{"id":2686,"date":"2015-07-22T04:58:54","date_gmt":"2015-07-22T04:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/?p=2686"},"modified":"2022-11-14T00:32:34","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T00:32:34","slug":"point-reyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/point-reyes\/","title":{"rendered":"Point Reyes Area"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n

A Visit to Point Reyes: <\/h3>
\n

Just north of busy San Francisco is a quiet, peaceful seaside region known as the Point Reyes National Seashore.<\/strong>\u00a0 With its many bays, inlets and estuaries, the Point Reyes area offers plenty of scenic places to explore.\u00a0 There are also dozens of sleepy little towns tucked into the rolling, forested hills here.\u00a0 Point Reyes is amazingly unpopulated when you consider that it\u2019s only 30 miles from the northern side of the Golden Gate Bridge.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n \n
\n
\n \"Point \n <\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n \"ScrollDown\" \n <\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n

Being close to the major tourist hub of San Francisco makes Point Reyes a day trip for lots of people but it is difficult to really take in this area in just one day.\u00a0 A visit to Point Reyes should be planned as a destination rather than a side trip.\u00a0 It is a great place to spend 3 or 4 relaxing days after visiting hectic San Francisco or doing too much wine tasting in nearby Napa and Sonoma Counties.<\/p>

Point Reyes National Seashore is a unit of the National Park Service.\u00a0 Currently there is no use fee which is a little surprising considering what a great job the NPS does of maintaining all of the park\u2019s assets.\u00a0 This includes the numerous attractions, visitor centers, beaches and dozens of great hiking trails.\u00a0 One of those attractions is the Point Reyes Lighthouse and another is the well-preserved Pierce Ranch.<\/p>

The average high temperatures in the summer months on Point Reyes are amazingly cool.\u00a0 In July and August, the average high is only 57\u00b0 (14\u00b0 C) thanks to frequent fog.\u00a0 Bring a jacket!\u00a0 The warmest months are September and October with an average high of 61\u00b0 (16\u00b0 C).\u00a0 This is also the time when the area experiences the least amount of fog.\u00a0 So, the best bet for the most sunshine is to plan your trip for one of the fall months.<\/p>

Planning Your Visit<\/h3>

A good place to start your visit to Point Reyes is the main NPS visitor center near the small town of Olema.\u00a0 The Bear Valley Visitor Center has some nice exhibits about the nature in the area.\u00a0 Information and rangers at the center can help you learn what there is to see and enjoy, as well as how to get there.\u00a0 Another great tool is our virtual video tour (see below).\u00a0 We\u2019ll show you some highlights of the area as well as where those places are located.<\/p>

There are tons of outdoor activities to enjoy in and around Point Reyes starting with the dozens of hiking trails.\u00a0 They traverse many variations of terrain and scenery and mountain bikes are allowed on some of them.\u00a0<\/p>

Because of the many estuaries, there are miles of calm waters to explore by kayak or canoe.\u00a0 And, of course, all that water attracts birdlife so bird watching is a popular activity.\u00a0 There is plenty of other wildlife roaming around, too, including herds of tule elk.\u00a0 Tule elk are a subspecies of elk found only in California in the Owens and San Joaquin Valleys and on Point Reyes.\u00a0<\/p>

The roads in and around Point Reyes are very scenic and traffic is very light which makes taking a road trip a delight whether your hands are on a steering wheel or the handlebars of a motorcycle.<\/p>

There are a number of hotels and B&Bs scattered around the Point Reyes area.\u00a0 Most are located near the towns of Point Reyes Station, Inverness, Olema and Tomales.\u00a0 The same goes for eateries.\u00a0 Point Reyes Station is the biggest town with the most businesses and is centrally located.\u00a0 For campers, there are several campgrounds scattered around, but only \u201chike-in\u201d campgrounds in the park.<\/p>

One word of warning: there are very few gas stations.\u00a0 If you are running low on fuel, don\u2019t think there will be fuel available just down the road.\u00a0 There are probably more gas stations in our desert regions than in the Point Reyes area!\u00a0 And expect to pay high prices, too.<\/p>

More…<\/p>

<\/a><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\n

Pictures<\/h3>

Below are some pictures of what you will see along the way.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"PointReyesSldr1\"