Destination: Point Reyes
Visit Bear Valley Visitor Center (and Miwok Village), Hike Down To Point Reyes Lighthouse, And Snap A Photo At The Cypress Tree Tunnel
This is part of a series of family-oriented day trip outings around the San Francisco Bay Area I look forward to enjoying with my kids once social distancing and shelter in place isn’t the norm any longer.
Social Isolation — Day 30
Around this time of year, we have a big family trip to overnight in Sky Camp at Point Reyes. It’s a short backpacking trip (about a little over a mile from the parking area). Just far enough to feel away from things, but close enough that if we have some problem, the car isn’t far away. A couple of years going, we’ve even had Easter up here. So today is another reminder of how stuck at home we all are, and not to take our outdoor opportunities for granted.
A trip to Point Reyes is like stepping into another time and place. The coastal Indians had a big presence here and stopping at the Miwok village near the Bear Valley visitor center is a great opportunity to acknowledge their part of the local history. The Bear Valley visitor center is also a good spot for a restroom visit after your long drive, and they have some cool exhibits and a nice gift shop here too. Pro-tip, if you are camping, this is where you need to check-in before setting up your tent.
The Point Reyes ship in the image up above has seen better days. A few years back, some photographers were out here for night shots doing something called spinning wool, or steel wool photography. The idea is that you put the steel wool in a whisk, light it on fire (yes, it burns) and as it sparks you rotate the whisk around throwing sparks everywhere, taking a long exposure image. Unfortunately, the photographers were careless, and this picturesque derelict boat caught fire. As you drive toward the lighthouse, the boat can be found in Inverness.
Destination: Point Reyes
Visit Bear Valley Visitor Center (and Miwok Village)
Hike Down To Point Reyes Lighthouse
Snap A Photo At The Cypress Tree Tunnel
Visit Bear Valley Visitor Center (and Miwok Village)
The Bear Valley visitor center is a great first stop when you arrive at Point Reyes, although on a nice day parking can be hard to find. There are bathrooms here and a nice visitor center with hands-on exhibits showcasing nature from around the area. It's always a good idea to check in with the rangers to see if anything interesting is happening or pick up your junior ranger guidebooks. There is a little gift shop here too if you want to support the park.
Taking a short hike to the Miwok Village is also interesting, they have a nice representation of what life for the Coastal Indians was like when they lived here.
Miwok Village by Cody Tolmasoff
Hike Down To Point Reyes Lighthouse
Photo by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash
It’s a decent drive to get to the lighthouse. On busy weekends there is a shuttle running that you may want to take advantage of as parking can be tricky, and you’ve already driven all the way up here. It can get quite windy here, some of the strongest winds in California have been recorded not far from here. There is a decent stairway climb to get down as well (and back up to the top).
The view from here is really something else. On a clear day, you get a remarkable view of the Farallon Islands off our coast. The lighthouse survived the 1906 earthquake with only minimal damage, going offline for only a few minutes between the time of the earthquake and sunrise. The lighthouse staff were able to make repairs and get things up and running by the following evening. Life here was tough. It was a long journey to go to San Francisco for supplies, so lighthouse keepers were largely on their own here.
Snap A Photo At The Cypress Tree Tunnel
If you imagine the drive from the Bear Valley Visitor Center to the lighthouse as an upside-down ‘U’, the very top of the U is where the tree tunnel is. At the far end is a radio transmitter, and this is a favorite spot for visitors to take pictures. Be aware though, this is an active road.
Cody Tolmasoff is an author and publisher for Adventuring.in. He is a recovering programmer and a San Francisco native, raising two daughters, and regularly finding new adventures around the SF Bay Area. This article is an excerpt from an upcoming book, 52 San Francisco Bay Area Weekend Adventures, Day Trips With Your Kids!
Find him on Twitter @codyo, and read his most recent title Adventures in Getting Out on Amazon, filled with advice on successfully getting your family out for day trip adventures.
Originally published on Medium on 12 April 2020