Happily, I was less than a mile at that point from Glen Camp, though I likely hiked 6.5 miles overall taking the scenic route. I wasn’t at blisters yet, but I could feel them coming. I snuck off to the side here,and found a place to force my feet into the frigid creek. It cuts back inland to cross Coast Creek via a wooden bridge. The trees open up, and you are in for a heavy dose of sea breeze and sunlight. And humid – I soaked everything in sweat with temps in the low 80’s.Ībout a mile and a half past where I picked it up from the Meadow trail, Skyline winds down the west side of the ridge towards but not to the Pacific. It felt strange climbing the hill, until I realized that I was still at about 700’ total elevation. The rest is extant private ranches and a scattering of state and local parks. The thick canopy of trees and brush are all part of the Phillip Burton Wilderness, which actually encompasses about a third of the total peninsula. Point Reyes is a couple notches of Richter Scale away from being an island. To the south it runs roughly under Highway 1. To the north end of the peninsula, that fault line is submerged by Tomales Bay. ![]() The heart of Point Reyes is Inverness Ridge, which has been separated from Bolinas Ridge on the coast be the San Andreas fault. This spur trail cuts steeply uphill to the Skyline Trail, which bisects the main ridge forming the peninsula. So I cut to the right, west, up the Meadow Trail. ![]() I headed south(ish) along the Bear Valley trail until I realized this dirt road is everyone’s day hike. Get beyond it, and the little maze of day-use trails wandering around the picnic grounds, and the crowds started to thin, even on a Sunday afternoon with good weather. The Bear Canyon Visitor Center is everyone’s first stop, being where the permits come from, and correspondingly crowded. In the case of the Glen Campground, where I had a ($20) permit, this meant about 5 miles from the visitor center. There are no drive-in campsites in Point Reyes they are all walk-in or boat in. Browse exhibits on the historic Point Reyes Lighthouse, whales, seals, sea lions, wildflowers, birds, and maritime history.In April of 2018 I scored a permit to camp inside the Point Reyes National Seashore just north of San Francisco. Located 45 minutes west of Bear Valley on the Point Reyes Headlands, at the end of Sir Francis Drake Blvd., the Center is a 650 meter (0.4 mile) uphill walk from the parking lot. Located at beautiful Drake’s Beach this center contains exhibits focused on 16th-century maritime exploration, marine fossils, and marine environments. Just west of the Center’s parking lot is the 0.6-mile paved Earthquake Trail that takes you on an informational walk through key features of the San Andreas Fault zone. Visitor CentersĮxcellent exhibits, maps, and park information can be found at this center. The preserve is also rich in raptors and shorebirds. ![]() The peninsula includes wild coastal beaches and headlands, estuaries, and uplands and the northernmost part is maintained as a reserve for tule elk. The mix of commercial and recreational uses-historic ranching and oyster farming-was the reason the area was designated a National Seashore rather than a National Park. It is a nationally important nature preserve within which existing agricultural uses are allowed to continue. ![]() The southern half of Point Reyes National Seashore is a 71,028-acre designated wilderness area with more than 70 miles of trails and several hike-in campgrounds. Point Reyes National Seashore Association website >
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |