Every Trail Tells a Story
Chimney Rock
Wildflower wonderland-lupine, iris, and poppies paint the cliffs in spring.
Elephant seals roar and wrestle on the beaches below.
Sweeping views of whales, waves, and rugged Point Reyes headlands.
So compelling is Point Reyes Lighthouse, most visitors don’t bother with the walk to Chimney Rock Overlook. They’re missing out big-time! This Trailmaster favorite hike offers a panoramic view nearly equal to that of the lighthouse. And much more.
You’ll travel a spring wildflower-lined path, glimpsing the old U.S. Coast Guard Lifeboat Station below. While you might not be able to discern which offshore rock most resembles a chimney, you will be able to take in a sweep of coastline that, on a clear day, extends all the way to San Francisco.
And what a walk it is in wildflower season. From March through May the bluffs explode in color-lupine and poppies, Douglas iris and seaside daisy. Experts have counted more than five-dozen species blooming along this short trail, transforming the headlands into a painter’s palette of blue, gold, and violet.
From December to February, the elephant seals put on the season’s best show. These enormous, noisy creatures re-colonized isolated Point Reyes beaches in the early 1980s and have been thriving ever since. Head to the Elephant Seal Overlook-one of the safest and most reliable places in California to view them. The bluffs echo with their deep-throated roars, the pups squirm in the sand, and the massive males square off like sumo wrestlers. Bring binoculars and plenty of time.
And as if seals weren’t enough, January through May brings the annual gray whale migration. Watch the Pacific carefully-those spouts in the distance belong to mothers and calves making the long journey north to Arctic feeding grounds.
The Point Reyes Headlands are more than a stage for big mammals. Extending about 3.5 miles from Chimney Rock to the lighthouse, the granitic promontory harbors one of the most important rocky shoreline habitats on the West Coast. It’s a haven for nesting seabirds and crawling with invertebrates-urchins, mussels, and seastars galore. Keep your eye out for the 20-rayed sunstar, a flamboyant sea creature that looks like it escaped from a child’s kaleidoscope.
History buffs will want to wander down to the Point Reyes Lifesaving Station. Built in 1927, it remained in service until 1968. Despite the nearby lighthouse, shipwrecks were frequent off Point Reyes, and the Coast Guard’s lifesavers braved brutal seas to rescue dozens of sailors. Restored by the National Park Service, the station earned its place on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1990.
Chimney Rock is where wildflowers meet wildlife, where sweeping views meet sea-scarred history. Skip it, and you’ll miss the headlands at their most alive.
From Highway 101 in Olema, drive north a short distance, then turn left on Sir Francis Drake Highway and proceed 17.5 miles to the signed turnoff for Chimney Rock. Turn left and drive another mile to the parking area and signed trailhead.
From the parking lot, follow the trail across the grassy cliffs. Savor a view of the sparkling white cliffs back of Drakes Beach. Detour over to an overlook of Point Reyes Peninsula and, on especially clear days, the Farallon Islands.
Be extra careful around the cliff edges and along social trails off the main route of travel. There is no safe beach access.
Back on the main path, continue your wind-blown way to the cliff-top vista point. Sea stacks and the surging surf are part of the dramatic seascape, a lively combo of Drakes Bay and great Pacific. Many birds nest on and near Chimney Rock, including Western gulls, cormorants, pigeon guillemots and black oystercatchers.