April Events in Marin: Celebrating Earth Month

March 28, 2023

Wildflowers at Leiss Ranch at a hike event in Marin.

April events in (and near) Marin are blooming with outdoor activities, spring holiday festivities, garden sprucing, and Earth Day celebrations. Marin’s farms and ranches are buzzing with life – pollinating bees and butterflies, newborn lambs and kids, bunnies-a-hoppin’, and produce and flower crops popping up all around.

Check out the variety of tastings, farm stands, and tours from our local food and fiber producers across Marin. Then, dig in to some spring cleaning with a volunteer work day at one of our many parks and open spaces or in your own garden with some of the home gardening events listed below.

If the weather keeps you indoors, join a virtual event to stay in touch with the flora, fauna, and fun all around us in Marin!

Farm Visits and Tastings

View the days and times of weekly farmers’ markets hosted by the Agricultural Institute of Marin around the Bay Area as well as this list of farmers’ markets sorted by day of the week.

April 1, Family Farm Day – Farm Animal Frolic, Slide Ranch, Muir Beach
April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Farm Tour & Tasting at Bivalve Dairy, Point Reyes
April 2, Toluma Farm Tour, Tomales
April 4, AIM Supper Club Pre-Fixe Farm-to-Table Dinner, Mill Valley
April 16, Day-Camp at Straus Home Ranch (kids 7-10 years-old), Marshall
April 16, Grass-Fed Beef, Honey, and Baked Goods Pickup, Chileno Valley Ranch, Petaluma
April 16, Sunday Supper at Toluma Farms + Tomales Farmstead Creamery, Tomales
April 21, Build a Spring Cheeseboard Class, Point Reyes Farmstead Creamery, Point Reyes Station
April 23, Bee Experienced: Flower to Flute Beekeeping Tour, Heidrun Meadery, Point Reyes Station
April 23, Hike the Loop at Toluma Farms + Tomales Farmstead Creamery, Tomales
Daily, Little Wing Farm Stand, Point Reyes Station
Daily, Pasture Fresh Eggs at Petaluma Farm Stand, 8-8, Tomales
Daily, Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, 10-5, Nicasio
Daily, Hog Island Oyster Co., The Hog Shack, 9-5, farm tours by reservation, Marshall
Daily, Marin French Cheese, between 9-5, Petaluma
Daily, Heidrun Meadery, between 11-5, Point Reyes Station
Weekdays, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company tastings, 11-3, Point Reyes Station
Wed-Sun, Valley Ford Creamery, between 8-3, Valley Ford
McEvoy Ranch, by reservation, Petaluma

You can book food and farm tours to visit multiple producers of local food and fiber in one day-trip!

Earth Day Events

April 4-22, Nature’s Hope and Fury: An Earth Day Art Exhibit, Mill Valley
April 21, Downtown Clean and Green Day, San Rafael
April 22, Earth Day San Francisco, Golden Gate Park
April 22, Earth Day Saturday Family Movie Mornings – Wall-E, Novato
April 22, Landscape Is Homeland Festival, Exploratorium, San Francisco
April 22, The Earth Speaks, San Rafael
April 22, Bliss Your Biome: Earth Day Elemental Healing Retreat, Point Reyes Station
April 23, Earth Day Marin: Create a Better World, Mill Valley

A little girl in a purple shirt stands in front of a seated man playing guitar and singing into a microphone at a family event in Marin.

Spring Holiday Celebrations

Now thru April 23, Spring Festival at California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
April 1, Easter “Hop-Up” at Barn5400, Petaluma
April 5, Passover Seder, Corte Madera
April 8, 41st Annual Easter Egg Hunt and Parade, Sausalito
April 9, Easter Brunch and BBQ at Rancho Nicasio, Nicasio
April 9, Easter Sunday Brunch Celebration, Range Cafe, San Rafael
April 9, Easter Brunch at Red Oak, San Rafael
April 9, Easter at Town Center Corte Madera, Corte Madera
April 9, Easter Kids Egg-Stravaganza at Cavallo Point, Sausalito
April 9, Easter Brunch Buffet at Cavallo Point, Sausalito
April 15, Intertribal Dance Gathering at Presidio Tunnel Tops, San Francisco
April 22, 50th Annual Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival, Bodega Bay
April 22, Butter and Egg Days Parade and Festival, Petaluma

People in small groups, sitting in long green grass beneath a cluster of large trees in the shade, during an outdoor event in Marin.

Hikes, Walks, and Rides

April 1, This April Fools Hike Is No Joke, Pacheco Valle Reserve, San Rafael
April 1, Full Moon Member Hike, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 2, Deer Island Preserve Walk, Novato
April 4, Baltimore Canyon Preserve, Kentfield
April 8, Guided Nature Walk at Bouverie Preserve, Glen Ellen
April 9, Family Forest Bathing Walk, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 12, Ring Mountain Preserve Wildflower Walk, Corte Madera
April 13, Loma Alta to Big Rock, San Rafael
April 14, Natural History of the Estero Trail Hike, Inverness
April 15, Jane Fondo Women’s Road Ride, Olema
April 15, Tiburon Uplands Hike, Tiburon
April 15, Learn to Use Poles for Hiking and Outdoor Exercise Hike, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 15, Wildflower Heaven in the Headlands, Sausalito
April 15, 16, MALT Wildflower Walks at Leiss Ranch, Novato
April 16, Birding Walk in Point Reyes Station, Point Reyes Station
April 16, Mount Burdell Preserve Wildflower Walk, Novato
April 18, Senior Stroll: Escalon Fire Road, Camino Alto Preserve, Mill Valley
April 21, Awakening Joy and Wonder in Nature, Marin Headlands
April 23, Birdsong Hike, Mount Burdell Preserve,
April 23, Drakes Beach Discovery Hike, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 23, Wildflowers and Elephant Seals of Chimney Rock, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 25, Chimney Rock Wildflower Hike, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 29, Whales at Sunset Beach Hike, Inverness
April 29, The Creatures of Carson Falls Hike, Fairfax

Volunteers digging in soil photo by Paige Green

Volunteer Opportunities

April 1, Cesar Chavez Day of Service Ice Plant Pull, North Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 1, Broom Busters of Old St. Hilary’s, Tiburon
April 2, Passover in the Poppies Volunteer Day, Black Point, San Francisco
April 2, Habitat Restoration Team, Marin Headlands
April 7, Kent Island Restoration, Bolinas Lagoon
April 7 (Fridays year-round), Native Plant Nursery Volunteer Days, Olema
April 8, Watershed Awareness Volunteer Day, Cheda Creek, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 9, Habitat Restoration Team, Mount Tamalpais
April 9, 10 Horse Hill Preserve Broom Bust, Mill Valley
April 12, 22, 26 Marin Headlands Nursery Volunteer Day, Marin Headlands
April 15, Spring Volunteer Orientation, Marin Art and Garden Center, Ross /
April 16, Habitat Restoration Team, Stinson Beach
April 22, Kent Island Restoration, Bolinas Lagoon
April 23, Stinson Beach Cleanup, Stinson Beach
April 23, Earth Day Restoration at Hal Brown Park, Kentfield
April 29, Memorial Trail Work, Terra Linda/Sleepy Hollow Preserve, San Rafael
April 30, Work Day at Stafford Lake Bike Park, Novato

Gardening and Homesteading Events

April 4, Marin Master Gardener: Introduction to Native Plants, Fairfax
April 5-10 online with pickup April 15, California Native Plant Society Spring Plant Sale, Greenbrae
April 6, Backyard Bees and Planetary Health, Fairfax
April 8, Marin Master Gardeners: Tomato Talk, Larkspur
April 8, Basic Pruning at the Elders’ Garden, San Anselmo
April 11, Marin Master Gardeners: 20 Great Native Plants for Marin, Fairfax
April 15, Plantmania at Cornerstone Gardens, Sonoma
April 15, UC Marin Master Gardeners Tomato Market, Novato and Greenbrae
April 19, Herbs for All Seasons with Marin Master Gardener, Corte Madera
April 22, UC Marin Master Gardeners: Composting, Novato
April 22, All You Need to Know to Plant a Container Garden, Novato
April 27, Introduction to Fiber Arts in the School Garden, Point Reyes Station

Wildlife and Nature Events

Every Sat, Sun year-round, “Birds of Prey” or “On Shaky Ground” Weekly Ranger Programs, Point Reyes National Seashore
Every Sat, Sun through April 16, Exploring Elephant Seals, Point Reyes National Seashore
Every Fri, Sat, Sun through April 16, Journey of the Whales, Point Reyes National Seashore
Now thru April 22, Western Monarch Butterfly Count and Challenge, everywhere!
Now thru April 30, Return of the Western Monarch Butterfly exhibit, Ross
April 1 thru 30, Wild Forest Art Exhibit, Stinson Beach
April 8, Wild Forest Artist Talk, Stinson Beach
April 8, Women’s Spring Nature Day, West Marin
April 8, 15, 22, Tamalpais Bee Lab Event, Fairfax
April 16, Birding 101, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 18, Marin County Parks: The History of Fairfax, Fairfax
April 19, Bioblitz in Fairfax with Fairfax Open Space Committee, Fairfax
April 21, Geology of the Point Reyes Headlands, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 21-23, Point Reyes Birding and Nature Festival, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 23, Free Sunday Family Fun Day at the Birding and Nature Festival, Point Reyes Station
April 23, Wild and Scenic Film Festival, Los Altos
April 28, Spring Bird Migration at Point Reyes, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 29, Songs of the Sea Singalong, Point Reyes National Seashore
April 29, Using California Native Plants of Spring to Make Inks and Pigments, Point Reyes
April 29, Butterflies for Beginners, Inverness
April 30, Community Discussion: Bolinas Lagoon, Duxbury Reef, and Bolinas Field Station, Stinson Beach

Markets and Other Family Fun

Now thru August 6, “Unbottled” exhibit at the Marin History Museum, featuring bottles and packaging from Marin’s dairy history, San Rafael
April 1, Learn to Play Pickleball, McInnis Park, San Rafael
April 4, 11, 18, 25, Outdoor Family Story Time, Novato
April 5 (and each Wed), Bolinas Library Outdoors: Family Wednesdays, Bolinas
April 6, 13, 20, 27, Farmers’ Market Family Story Time, San Rafael
April 8, Open Air Artisan Faire, Mill Valley
April 9, The French Market Marin, San Rafael
April 9, Art in the Park (with a Ranger), George “Rocky” Graham Park, Sausalito
April 14-16, New Living Expo, San Rafael
April 22, Learn to Pier Fish, Paradise Beach Park, Tiburon
April 23, Campfire S’mores and Stories, Stafford Lake Park, Novato

Cheeseboard from Point Reyes Farmstead Creamery event in Marin, where you order the board to be delivered to your home ahead of a virtual tasting event.

Virtual Events

April 7, Wild Words Nature Book Club, virtual
April 10, Docent Lecture: Ansel Adams in Our Time, virtual
April 13, Behind the Scenes Look at Pupping Season, Marine Mammal Center, virtual
April 16, The Wonderful World of Bats, virtual
April 19, Spring Lecture Series: Bird Biology, virtual
April 20, Virtual Tasting to Invest in the Power of Women, Point Reyes Farmstead Creamery
April 20, Birdwatching for Beginners, virtual
April 20, Heron and Egret Research Update from Audubon Canyon Ranch, virtual

Please double check details for all Marin events at the links above before venturing out, as MALT is not the event host organization for most of the Marin events listed here. Dates, times, fees, or restrictions may change.

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