1 San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail Site Description for China Camp State Park Location, Ownership, and Management: China Camp State Park, owned by the California State Parks and operated by Friends of China Camp, is located on the San Rafael shoreline of San Pablo Bay off of North San Pedro Road Road. Boaters can launch from a scenic beach located next to the pier and historic China Camp Village. The site is popular with kayakers and stand up paddlers because it is very scenic and is a good launch spot to explore the Marin shoreline. Contact Name: Maria Mowrey Contact Phone: (707) 769-5652 Contact E-mail: [email protected] Village Beach (south) Boat Launch Path Village Beach (north) Facility Description: China Camp State Park offers an exceptionally scenic setting for non- motorized boating from the sandy shoreline near the China Camp village. The beach near China Camp village is a sand and pebble beach that extends 0.25 miles, with a designated boat launch area located in the southern portion of the village area parking lot. China Camp village has an unpaved parking lot, restrooms, picnic tables, boat rinse, and showers. The Quan Bros. snack shop at China Camp village is open on weekends. Food, beverages, and ice cream are available. The museum and remaining historic structures from the village and a pier are also located here. Paved parking is also available at the top of the hill leading down to China Camp village, approximately 600 feet from the boat launch area. In addition to facilities at the village, China Camp State Park offers swimming, windsurfing, wildlife-watching, hike-in / bike-in camping, picknicking and 15 miles of mountain biking, hiking, and equestrian trails. March 5, 2020 Site Description for China Camp State Park 2 China Camp State Park - Vicinity Map Rat Rock Bullhead Flat China Camp Village China Camp Village Beach Launch Map China Camp Village – Museum, pier, Quan Bros. snack shop Parking Boat launch path Restrooms, showers, and boat rinse San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail March 5, 2020 Site Description for China Camp State Park 3 Other Identifying or General Information: Site ID: M39 Home of a Club: No In WT Plan: Yes Used by a Program that Assists Persons with Existing or Planned: Existing Disabilities: No Ownership: Public Appreciated for Windy Conditions: No County: Marin Near Food or Drink: Yes Geo-Region: San Pablo Bay Proximity to Other Sites: McNears Beach is SF Bay Plan Region: San Pablo Bay located approximately .75 mile to the Launch or Destination: Launch southeast and Bullhead Flat, also a part of China Camp State Park, is approximately .75 mile to the northwest and Buck's Landing is approximately three miles to the northwest. Description of Launch/Landing: Fixed Dock/Pier Launch/Landing: No Stair Water Entry: No Float: No Firm-Surface Beach Crossing: No Transfer/Launch Assistance System: No Fee for Launch or Parking: Yes Gangway: No Other Launch/Landing Notes: There are Boat/Trailer Ramp: No large mud flats at low tide. Beach is Mudflats Affect Site Usability: Yes small pebbles leading to sucking mud. Beach Wheelchair Available: Yes, from Quan Bros. Restrictions: Parking is $5/day snack shop on Saturdays and Sundays between 9-5 Beach: Yes Water Entry Path: No San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail March 5, 2020 Site Description for China Camp State Park 4 Site Appears to be Suitable For: Kayak: Yes Canoe: Yes Windsurfer: Yes Outrigger Canoe: No Kiteboard: No Sculling: No Whaleboat: No Rowboat/Dinghy: Yes Stand Up Paddleboard: Yes Dragonboat: No The beach at China Camp village offers a highly scenic beach launch at mid and high tides. Path of Travel: Distance to Launch from Parking Area (feet): 50 Distance to Launch from ADA Parking (feet): 50 Distance to Launch from ADA Restrooms (feet): 103 Distance from ADA Restrooms to ADA Parking (feet): 50 Path of Travel Exists: No Path of Travel Description: Packed dirt and gravel parking lot to beach with pebbles. San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail March 5, 2020 Site Description for China Camp State Park 5 Transportation and Parking: General Spaces (number): 26-50 Duration (hours): 8:00 a.m. to sunset ADA Parking Spaces (number): 2 Overnight Parking Allowed: No ADA Parking Description: One spot by the Loading/Unloading Area: Yes restroom and one spot by the historical area. Bay Trail: Yes Lot is gravel. Measurement from ADA restroom to parking is the spot nearest the Public Transportation: The nearest bus stop is restroom. approximately three miles away. The main village parking lot is compact dirt and gravel, with space for ~30 vehicles Other Site Amenities: Total Restrooms: 4 Boat Washing: Yes Total ADA Restrooms: 2 Picnic Tables: Yes Rigging/Staging Area: No Boat Storage: No Restrooms, changing rooms, and a boat wash are at the south end of the parking area San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail March 5, 2020 Site Description for China Camp State Park 6 Overnight Accommodations: Hotel: No Hostel: No Ship: No Camping: No Other: No Accommodations Description: The campground at China Camp is located 2.5 miles from the beach and is not accessible from the water. Additional Notes Related to Accessibility: Recent ADA enhancements have been made, including parking and restrooms. Access across the beach is not currently accessible; however, State Parks is supportive of a firm surface crossing for the boat launch area. There are three ADA parking spaces in the village lot. The parking lot surface is compact dirt and gravel. Additional Notes on Use of Site (Boating and Non-Boating) and Existing and Planned Management: Windsurfers and some kayakers launch from Bullhead Flat, located approximately 0.5 miles north of the China Camp village beach. The shoreline is eroding and facilities and parking are more limited at Bullhead Flat, so it provides a less suitable launch than the village beach. Large groups require an event permit from Friends of China Camp. San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail March 5, 2020 Site Description for China Camp State Park 7 Safety and Security, including Parking: China Camp is staffed by rangers and seasonal volunteers every day. California State Parks also patrols the park. Permitted hunting is allowed within the San Pablo Bay Wildlife Area, located approximately two miles away. Water Trail signage provides a warning about seasonal hunting and includes the State Fish and Wildlife website for more information. Extensive mudflats are exposed at low tides. Boaters need to plan to launch and land only during high to mid tides. At low tides, mudflats can extend several hundred yards offshore and make returning to the beach infeasible. Wildlife and Habitat Considerations: As discussed in the EIR Review, there are sensitive species within four miles, but none are known to exist in the immediate vicinity of the beach. There are no marshes along the beach, but marsh habitat is located along the shoreline north of the beach. These marshes provide ridgeway's rail and salt marsh harvest mouse habitat. There are currently two active heron or egret rookeries located within four miles of the site. One of those rookeries is on West Marin Island, which is a National Wildlife Refuge managed by USFWS, and is closed to the public. Rafting waterfowl may be present in San Pablo Bay. San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail March 5, 2020 Site Description for China Camp State Park 8 Education, Outreach, and Stewardship, Including Signage: Visitor center open from 10am to 5pm. Friends of China Camp regularly hosts events and guided tours, though no kayak-based interpretive programs currently occur. Accessibility of Sites within the Southern San Francisco Waterfront Geo-Region: There are twelve potential Water Trail sites identified within this geo-region: Buck’s Landing; Bullhead Flat; China Camp State Park; McNears Beach Park; Loch Lomond Marina: Beach Loch Lomond Marina: Ramp; Harbor 15 Restaurant; Starkweather Shoreline Park; San Quentin; Remillard Park; Marin Rowing Association Boathouse; and, Bon Air Landing. Of these, only McNears Beach provides broadly accessible launch/landing facilities. McNears Beach provides ADA parking, and a path of travel including a mobi-mat across the beach to the high tide line. The experiences that are available in the Marin/West San Pablo Bay Geo-Region are primarily rural, with more urban experiences available along the San Rafael Canal. San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail March 5, 2020 Summary of Environmental Review based on the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail Plan Final Environmental Impact Report China Camp Village Beach March 13, 2020 Resource Area Impacts Analysis Notes Recreation China Camp Village Beach has Regarding recreational conflict, References: WT ample capacity for multiple Water Trail users may submit DREIR, pp. 3-32 to 3- recreational uses and has a comments to Water Trail staff 37. long shoreline to accommodate through the website if they witness non-motorized small boat or experience recreational conflict launching and landing. at any designated site. The Water Permitted hunting is allowed Trail educational sign includes within the State Fish and warnings about seasonal hunting in Wildlife’s San Pablo Bay the Bay (Oct – Jan) and includes Wildlife Area, which is within the State Fish and Wildlife website four miles of the park. for specific information. Navigational and This site is within about one The Water Trail educational sign Personal mile of deep-draft commercial provides safety information related Safety shipping and ferry routes: the to navigational and personal References: WT San Pablo Strait Channel boating safety. It is likely that most DREIR pp. 3-38 to 3-51, Regulated Navigation Area non-motorized small boat users and Figures 3.4.2-1 (RNA) and the Vallejo-San launching from China Camp will and 3.4.2-2.