12 Perfect Things to do in Point Reyes National Seashore
12 Perfect Things to do in Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is an amazing hidden gem in California located only one hour north of San Francisco. It is a vast area of gorgeous protected shorelines, coastal bluffs, fabulous hikes, and (seasonally) amazing wildflowers. I visited on a day trip from Sacramento, however, you could spend multiple days enjoying and relaxing in the gorgeous area.
One of the best things about Point Reyes National Seashore is finding a quiet place to be along a trail, a beach, or an overlook and soak in the Earth’s natural, quiet beauty. Even just driving in the park is lovely! I sometimes felt like we had been transported to Scotland or Ireland with how beautifully green areas were and how many majestic, rocky cliffs we passed. So here is everything you need to make sure you do and see while visiting Point Reyes National Seashore.
I visited Point Reyes National Seashore in December and experienced a clear, sunny, beautiful day and even ended up wearing a short-sleeve shirt. Winter (December-March) is known as the high season for less fog, migrating whales, and elephant seals you’ll find in the park. This means you may need to take a shuttle bus from the visitor center to visit the lighthouse (but that’s no big deal).
Surprisingly, summer is known for thick dense fog with cooler temperatures on the beaches and headlands. However, summer may be a good time to visit if you are looking to get those dreamy and moody fog photos.
1. Point Reyes Station
Point Reyes Station is a small town located just outside of Point Reyes National Seashore. It makes for a perfect stop to pick up food, use the restroom or fuel up on gas before heading into the park. When we visited, it was buzzing with cyclists eating on outdoor patios taking a break from their long journey.
Shoreline Hwy between 4th Street and 1st Street has lots of cute bakeries, shops, and places to eat. We picked up sandwiches from the Palace Market Deli (nothing crazy exciting but it was good and affordable 😉) and took them with us to eat on our hike.
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2. S.S. Point Reyes Shipwreck
Point Reyes is known for its treacherous waters and coasts that have unfortunately claimed many ships and lives over the last hundreds of years. One way to pay tribute to these shipwrecks is by making a quick and easy stop at the S.S. Point Reyes Shipwreck.
The Point Reyes Shipwreck is located in the small town of Inverness in an unassuming spot behind a small grocery store called Inverness Store. You can park in the grocery store parking lot and walk about 20 yards to see the pretty, white, and rusty boat in the Tomales Bay sandbar. Plus there are even a few picnic tables nearby if you’d like to use this as a picnic spot. Depending on the water level, you may or may not be able to get right up to the boat but it makes a perfect pit stop nonetheless.
3. Sir Francis Drake Blvd
Sir Francis Drake Blvd is one of the main roads within the park and I highly recommend taking a drive through here. This is the area I felt most like I had been transported to Scotland or Ireland and we even saw a whale blow clear off in the distance. This road will take you pass the Cypress Tree Tunnel and all the way to the lighthouse.
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4. Cypress Tree Tunnel
The Cypress Trees that now make this gorgeous tree tunnel were planted back in 1930 along the road leading to the (now historic) Maritime Radio Receiving Station. The receiving station was built in 1929 in a unique Art-Deco style and received ship-to-shore morse code and telegraph messages.
Thankfully, no parking is allowed along the Cypress Tree Tunnel (which makes for great photos) and you can just park at the end of the road at the Receiving Station. The tunnel is a popular spot for photographers plus on most Saturdays throughout the year you can visit the Historic Receiving Station and experience sending and receiving Morse code and radiograms!
5. Leaning Trees
Since Point Reyes can be known for its sometimes heavy winds, some of the trees have started growing sideways! Drive along the coast and under some of these unique leaning trees on your way to the lighthouse. Find them here on the map.
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6. South Beach Overlook
After you drive under the leaning trees, park in the lighthouse parking lot and take the short walk to South Beach Overlook for some amazing, never-ending coastal views. The overlook is only 0.2 miles down a sandy and dirt path to the cliff-side overlook. Bring your binoculars to get a great view of the elephant seal colony that lives down below!
7. Point Reyes Lighthouse
The Point Reyes Lighthouse was built in 1870 and served for 105 years until a new, automatic light was installed in 1975. It is located at the western-most point of the Point Reyes Headlands atop a rocky outcropping. The lighthouse is located at the bottom of 313 steps (which can be closed during strong winds). However, the visitor center and observation deck are located at the top and fully accessible without stairs. Plus, the observations deck makes a great area to watch for whales migrating past.
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8. Laguna Trail Coast Trail Loop
The Laguna Trail Coast Trail Loop is a relatively easy 5-mile loop that features coastal scrub, pretty grasslands and epic coastal views. You can also continue your hike down to Limantour Beach very easily to get the best of everything! This trail can be quite exposed to the sun and wind so be sure to bring a hat and/or layers depending on the weather.
9. Limantour Beach to Sculptured Beach
If you are looking for a beautiful and relaxing beach walk, start at Limantour Beach and walk south along the beach for about 2 miles to gorgeous Sculptured Beach (the sand is packed and easy to walk on). Limantour Beach is a beautiful long, quiet beach that has plenty of room for everyone plus it is one of the few areas dogs are allowed within the park!. We took our pup and he loved walking along the water and playing in the sand with us.
Sculptured Beach features a backdrop of beautiful sheer cliffs and amazing rock formations that the waves crash against. We sat atop the rocks and enjoyed a picnic lunch we had packed with us. It truly is a beautiful area to relax and soak in the views.
10. Chimney Rock via Chimney Rock Trail
Chimney Rock Trail is one of the most breathtaking hikes you can take along the Point Reyes Headlands with amazing rugged coastal views. The best part is, the hike is only 1.9 miles roundtrip! Known as an ‘easy’ hike, this trail is perfect for kids but still provides amazing scenery. Visit Chimney Rock Trail April-August for some of the best wildflower viewing in Point Reyes National Seashore.
11. Elephant Seal Overlook
Elephant Seal Overlook can be reached via a short (0.5 mile roundtrip) walk from the Chimney Rock Trail parking lot. December through March is the best time of year to see elephant seals at Point Reyes National Seashore (it’s mating and birthing season), however, you may be able to spot elephant seals at any time during the year. One of the best viewing spots is from Elephant Seal Overlook where you can see the Drakes Beach elephant seal colony which can reach numbers of over 600 seals by early February! These seals are HUGE weighing in at thousands of pounds.
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12. Tule Elk Reserve via Tomales Point Trail
Tomales Point Trail is an incredibly scenic and easy (but long) 9.2 mile hike atop a coastal bluff to Tomales Point. On this hike you’ll experience amazing coastal views while walking past loads of elk and stunning wildflowers (peak from May-August).
13. Beach Bonfire
For an awesome and unique experience, hang out at the beach one night with your very own beach bonfire. Fires are only allowed on beaches at Point Reyes (no fires in campgrounds) and you must pick up a permit at any of the visitor centers. However, permits are free! But you must pick them up on the day you will have the fire and they are only valid under specific weather conditions.
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14. Coast Campground
Coast Campground is one of five hike-in campgrounds (and probably the best campground) within the park. It is nestled within a small grassy valley with super easy access to the Limantour Beach just 220 yards away and tide pools just 725 yards away.
There are multiple routes you can choose from to hike to Coast Campground, however, the shortest route is 1.8 miles long starting from the Laguna Trailhead. If you prefer a drive-up parking spot (like me 🙂) you can look check out many camping options outside of the park.
Check out these other posts, I know you’ll love them:
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- The Ultimate Guide to Biking the Golden Gate Bridge
- 14 Beautiful California State Parks You’ve Got to See
- 12 Gorgeous Northern California Hikes in the Sierra Nevadas
- 19 Unique Airbnbs in California You Need to Experience
- 16 Best Hiking Shoes, Boots, and Sandals for Women
- 7 Perfect Beaches in Los Angeles You’ve Got to Visit
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Alexandra
Hi! This so excellent thank you so much! We’re looking forward to our visit here in 2024. Are you aware of any hotels nearby that is nice to stay at?
jenessa
AlexandraHey Alexandra! Unfortunately, I don’t have many hotel recommendations as I have always made day trips to Point Reyes- best of luck!
Margarita
This really helped me plan my day at Point Reyes. Thank you!!
jenessa
MargaritaSo great to hear 🙂 You’re welcome!
Mark
Excellent list, was very helpful in planning my family’s 3-days in Pt Reyes, which surpassed my expectations.
The Tomales Pt. hike was amazing — we’d never seen Elk before and to see so many of these giant creatures up close amidst the mist was incredibly memorable. We also were incredibly fortunate to have a curious and friendly wild turkey wander literally right up to our feet (close enough to touch) to see what kind of strange, featherless birds we were. The Pierce Pt. Ranch at the trailhead also looked interesting, but my kids were too tired at the end of the hike to visit, so we more or less skipped it.
One day, we went kayaking on the Estero de Limantour and saw several harbor seals, egrets, deer, and fish. We brought our own inflatable kayaks and put in near the bridge by the Estero de Limantour parking lot. We were the only humans on the water that day and felt like we had all of Pt. Reyes to ourselves.
The Cypress Tree tunnel is unique and very cool, but also what a fascinating historical gem the old RCA radio receiving station is. I believe it’s only open on Saturdays from 11am-4pm, but check hours before you go. My kids felt like they were in a time capsule and the station operators were so welcoming, knowledgeable, and really had some great stories to tell. Thanks, Wally and Mike!
The lighthouse is historically interesting, and our kids loved it. The steps provide a nice little workout. The parking lot is a madhouse on weekends, so I suggest arriving early.
The Elephant Seal overlook was amazing — you can hear them from several hundred yards away, of course, but bring a long zoom lens camera and/or binoculars to really see and appreciate them — ordinary mobile phone lenses won’t cut it.
Finally, Chimney rock was a bit of a disappointment for us on the particular day we visited. It was very foggy so it was hard to appreciate the views. That said, we did have a fabulous up-close photo opportunity with a coyote, many deer, and a few hawks, so there was some great wildlife along the way.
All in all, Pt. Reyes is an amazing delight for outdoor lovers. You really feel like you’re in another world.
Side note: The dining in Pt Reyes Station was really good, better than expected — perhaps it’s the fresh ingredients. Side Street Cafe (superb rotisserie chicken) and Cafe Reyes (superb pizza) were our favorites. We also had a great stay at the Cottages at Pt. Reyes Seashore. Nicely furnished, great location, pleasant owner/manager, and reasonable price. We’d definitely stay there again.
jenessa
MarkWow, sounds like an amazing trip Mark! I’m happy to hear my article was helpful in your planning and it sounds like you had an awesome time. Thank you for sharing!
Sarah
I just want to say how much I love your blog and the fact you don’t have ads at every paragraph. Truly love your website!
jenessa
SarahWow, thanks so much Sarah! I hope that it’s been helpful to you 🙂 Have a great day!