Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [330]
Estero Trail
4.5 miles one-way. Easy to moderate. Access: Estero parking area.
A favorite with birders, this mellow trail meanders along the edge of Drakes Estero and Limantour Estero. (Estero is the Spanish word for estuary.) The brackish waters here draw flocks of waterfowl and shorebirds as well as many raptors and smaller species. Along the way you cross a dam and a bridge over Home Bay.
Mount Wittenberg Trail
2 miles one-way. Strenuous. Access: Bear Valley trailhead, south of visitor center parking area.
For the Rambo in your group, this huffer-puffer weeds out the weenies with its elevation, peaking at 1,407 feet rather abruptly. From the Bear Valley trailhead, turn right onto the Mount Wittenberg Trail after .2 mile. The trail up the ridge is steep but rewards hikers with great views back east across the Olema Valley. Instead of turning around directly, if you still have the energy you can loop back along Baldy Trail and take a path such as the Meadow Trail back to Bear Valley Trail, the main route home.
Stewart Trail
9 miles RT. Moderate. Access: Five Brooks parking area.
This trek to Wildcat Beach, one of the few trails in the park open to mountain bikes, is also quite popular with horseback riders. It's quite steep and not nearly as scenic as most other trails.
Tomales Point Trail
4.5 miles one-way. Easy to moderate. Access: Parking lot at end of Pierce Point Rd.
This trail gives hikers a tour of the park's rugged shoreline and passes through an elk reserve, home to the park's 400-strong herd of tule elk. Watch for their V-shaped tracks on the trail. About halfway through, you come to the highest spot on Pierce Point, where on a clear day you can see over the bay to the Sonoma coast and to Mount St. Helena to the northeast.
Beaches
The Great Beach is one of California's longest. It is also one of the windiest, and home to large and dangerous waves. You can't swim here, but the beachcombing is some of the best in the world. Tide poolers should go to lonely McClures Beach at the end of Pierce Point Road during low tide or hike out to Chimney Rock, east of the lighthouse. Swimmers and dog owners will want to stick to Limantour Beach, in the protected lee of Point Reyes. Kehoe Beach, in the northwest part of the park, is known for its spring wildflower blooms. Hearts Desire Beach at Tomales Bay State Park (☎ 415/669-1140) has the warmest, safest swimming as well as a $6-per-vehicle fee.
Sir Francis Drake reputedly landed the Pelican (later rechristened the Golden Hind) on the sandy shore of Drakes Bay in June 1579, to replenish supplies and make repairs before sailing home to England. Drakes Beach is now home to the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center and Drakes Beach Cafe (☎ 415/669-1297;
open Thurs–Mon 10am–5pm), the only food concession in the park, which is famous for its great oysters. This beach is good for swimming, and beach fires are permitted.
Other Sports & Activities
Biking. As most ardent Bay Area mountain bikers know, Point Reyes National Seashore has some of the finest mountain-bike trails in the region—narrow dirt paths winding through densely forested knolls and ending with spectacular ocean views. A trail map (available free at the Bear Valley Visitor Center) is a must because many of the park trails are off-limits to bikes. Note: Bicycles are forbidden on the wilderness area trails, and plotting a course exclusively on the bike trails can be tricky, so plan your route well in advance. Check at the visitor center to find out which trails are currently open to bikes.
Bird-Watching. Point Reyes National Seashore boasts one of the most diverse bird populations in the country, with over 490 different species sighted. Popular bird-watching spots are Abbotts Lagoon and Estero de Limantour. You can hang out with the pros at the Point Reyes Bird Observatory–Palomarin Field Station