Point Reyes National Seashore

Watch for seals and whales as you hike, bike or kayak along the shoreline of this national seashore with remote beaches, fog-shrouded hills and a picture-perfect white lighthouse.

See the blue Pacific Ocean unfold before you at Point Reyes National Seashore. Explore 80 miles (130 kilometers) of shoreline at this national seashore in California’s Marin County.

Learn more about the park and get oriented at one of its three visitor centers. At Bear Valley Visitor Center, be introduced to the park’s history and browse through the bookstore. This is the park’s main center and provides a great place to begin your trip. Admire the impressive minke whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling of the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center. Learn about the plants and animals of the area at the Lighthouse Visitor Center.

Climb up Point Reyes Lighthouse, a red-roofed building perched atop a rocky cliff. You’ll need to scale 300 steps to the top, but you will be rewarded with spectacular panoramic views across the ocean.

Explore the many secluded beaches scattered along Point Reyes National Seashore’s coastline. Listen to the dramatic waves and look for the endangered snowy plover at Great Beach. Bring your four-legged friends to dog-friendly Kehoe Beach. Enjoy spectacular lakefront and oceanfront views at Bass Lake and Wildcat Beach, which are connected by a sandy beach.

Discover more wildlife inhabiting the Point Reyes National Seashore region. Head to Tomales Point to see the tule elk. See harbor seals and California sea lions frolicking in the waves and sunning themselves on the shoreline. Bring binoculars to watch for gray whales fairly close offshore during their migrations between Mexico and Alaska.

Visit Point Reyes National Seashore any day of the year. There is no entrance fee. To camp overnight in the park, apply for a permit.

Take advantage of Point Reyes National Seashore’s convenient location near the heart of the Bay Area. At just over an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, it makes a perfect daytrip outside the city. Take time to fully explore the park and then find dining and accommodations in nearby towns, such as Point Reyes Station, San Rafael, Novato and Petaluma.