Best "reasonable" place to stay in Mill Valley, Pt.Reyes,Muir Woods
 

Flying in to SFO at end of Sept. with hubby , and have a few days before we meet up w/friends in Sacramento for a trip to Yosemite + Lake Tahoe. We wanted to do the Point Reyes area, with a bit of light hiking, beach strolling and relaxing, but not stray too far north of Bodega Bay. Any recommendations for where to stay, or other nearby areas, even near Sonoma, that we might consider?

A link that might help you.

http://www.pointreyes.org/west_marin...s_lodging.html

The county's website.

http://www.marincounty.org/

What do you consider "reasonable"?

The http://www.pointreyes.org/ link that Rastaguy gave you is a good one. The towns closest to Pt. Reyes National Seashore are Olema, Inverness, and Pt. Reyes Station (which despite its name is not actually within the park but just outside of it).

I am a SF native, but for about 20 years I lived in the Marin County city of Novato, which is right on Highway 101 but only about a 35-minute drive to Pt. Reyes Bear Valley Visitor Center. My husband and I drove out to Pt. Reyes two or three times a month to hike, go to the beach, view wildlife, or buy fresh oysters.
http://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/directions.htm

As we lived so close to Pt. Reyes we didn't need to stay out there, so I have no personal experience with lodgings, however, I think you would find the small town of Olema convenient and charming. I am not sure about the road noise around here, but I always bring earplugs whenever I go on vacation, because even in the most serene places on earth, you never know when you might be kept awake by passing motorcyles, a loud air conditioner, pounding winds, a barking dog, rooster, or screeching baboon.
Here are a couple of places you might check out:
http://www.olemacottages.com/
http://www.bearvinn.com/tour/index.html
There are places to dine in Inverness (about a 10 minute drive from Olema) and in Pt. Reyes Station.

I always check the reviews on Trip Advisor. If you are interested in staying one night in the Mill Valley, you might have a look at this:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g6...ia-Hotels.html
There are some nice shops and restaurants in downtown Mill Valley, though they tend to be pricey.

After visiting Muir Woods, then the Muir Beach overlook, I highly recommend taking a walk around Stinson Beach town and beach (which you will reach if you continue north on Highway One). Try to take a little hike (20 minutes only) up the Dipsea Trail that starts at Stinson Beach town at Panoramic Highway and Highway One. The Dipsea actually continues all the way into Mill Valley, but these first 20 minutes are the most scenic. About 20 minutes up you can walk out to some old military bunkers and appreciate the gorgeous views of the coast.
http://www.nps.gov/muwo/upload/muir_woods_pad_map-2.pdf
http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm

Continue about 30 minutes along Highway One north to reach Olema, where you will see the signage for Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

When you leave the Pt. Reyes area for Sacramento, you will be driving straight though Novato (take the Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Road, turn right at Novato Blvd., continue to San Marin Drive, turn left onto San Marin Drive, continue on San Marin as it crosses above Highway 101, on the other side San Marin Drive becomes Atherton Avenue, follow Atherton Avenue until it reaches Highway 37, which eventually meets up with Interstate 80 that reaches Sacramento).

Thank you Rastaguy and Diamantina for all this helpful info; am sure to discover the right places to go with these great leads!

We went on a school fieild trip to Sausalito and stayed the night before in Mill Valley at the Holiday Inn Express. Great price point for the area.

I am somewhat familiar with Inverness and Pt Reyes, because my sister's DH has a family cabin there. It is a very nice, relatively quiet place. Great quirky little cafes and shops. It has a nice woodsy feel and lovely shores. They have just decided to rent out their knotty pine cabin and a guest house. It is on vrbo now. I would give the link, but that would be advertising.