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Bear Valley Loop - Point Reyes Details
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trip viewed 390 times
Story: 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 the very popular (i.e. crowded) Bear Valley Trail.
Saw two deer at close range and one beautiful quail protecting her newly hatched chicks. Also saw a lot of Springtime wildflowers.
Saw two deer at close range and one beautiful quail protecting her newly hatched chicks. Also saw a lot of Springtime wildflowers.
Tips: There are a lot of options when hiking in Point Reyes. If you wanted to extend this one to about 14 miles you could take the Woodward Way trail which dumps out further North up the coast. If you don't mind crowds, check out Arch Rock which intersects the Bear Valley Trail at the ocean.
As always, bring layers in the Springtime -- you'll be hot on the way up, cold on the way down.
As always, bring layers in the Springtime -- you'll be hot on the way up, cold on the way down.
Tags: Olema, Inverness Park
Photos: See all pictures from Bear Valley Loop - Point Reyes
Trail Start, Trail Shot, Spring Fruit, Just Below Mt. Wittenberg Summit, Perspective , Trail Color, More Trees, Northern California Forest Hiking, A Sunny Patch, Purple Flowers, Ocean Views, Bar Valley Road -- I Mean Trail, More Perspective, Trail Color, Back to the Vistor Center
Trail Start, Trail Shot, Spring Fruit, Just Below Mt. Wittenberg Summit, Perspective , Trail Color, More Trees, Northern California Forest Hiking, A Sunny Patch, Purple Flowers, Ocean Views, Bar Valley Road -- I Mean Trail, More Perspective, Trail Color, Back to the Vistor Center
Comments (3)
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dano23
- Jan 12, 2010 at 05:08:41 pm
Thanks for the comments, dland. And you're right, the first part of the trail is tough, so it pays to be prepared. But it's also a good way to leave the crowds behind. The Bear Valley visitor center and the straight-shot trail to the ocean can get a little crowded, as you know. This remains one of my favorite hikes -- will have to get back there soon!  |
dland
- Jan 11, 2010 at 12:22:55 am
I just completed this loop yesterday with about a dozen boy scouts and half a dozen adults. It was a beautiful hike on a cool, overcast day. In the late afternoon, just before sunset as we returned to the visitor center (and the Earthquake loop trail), the sun broke through, bathing the meadow near the visitor center in golden light.
Beginning hikers: take a look at the "Statistics Mode" on the map above: the first three miles or so are steady climbing, but totally worth it, because the rest of the loop is almost all downhill or nearly level.  |
joost
- Jul 05, 2009 at 08:30:05 pm
very nice trail. will have to get to point reyes some time soon! 
