Travel Journal:

Point Reyes National Seashore, California - A Weekend Hike and a...


A Weekend Hike and a Beach to Ourselves 11/15/06
 
Northern California is a lot like Southern California. Driving along any main highway, you're either staring out at suburbian jungles and strip malls or vast fields of nothingness (minus, perhaps, a few happy cows). My cynicism as a rookie California resident was put to shame, however, when I visited Point Reyes National Seashore last November. Just 35 miles north of San Francisco, this pristine and isolated spot was just that -- and a seriously overdue breath of fresh air. The drive along Highway 1 to Point Reyes Station feels a little like your amusement park twirl-a-hurl but the scenery, more promising around every corner, is enough to stay strong till the end.

After getting our camping permit at the Bear Valley Visitor center, we parked at the Wildcat Campground trailhead, one of several starting points for overnight, backpacking campers. The six mile hike isn’t exactly a cruise, but just like the drive there, it contains its saving graces. Groves of bishop pines, Indian paintbrush, huckleberry bushes, and morning glories infuse the surrounding hills, which open up intermittently to stunning views of lakes, cliffs, and the blue Pacific. Around mile five, you’re offered a steep path leading down to the beach and a huge waterfall. At sunset, right as we neared the campground, the sky was a live lava field -- crimson, black and glowing through rapidly changing cloud drifts. Finally, as we reached the campsite with hips bruised from heavy packs, we stopped to glance up at a sky that could have been artificial for the strength of the stars. It was the first time I had seen the Milky Way since leaving my hometown in Utah; there was no mistaking it for the haze of city lights you might see from a scenic point close to San Francisco or Half Moon Bay. A glass of wine or two later and we slept with nothing but the sound of waves as company.

I woke up to the steady lull of the ocean and looked out on brilliantly sun-bleached cliffs, white sand, and wallpapered greenery. We had picked site #5, set snugly behind wind-blocking hills and adjacent to a short path leading to the beach. There was literally not a soul in sight; so my hiking buddy and I spent the day playing with waves, picking up shells, indulging in November sunbathing, and gawking at the lesson in geology built up in the steep cliffs. I couldn’t believe such a spot existed so close to San Francisco – just yesterday we had been fighting weekend traffic on 101 North.

Point Reyes is a well-kept secret (so don’t tell too many people) that offers a diverse ecosystem and scenery worthy of tourist postcards. It’s secluded enough to feel miles away from everyone yet close enough to San Francisco and my hometown, East Palo Alto, to merit an easy weekend get-a-way. Some advice: learn what poison oak looks like before setting off on the trek. Oh, and pack plenty of sunblock. You may be surprised to feel like taking it all off for a round of sunbathing, even in the middle of November.
 
Map and Photos for Point Reyes National Seashore, California
View Map
Point Reyes Station Journal : Point Reyes National Seashore, California - A Weekend Hike and a Beach to Ourselves Travel Photos
Tip: Use arrow keys to flip through the slideshow.