Every Trail Tells a Story
Mt. Wittenberg
Climb the highest peak in Point Reyes-bragging rights secured.
Experience a “forest primeval” atmosphere in mist and fog.
Pair a steep mountain climb with softer seashore rambles for the perfect Point Reyes yin-yang.
Highest peak in Point Reyes National Seashore, 1,407-foot Mt. Wittenberg offers occasional vistas of the entire Point Reyes Peninsula: Tomales Bay, Olema Valley, and Bolinas Ridge. On clear days, look for distant Mt. St. Helena and Mt. Diablo.
But let’s be clear: whatever views you snag won’t be from the actual top. The once-commanding summit views have been overtaken by a dense conifer canopy. Douglas fir colonized the upper slopes after the 1995 Vision Fire and now form a solid green curtain. The 2020 fire singed much of Wittenberg but spared the firs up top. So, yes, you’ll summit the park’s highest peak-just don’t expect sweeping Pacific panoramas from the very crest. Instead, bring your lunch and enjoy a picnic in a cathedral of conifers.
The mountain also has a human history. Peter and Newton Wittenberg, 19th-century ranchers, ran cattle and planted trees at their Z Ranch, located near today’s Sky Camp. Those windbreaks of eucalyptus and cypress still stand-reminders that ranching culture is layered into the wildness of Point Reyes.
I’ve always liked Mt. Wittenberg for its no-nonsense climb. Unlike so many Point Reyes rambles that ease you along creeks, meadows, and coast, this trail looks you in the eye and says: “Ready to work for it?” The straight-up ascent makes it a counterpoint-and a fine pairing-to the softer seashore hikes.
Fog is no drawback here; in fact, the mountain seems to welcome it. A gray day turns the slopes into a forest primeval: moss dangling from branches, lichens painting the bark, sword ferns brightening the understory. On one misty climb, I half expected a druid to step out and tell me I was off-trail.
At the top, don’t expect a dramatic “ta-da!” reveal-expect instead the quiet satisfaction of reaching the park’s highest ground, and the reward of choosing your return: shorter via Meadow Trail, longer via Old Pine, or full-tilt epic via Baldy.
Bear Valley Visitor Center is located just outside the town of Olema, 35 miles north of San Francisco on Highway 1. Turn left on Bear Valley Road and drive 0.4 mile to parking for the visitor center and trailhead.
Begin on Bear Valley Trail and in 0.2 mile reach a right-forking junction beneath a large bay tree with a signed Mt. Wittenberg Trail. Sword ferns flank the steep path as it climbs past tanbark oak and Douglas fir.
The grade is steady and punishing in places, gaining over 1,000 feet in less than two miles. At the ridgecrest, reach a junction with Z Ranch Trail at the two-mile mark. A 0.3-mile spur climbs through open grassland and scattered fir to the top. The path fades in tall grass; mist or fog can be disorienting, so pay attention.
Retrace your steps to the junction. For a moderate 5.4-mile loop, descend via Meadow Trail, which crosses a broad meadow with views to Mt. Tam before dropping past Douglas fir to Bear Valley Creek. For a longer loop, continue south on Sky Trail to Old Pine Trail, which descends through meadows and Bishop pine groves. For the most ambitious loop, stay on Sky Trail past Baldy (a rocky knob) and then descend Baldy Trail, adding miles but rewarding you with solitude.