Just 30 miles northwest of San Francisco, Point Reyes National Seashore is a mass of forests and seaside splendor that occupies all of a hundred square mile peninsula balanced on the edge of the San Andreas Fault. It's famous for its beauty, in history for the landing here of Sir Francis Drake in 1579 and in our national culture for, among many things, its Lifeboat Station, designated a National Historic Landmark. The 100 square miles of the seashore includes some 33,300 acres of coastal wilderness area, stretched out behind 80 miles of unspoiled and undeveloped coastline. The national seashore was established in 1962 to keep the coastline from becoming the target of developers.
Highlights
Check out the Bear Valley Visitor Center (just off Highway One) before looking around the seashore. It's open year round, 9am-5pm weekdays, 8am-5pm weekends. The lighthouse Visitor Center (at the tip of the peninsula) is open Thursdays through Mondays, 10am-4:30pm. The Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center (at Drakes Beach) is open weekends and holidays from 10 to 5, and in July and August open Fridays through Tuesdays, same times. All visitor centers are closed December 25, and at 2 PM on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.
In winter, when the weather is good, the west end of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. is closed to vehicle traffic but you can take a shuttle bus then to the lighthouse and Chimney Rock areas, for $5 if you are older than 16, free if not.
Activities
There is plenty to do outdoors, of course. From hiking (on 150 miles of trails), wildlife viewing, camping, building fires on the beach (by permit only), bicycle riding, kayaking or horseback riding, you should be able to keep busy. If you get out to the 1870 Lighthouse, you should appreciate that it is considered one of the windiest, foggiest locations on the west coast. If you get in or near the water, be careful of sneaker waves, unusually large and unexpected waves which have killed some visitors.
Events at Point Reyes include the frequent free Science Lectures, the Big Time Festival (featuring Native American trades and crafts), Night of Nights (commemorating the end of Morse code transmission), the Fungus Fair (Mycoblitz, collecting of mushrooms) and the Sand Sculpture Contest (Labor Day Weekend).
In addition to many other species of wildlife, look out for the Northern elephant seals, which began breeding here in 1981 after being absent for over 150 years. They come up onto the beach here for breeding, one of only 11 mainland breeding areas for such seals in the world. In all, the seashore is home to 27 threatened and endangered species. All told, there are some 480 bird species, and the American Bird Conservancy has named Point Reyes as one of 100 "globally important bird areas." There are some 65 species of mammals and 125 of fish.
Important attractions near Point Reyes, in addition to San Francisco itself, include Muir Woods National Monument (23 miles) and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (14 miles to Stinson Beach).
Rangers
There are several ranger-led programs here, including the favorite, "On Shaky Ground," where every Saturday at 2pm you can walk the Earthquake Trail for 0.6 miles and straddle the fault while doing so. (One hour.) Another short trek (0.8 miles) takes place at 2pm on Sundays, when you can join the Kule Loklo Walk, introducing you to the history and culture of Coast Miwok Native Americans, who have lived in this area for over 4,000 years. From Bear Valley Visitor Center. (One hour.) In the summer, there are daily Ranger programs, also lasting one hour, at 10:30am and 2pm each weekday, some of them involving gentle walks up to one mile on easy to moderate trails. Meet at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. Topics cover earthquakes, plate tectonics, the Coast Miwok, the US Lifesaving Service, and area flora and fauna. Call the center at 415/464-5100 for more information about the program.
New in 2008
The seashore became a Climate Friendly Park in April, joining only 35 other national parks, including Yosemite and Yellowstone, committed to taking stock of and reducing their carbon footprints.
Visitors
The park had some 2,232,000 visitors in 2007.
Fees
There is no entrance fee at Point Reyes. There are camping fees (from $15 per night). The park is open daily from sunrise to midnight.
Contacts
The official website of Point Reyes is www.nps.gov/pore.
The website of the Point Reyes National Seashore Association, which helps the seashore by raising funds through grants and activities such as a summer science camp, is www.ptreyes.org.
A good commercial site is www.ptreyes.com.