Point Reyes

I visited Point Reyes last saturday and had been wanting to write a post about the place. I have already gone there a couple of times only to see the place completely covered in fog. This time it was different and I really got to see how beautiful Point Reyes really is. Even before I start I want to make it clear that no amount of words can truly describe the beauty of Point Reyes.

My parents-in-law are here and we've been wanting to take them to Point Reyes for a while now. This saturday since weather seemed fine I looked at the Point Reyes Cam to make sure that the weather and visibility were good in Point Reyes. Most of the times weather and visibility are great until the visitor center but the Point Reyes light house would be covered with fog. It really helps to see the cam before you leave your home.

Ideally early morning trips should be made to Point Reyes its mainly because the place lies to the west it might be more pleasant in the morning and would have correct amount of light for photography. Photos that are taken in the light house close to evening tend to get overexposed. The other reason is that if you are travelling from San Jose then you need to travel via SFO and as the day progresses the traffic near SFO gets worse.

Anyways if you are lucky with traffic then it takes about a couple of hours to get there. On your way you get to see the Golden Gate Bridge and the drive gets pretty scenic from that point onwards. Further down from the Golden Gate is the Muir Woods National Monument and Park which is where most of the traffic is usually headed. Further down is the Muir beach overlook which is a very beautiful spot where you can see some base-end stations that were used during World War II. Once you cross Muir beach overlook its some more windy roads and you get to Stinson Beach. As you drive further down you get to flat lands lined with backwaters on one side. You just continue on Hwy1 and you finally reach Bear Valley in Point Reyes.

Muir Beach Overlook - View towards San Francisco

Muir Beach Overlook - view of the opposite side.

At the visitor center you pick up the map and head wherever you feel like going. Right when you step out of your car you realize that you are in a secluded place thats far far away from the daily commotion. There's a sense of peace that embraces you. Next to the visitor center is the Earthquake Trail. Its a fairly short trail that takes you through the San Andreas Fault Zone. On your hike you get to see the fence that moved 20 ft apart during the earthquake.

Beach as seen on our way to Light House

The map pretty much has all the beaches and trails listed. But most people usually end up at the historic light house. On your way to the Lighthouse you see Ranches and other beaches, various rock formations and different species of trees. Once you cross Ranches M to A you get closer to the light house. Winds are a lot stronger near the lighthouse and the hike to the lighthouse is 300ft downhill. The view of the lighthouse is spectacular. It was constructed in 1870 and is no longer functional. But the original structure is being preserved and maintined in mint condition. The path that leads to the lighthouse is a flight of stairs that have support rails on either side. You get to see the ocean on either side. You could see the small rocks and different types of birds resting on them on your hike to the light house. The ranger gives a small explanation about the light house mainly about its construction and how it was used.

The Light house

Another View of Light House


Ship and the deer as seen.


Sunset

In addition there are several beaches some offer a calm shoreline and others are usually rough mainly due to the rock formations. Apart from the beaches and light house the whole landscape of Point Reyes is just breathtaking. The valleys, small water bodies, rocks, dense forests with deers running around. The different colors of the ocean at different points is just so wonderful to see.

Because of the early sunset we had to start heading back home earlier than on a typical summer day. But overall I enjoyed every minute I was there in Point Reyes. If you really need a weekend getaway or a quiet day in the wilderness to just zone out then Point Reyes might be the place to go. Even thought its just 1 hr drive from the city you almost feel like you are in some place far far away.