From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches to its open grasslands, brushy hillsides, and forested ridges, Point Reyes offers visitors over 1500 species of plants and animals to discover. Home to several cultures over thousands of years, the Seashore preserves a tapestry of stories and interactions of people. Point Reyes awaits your exploration.

President Kennedy established the Point Reyes National Seashore as a haven for seabirds, elephant seals, and elk in 1962. It's nice for people too. Hike the Tomales Point Trail to Windy Gap, which winds an easy two miles starting at Pierce Point Road through the Tule Elk Preserve. Take it another seven miles all the way to the precarious Point itself for a spectacular showcase of wind, fog, and sea. If you want to keep closer to the water, the Estero Trail, a nine-mile hike off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, offers a chance to glimpse bat rays and leopard sharks cutting through the water.

You'll notice the Point Reyes Lighthouse perched on the western headlands from lots of vantage points. If you want to get up close, it's a climb down a few hundred steps. The Lighthouse Visitor Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday through Monday.

One of the best ways to see the harbor seals, otters, and grebes is to view them from a kayak – although, make sure to keep a distance of more than 300 ft. Most likely, though, they will spot you long before that as you bumble on the shore with your kayak. Blue Waters Kayaking leads tours year-round that include a picnic, paddling through bioluminescent plankton.

You can pet dairy cows and eat their cheese at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, which is hidden in the rolling Point Reyes Station hills (look for the Giacomini Dairy sign). Wine and cheese tastings and farm dinners happen regularly at the Fork, their new tasting room.

Registry

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