Every Trail Tells a Story

Point Reyes National Seashore

Best Day Hikes in

POINT REYES

NATIONAL SEASHORE

Discover some of finest trails on the California coast! From Bear Valley to Alamere Falls to Tomales Point, here are my favorite tales—along with the best trails on the Point Reyes peninsula and around Tomales Bay.

Why Go: An unforgettable place to ramble: forested ridges, wild and open coastal bluffs, deserted beaches.

Before You Go: Learn more about tule elk, elephant seals, and the colorful history of Pt. Reyes.

Palomarin & Five Brooks

  • Five Brooks & Firtop

    A handful of brooks, a walk in the woods, and PRNS’s second-highest summit

  • Olema Valley

    Forest, meadow and a pathway through pastoral valley

  • Palomarin & Alamere Falls

    Splendid Coast Trail leads to an unusual waterfall and the “Lake District”

  • Palomarin Beach

    Observe seals and visit tide pools at National Seashore’s south end

  • Rift Zone

    Name for earthquake fault, yet a gentle montage of meadows, pastures and woodlands

Bear Valley & Limantour

  • All About Earthquakes

    Earthquake Trail offers engaging lessons about the 1906 San Francisco quake and the San Andreas Fault

  • Bear Valley

    Lovely forest and wide meadows along flat footpath from the Visitor Center to the sea

  • Limantour Beach

    Some claim Limantour Beach is the Bay Area’s best for walking

  • Mt. Wittenberg

    Up fern- and fir-dotted slopes to Point Reyes highest summit and fine vistas

  • Muddy Hollow & The Estero

    From one of PR’s most obscure trailheads, hike hill and dale, beach and estero

Sir Francis Drake Highway

  • Bull Point

    Step into the 23rd Psalm: a path through green pastures and by still waters

  • Chimney Rock

    Brave lifesavers, elephant seals, spring wildflowers and splendid Pt. Reyes panoramas

  • Drakes Beach

    Homage to Sir Francis Drake at one of the safest and most family-friendly beaches on Point Reyes

  • Drakes Estero

    Hike to the edge of the estuary and observe seals, sea lions and a multitude of shorebirds

  • Point Reyes Lighthouse

    Beacon on the West Coast’s foggiest fringe and iconic Point Reyes landmark

  • Sunset Beach

    Estero Trail and hillside paths lead to some of the finest tidepools in the national seashore

Tomales Bay & Pierce Point Road

  • Abbotts Lagoon

    Melancholy beauty at a lonely lagoon, along with spring flowers and gobs of grebes

  • Kehoe Beach

    Remote, backed by dunes and dramatic bluffs, a harbor seal haul-out and a great hike

  • Marshall Beach

    Way off the beaten path, a gem of a white sand beach fringed with cypress

  • McClures Beach

    Sea stacks and more along an inviting shore

  • Tomales Bay

    Explore big-time bird habitat and California’s tumultuous geologic history

  • Tomales Bay State Park

    Hearts Desire Beach, Pebble Beach, Shell Beach and a Bishop pine forest

  • Tomales Point

    Wander with the tule elk to the tip of Point Reyes-one of The Trailmaster’s all-time favorite coastal hikes

Highway 1