, you don’t have to worry about being chased out of town by a band of machete-wielding Bolinistas, but don’t expect anyone to roll out the welcome mat, either. The trick is not to look like a tourist, but more like a Bay Area resident who’s only here to buy some peaches at the People’s Store (14 Wharf Rd; 415/868-1433; open 8:30am-6:30pm every day).

What’s the People’s Store, you ask? It’s a town landmark that’s well known for its locally grown organic produce and exceptional service--the antithesis of the corporate supermarket. It’s a little hard to find, hidden at the end of a gravel driveway (don’t confuse it with the much larger general store down the street), but it’s worth searching out just to see--and taste--the difference between Safeway and the Bolinas way.

Three side trips offer plenty of entertainment. Just before entering downtown Bolinas, turn right (west) on Mesa Road, left on Overlook Road, and right on Elm Road, and you’ll dead-end at the Duxbury Reef Nature Reserve (415/499-6387), the largest intertidal reef in North America. Rich tide pools harbor an array of starfish, lacy purple plants, sea anemones, and kelp. Check the tide conditions and wear appropriate shoes; the rocks are slippery. If you continue west on Mesa Road you’ll reach the Point Reyes Bird Observatory (415/868-1221; www.prbo.org; open dawn to dusk every day), where ornithologists keep an eye on more than 400 feathered species. Admission to the visitor center and nature trail is free, and visitors are welcome to observe the tricky process of catching and banding the birds. Banding hours vary seasonally; call 415/868-0655 for exact times. At the very end of Mesa Road is the Palomarin Trailhead, which accesses beautiful coast and inland trails that stretch for more than 12 miles. The 6-mile round-trip trek passes several small lakes and meadows before it reaches Alamere Falls, a freshwater stream that cascades down a 40-foot bluff onto Wildcat Beach.

Bolinas Lagoon, a placid saltwater expanse that serves as refuge for numerous shorebirds and harbor seals, is just south of the town of Bolinas on Highway 1. Across from the lagoon is the Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Bolinas Lagoon Preserve (415/868-9244; www.egret.org; open 10am-4pm Sat-Sun and holidays mid-Mar-mid-July, by appt for groups; free), a 1,014-acre wildlife sanctuary that supports a major population of great blue herons and white great egrets. This is the premier spot along the Pacific coast to watch these immense, graceful seabirds as they court, mate, and build huge nests at the top of towering redwoods. Baby birds are usually in the nests by late April. The trails leading to the overlook are steep and often slippery. Wear sturdy shoes or boots.