San Pablo Bay

San Pablo Bay is a bay in northern California. It is an estuary, which means that saltwater from the ocean mixes with fresh water from rivers. It is connected to the San Francisco Bay (to the south) and the Carquinez Strait (to the east). Most of the bay is shallow, but there is a deep water path for ships to cross. Water from the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Napa rivers flows into the Carquinez Strait, and then into San Pablo Bay. The area around the bay is part of the San Francisco Bay Area. Four counties touch the bay: Marin, Sonoma, Solano, and Contra Costa. The main cities around the bay are San Rafael, Novato, Vallejo, Rodeo, Hercules, Pinole, San Pablo, and Richmond. Other websites San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge guide