There are so many beautiful things to do in California, especially on its rugged coast, that it was hard to decide where to spend our limited time. But after many recommendations and research, I knew that Point Reyes was high on my list. I am glad we went – even though we were caught unawares – it felt like traveling to the end of the world to visit this National Seashore.
New to our Trip? Be sure to check out our kick-off article and FAQs on our trip up California’s Route 1 with the family. The full itinerary, including stops and lodging, can be found here.
We had spent the morning at Muir Woods, praying in the cathedrals and not dancing on their roots. We were continuing up the Route 1, taking our time, yet also kind of feeling pressed for time.
Route 1 in California is stunning and worth the drive. But it is NOT FAST. Nor is it all direct.
So we were watching our Google Maps estimate our travel time to Point Reyes park and we had an itinerary to be in Mendocino by bedtime. This meant some tough choices.
We had heard so many good things about the town of Stinson Beach. Actually part of the Golden Gate Natural Recreation Area, Stinson Beach has a quintessential California wild surfer vibe. Alas, we couldn’t stay. We stopped in to get some delicious grilled sandwiches to go from Parkside Cafe, but we basically had a sign on our car that said “Point Reyes or BUST!” I regret not being able to spend more time here.
But this is a fine time to share my biggest regret of the trip: I never got to eat fresh oysters.
I love those things, slimy and salty as they are. And I heard that Humboldt County does oysters like no one else can. Yet given our schedule and the fact that every time we passed a small, local oyster shack with people standing in the yard shucking (you heard me right) absolutely no one was hungry.
Be better than me. Get oysters. And this part of the drive is your chance!
Because the thing to be prepared for when visiting Point Reyes National Seashore is that it is a HAUL. I mean, the park entrance is right off of Route 1. But this is a very large undeveloped peninsula and the road winds with the landscape.
Driving all the way to the lighthouse was about 45-minutes from the entrance. So yes, while the tourist guides all say “1 hour north of San Francisco,” that’s really just literally to where the park starts. If you want to go deep to where the park shines, it’s a significant additional time investment.
After all, Point Reyes covers 71,000 acres. That is vast. And the lighthouse is just one part of the entire area that deserves to be seen.
The (interesting yet unsurprising) history of Point Reyes
Point Reyes has what seems to be a now-typical American story. Here is the short version:
Native Americans dwelled on this land for years, Sir Francis Drake landed his boat here for repairs, then the Spanish became obsessed with it (even wrecking a boat here), but then there were wars with Mexico and a whole lot of confusion and arguments about who actually owned Point Reyes.
Then America took over Point Reyes and sometime in the mid-1800s forced people to show up, pay taxes, deliver some paperwork, and generally sort out who owned what.
Of course, that ended up in a free-for-all where some American entrepreneurs picked up the land for super-cheap and thought they’d make huge profits off of raising cattle and selling butter to people in San Francisco. But they didn’t do the actual farming – they installed a tenant farmer system. (In fact, there are still privately owned cattle ranches in the National Seashore area, and some historic cabins and farmhouses.)
Those entrepreneurs didn’t get rich, although they lived like they were, and in 1937 the tenant system in place crumbled and the barons lost the land.
In 1958, the National Parks Service proposed making Point Reyes a National Seashore and it was incredibly controversial at the time. Environmentalists, of course, loudly supported it. But ranchers (especially those who farmed there for a living) were, of course, loudly opposed.
In 1962, President Kennedy signed the paperwork for Point Reyes to be national land and the park service leased land back to the ranchers.
Then in 2021 The Family Trip came to visit… which is clearly meant to be the next chapter in the story…
What to do with the family in Point Reyes
First, try not to throw the kids out the car as they complain about the really long drive. If you succeed at that, you’ve already won!
But also get out to the lighthouse! It is a half-mile walk from the parking lot up to the lighthouse, and the lighthouse itself has really limited hours for going inside.
But oh my gosh, standing outside, exposed to the wide open sea on three sides, looking back at the cliffside slopes of California’s coastline…it feels like the end of the world.
It feels exhilarating.
It is here that nature lives without care for man. We saw whales migrating off the coast from this spot.
As we discovered with Canyonlands, the places least discovered and touristed are the ones that take our breath away and stick with us for the long haul. The commitment to the extra miles and the journey is worth it. (I suppose if it were easier, everyone would be doing it, removing some of the untamed glory?)
Try to hike here (if you planned your itinerary better, you may have more time than we did!). There are over 150-miles of trail in the Point Reyes National Seashore, and there are beaches and waterfalls and towering cliffs.
Head to Drakes Beach, especially with the kids. This beach is easily accessible from the parking lot, with a ranger station and a restroom.
But this was by far my favorite spot, too. Nestled in a cocoon of a beach, with cliffs protecting the crescent of shoreline, were the baby elephant seals.
Yes, these pictures are “baby” elephant seals. They are just lying on the beach – easily accessible to people who want to see them. RIGHT THERE. Huge, living, beautiful creatures that our family only sees in zoos or National Geographic Kids magazines, RIGHT THERE.
I couldn’t contain my awe and excitement (I was my loud Dorky Mom persona here and have no apologies for that exuberance).
The elephant seals aren’t always there. And when it is is peak breeding season, visitors are not allowed at Drakes Beach. Be sure to check the updated closures announcements to know if this is even a possibility for your visit. We lucked out. And I am so very glad we did.
Maybe it was the moody weather, or the orange and brown colors, or the large seals flapping sand over themselves, but this spot felt so special to me. It felt like a gift, packaged perfectly just for me and my family at that precise moment in time.
It was travel magic.
In general, Point Reyes is an interesting experiment to me. How can we preserve a huge amount of land for animals to be wild and unaffected by humans? Yet at the same time allow private lives relying on that land to continue? How can the land still be useful to Americans who need the soil and the industry yet still allow for elk to graze and grow?
I think it’s working? Obviously, I am not in a position to render a full verdict on this co-existence experiment on national land. I am not living there, trying to run a ranch.
But it felt like there was plenty of space for all: wild and tamed alike. There was plenty of acreage to let all living beings be.
To learn more about Point Reyes, check these out:
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