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RCA, United States

Stay in Mill Valley: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Mill Valley

All 11 on Mill Valley's map

Watch this spot We email you when RCA is worth the trip.

Agate Beach Marin County California
Agate Beach. Photo: Kognos, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About RCA

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces S (184°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (4°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 94). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Mill Valley. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 7 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), direct.

    See flights MDW → SFO · Skyscanner from about £225 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 05 from the airport to RCA.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: Mill Valley, 14 km (about 25 min by car)Ad

    RCA is 14 km from the beds: plan on the drive each day you surf.

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Mill Valley, 14 km away on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Mill Valley · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Mill Valley · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

RCA on Google Maps · Directions

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

RCA does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct123 ft9 ssoft143kJ16°C
Mon 19Oct194 ft9 ssoft239kJ14°C
Tue 20Oct235 ft10 ssoft530kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct264 ft8 smushy146kJ16°C
Thu 22Oct142 ft11 ssoft109kJ16°C
Fri 23Oct285 ft6 smushy156kJ16°C
Sat 24Oct265 ft6 smushy179kJ15°C
Sun 25Oct164 ft7 smushy140kJ15°C
Mon 26Oct223 ft8 ssoft150kJ13°C
Tue 27Oct173 ft8 ssoft84kJ13°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to SFO, then 1h 05 by road. About 7h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf North Potato Patch

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf North Potato Patch

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf North Potato Patch

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf North Potato Patch

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 5 ft at 6 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to SFO, then 1h 05 by road. About 7h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Mill Valley each day: North Potato Patch, RCA.

The trip from Mill Valley, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £975–£1,780 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SFO, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£225–£470
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£70–£120
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£975–£1,780

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Mill Valley

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Nearest beds: Mill Valley, 14 km (about 25 min by car) · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.