I’m not exactly sure when my love for Point Reyes developed, whether it was when I first saw John Carpenter’s movie The Fog, or when I actually visited this breathtaking place but there’s one thing for sure: this love keeps bringing me back time and time again.
The iconic view you’ll see in the film.
It may be due to its endless beauty or perhaps because it makes me feel like a child again. After all, this is the only place I know where you can walk up to a shipwreck, check out the inside of a maritime radio station and visit a historically significant lighthouse, along with rescue boathouses and all in a mere few hours?
The shipwreck on Tomales Bay is a great reminder of a more simple times.
At the end of the Cypress Tree Tunnel stands the KPH radio station, which played an important role in maritime communications for ships on the Pacific Ocean through the late 1900s.
Coming from the high deserts of Southern California, I enjoy the cool, coastal climate here and I love Point Reyes' mysteriously thick fog. Summer is its foggy season and the fog can be so thick and wet that you'll need a raincoat to stay warm and dry.
The historic Point Reyes Lighthouse was built in 1870 to warn ships of the dangerous Headlands and as an aid to maritime navigation.
In response to the many shipwrecks in the treacherous coastal waters, lifesaving stations were also established in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Coexisting with tourists and park activities is the Seashore's pastoral zone, where the ranchers lease their land and continue the long tradition of dairying. I’ve seen the happiest cows here… I mean have you ever seen them chasing each other like dogs and wagging their tales? It’s the funniest, and most bizarre, sight ever.
Oh and let’s not forget about the wildlife! The Tule Elk and Elephant Seal are probably the main attraction at Point Reyes but I also enjoy watching birds frolicking, black-tail deer grazing on thick grass and the scheming coyotes hanging around.
Much of the peninsula's coastline is made up of rocky cliffs, though there are also expansive sandy beaches. Seeing the deep blue, cold water with perfectly bright white waves is always a visual treat.
Chimney Rock Trail and its jagged coastline.
The Point Reyes inlet is called Drakes Estero and it’s one of only two marine wilderness areas in the nation.
From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches to its open grasslands, brushy hillsides, and forested ridges, Point Reyes awaits your exploration.