Point Reyes is a few miles north of San Francisco and offers a number of great hiking options. There are short hikes to the beach from several entrances, as well as longer backpacking options. There are many campsites near the beaches with water and facilities. The lighthouse on the point is also a major tourist attraction, as are the wildflowers in the spring.
Trails
Summary
Difficulty
Distance
Marin, California Culinary Tour
Along Highway 1 north of San Francisco, explore a foodie enclave with leisurely hikes, picnics, and an enticing vibe.
Along Highway 1 north of San Francisco, explore a foodie enclave with leisurely hikes, picnics, and an enticing vibe.
Easy
Palomarin to Alamere Falls
A great hike from Palomarin to Alamere Falls in Marin County
A great hike from Palomarin to Alamere Falls in Marin County
Easy
8.4 mi/
13.5 km
13.5 km
The Coastal trail to Alamere Falls
A scenic hike in either direction with the creme' de la creme' Alamere Falls as your reward
A scenic hike in either direction with the creme' de la creme' Alamere Falls as your reward
Moderate
8.3 mi/
13.4 km
13.4 km
Tomales Point at Point Reyes National Seashore
Glorious views and grazing elk await at Point Reyes National Seashore. Moderate 10-mile hike.
Glorious views and grazing elk await at Point Reyes National Seashore. Moderate 10-mile hike.
Moderate
10.2 mi/
16.4 km
16.4 km
Samuel P. Taylor State Park
Summary
Difficulty
Distance
Samuel P. Taylor State Park Exploration
The 2,882 acres of Samuel P. Taylor State Park wilderness is within easy driving distance of San Francisco.
The 2,882 acres of Samuel P. Taylor State Park wilderness is within easy driving distance of San Francisco.
Moderate
2.6 mi/
4.2 km
4.2 km
Barnabe Peak Loop Hike
A morning hike up Barnabe Peak, it's vistas and a return along a Redwood lined creek trail.
A morning hike up Barnabe Peak, it's vistas and a return along a Redwood lined creek trail.
Moderate
5.6 mi/
9.0 km
9.0 km
Mt Barnabe, Samuel P Taylor State Park
Hike the winding forest trail up reach the sun-bleached summit of Mt Barnabe and views over Marin County.
Hike the winding forest trail up reach the sun-bleached summit of Mt Barnabe and views over Marin County.
Moderate
6.0 mi/
9.7 km
9.7 km
Phillip Burton Wilderness
Summary
Difficulty
Distance
Point Reyes - Bear Valley Trail, Sky Trail, Horse Trail Loop
Loop of trails from Bear Valley Visitor Center in Olema and back.
Loop of trails from Bear Valley Visitor Center in Olema and back.
Moderate
15.6 mi/
25 km
25 km
Backpacking at Point Reyes National Seashore
Sampling Northern California's spectacular coastline on an overnight camp-out.
Sampling Northern California's spectacular coastline on an overnight camp-out.
n/a
57 mi/
93 km
93 km
Guides
Glorious views and grazing elk await at Point Reyes National Seashore. Moderate 10-mile hike.
A scenic hike in either direction with the creme' de la creme' Alamere Falls as your reward
Sampling Northern California's spectacular coastline on an overnight camp-out.
Along Highway 1 north of San Francisco, explore a foodie enclave with leisurely hikes, picnics, and an enticing vibe.
Watersports on the California coast.
Hike the winding forest trail up reach the sun-bleached summit of Mt Barnabe and views over Marin County.
A great hike from Palomarin to Alamere Falls in Marin County
A morning hike up Barnabe Peak, it's vistas and a return along a Redwood lined creek trail.
The 2,882 acres of Samuel P. Taylor State Park wilderness is within easy driving distance of San Francisco.
Short hike to the beach in Point Reyes National Seashore
6.2 mile trail in Samuel Taylor State Park, California
Short Backpacking trip to Coast Camp
Community Trips
Instead of snow camping in Yosemite this weekend (we were dangerously underprepared), David and I decided to camp out at Point Reyes. We left San Francisco around 7am Saturaday morning, drove to the visitor's center, grabbed our permit and were on the trail just before 10am. The hike to the camp was a bit longer than we had judged on the map (we ended up going about 14 miles a day when...
With my wife's and 1st-grader daughter's "ski week" both coinciding with Presidents Day, Debbie decided to take the kids to Cleveland for the week so they could hang out with their grandparents and cousins. I couldn't afford the entire week off work, but I could take one day off -- and so plans were born for a three-day (Sunday to Tuesday) backpacking trip somewhere. My first thought was the Skyline-to-the-Sea trail, but...
Fourth of July weekend and the crowds were out. But I immediately veered off to head up Mt. Wittenberg and lost nearly everyone. Only saw the occassional hiker after that. Great July weather -- which is to say foggy -- and perfect for a hike. Point Reyes always offers great sites and a lot of options. In this case I took Mt. Wittenberg to Sky Trail to Coast Trail and back up...
This is one of my favorite Point Reyes hikes. There are wonderful
views at every turn. Ocean to your left, bay to your right, rolling
hills in front of you and if you're hiking the spring, wildflowers at your feet. There aren't many hikes where you get out to a dramatic headland point like this.
The drive to the trail head is interesting in itself. It rolls through old dairy country and ends at a...
This was a three day trip at Point Reyes. The weather was unbelievable for Jan. Had 3 days of 70 degree, no wind and very clear hiking.Did a loop starting at the Bear Valley trailhead, over to Coast Camp, then down Coast Trail to Wildcat camp and then back to Bear Valley. Each leg was about 8 miles. Also hiked down the beach to Sculptured Beach from Coast Camp and down to...
This was a fairly easy hike until the very last descent to the falls. I didn't feel comfortable making the final drop down to the beach to get a photo of the lower falls.
Pt. Reyes National Seashore - Alamere Falls, Phantom Falls
Bolinas, California, United States
12.9 miles
12.9 miles
We started out at Point Reyes Bird Observatory/Palomarin trailhead. We were looking for Phantom falls, which we found, but it was a trickle. Looks like it's best to go after a good rain.Alamere Falls was running pretty well, as were the falls above it.
Reviews
