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Point Reyes National Seashore | Introduction
Point Reyes National Seashore (Point Reyes National Seashore) is a famous attraction in Northern California. Located about 30 miles north of San Francisco, this beautiful coastal preserve with 70 miles of coastline is known as one of the most beautiful spots in the San Francisco Bay Area. It also offers stunning ocean views and a variety of different coastal features such as sea caves, sand dunes and reefs, and is a great place to see sea lions, whales, seagulls and more.
Point Reyes National Seashore is a large area, and the most well-known attractions that day-trippers usually visit include the Point Reyes Lighthouse, Drakes Beach, Tomales Bay, Abbotts Lagoon, and more.MapThe Point Reyes Visitor Center is usually passed on the way into Point Reyes. Entry to Point Reyes is usually through the Bear Valley Visitor Center, and for those interested in ecology and history, there is a Natural History Museum inside the Visitor Center.
On the way to Point Reyes, it is not uncommon to see herds of cows in the hills. There are actually many historic ranches dating back to the 1800s that produce milk, cheese and other dairy products. These ranches are not only part of the Point Reyes National Seashore, but they are also one of the few places in the U.S. National Park System that have cattle, which is one of the features of Point Reyes.
Must See | Point Reyes Lighthouse
Point Reyes Lighthouse, the most famous attraction in the Point Reyes National Seashore, was built in the 1870s and is one of the most iconic lighthouses on the Northern California coast. The lighthouse is located on a cliff overlooking the entire coastline. The lighthouse is about a 1 mile walk away and you have to climb 307 stairs, which may be a bit strenuous for some, but the view is worth it.
The lighthouse was built to guide ships safely through the Point Reyes Peninsula coastline at night to prevent them from hitting the shore or reefs at night. However, the interior of the lighthouse has now actually been converted into a museum that showcases the lives of past lighthouse keepers and historical events that occurred along the coastline around the lighthouse.
Nearby the lighthouse trail are Sea Lion Overlook and Elephant Seal Overlook, both of which are good locations to look for marine life. Unfortunately, the weather was changing rapidly when we came here. Although there were quite a number of tourists trying to look for whales and sea lions by the small lighthouse, and some people said they saw whales in the distance, all I could see was the shore and the waves.
The best view of the Point Reyes coast is from the parking lot next to the lighthouse, where we see the long Point Reyes Beach coastline. On a good day, the coastline is beautiful. Once the clouds cleared and the California's signature blue sky, the scenery changed immediately.
Point Reyes Campground | Coast Campground
If you're looking for something a little more in-depth, try camping at Point Reyes National Seashore. The campgrounds here are quite popular, and the state-of-the-art scenery is unmatched by other campgrounds. However, the campgrounds here at Point Reyes are either hike-in or bike-in, and there's no way to get there by car, so it's a little more difficult to get to, but the upside is that it's pretty quiet.
- Comfort: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Space: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Facility Cleanliness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Location: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This time, we've bookedcoast campgroundCoast campground is on a hillside by the ocean, and because it's walk-in or bike-in only, it's not as easy to get in and out, but it's a great way to feel like you're immersed in nature. Since we moved to San Francisco, we've been biking less. We didn't have any equipment on our bikes, and we didn't even have any baskets because we didn't want to buy a bunch of stuff for one trip, so it was a challenge to pack light. In the end, the two of us rode in 6 miles with all the camping gear on our backs. The dishes and tents were put away, and there were only two bikes and two small backpacks. I was very satisfied with the compactness of the packing.
Finally, the road up to the campsite was a bit rugged and we had to carry our vehicles into the campsite. The ground was very flat, but it was harder than usual to set up the beach tent, the wind was too strong, and I felt a great sense of accomplishment after I finished. The wind was strong, there was no cell phone reception, and the bike-in didn't bring the usual tables and chairs, so it was a very simple, calm, and relaxing camping experience. The location of the campsite has a very beautiful sea view, and basically you can't hear other people's voices around you, so you can really blend in with the nature.
The campsite is not large, two bicycles and a four person tent take up a lot of space, but there is plenty of privacy and no noise from people on the other side of the campsite. The campground and toilets are kept very clean, the only drawback is that the toilets may be a little far away from the campground, and you need to walk down the hill for a short while.
The next morning we woke up to find raccoon footprints all over the tent and climbing up our tent. Be aware that many tourists have reported that the raccoons are very aggressive and will come to steal food, so it seems to be true.
Bike Trail | Coast Trail
We rode in and out on the Coast Trail, which is a very comfortable ride with great ocean views and gentle terrain. In fact, even if you don't camp, it's a great route for off-road biking.
The Coast trail stretches for a few kilometers, from the beach next to the campsite we stayed at, you can continue to walk along the Coast trail, take a walk on the beach, and enjoy the quiet atmosphere of a private beach with a beautiful view of the sea. We walked along the coast for another two kilometers before coming back to cook and watch the sunset.
In the evening, we actually went to the beach for a night swim, but within two steps, we saw a mountain lion watching us from a short distance up, so we came back to count the stars for fear that it would get too hungry. In the morning, I went back to the beach and found that it was quite busy the night before. There were animal tracks everywhere, mostly raccoons. Most of them were raccoons, but there were also some round marks, probably made by rabbits.
Further reading
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