WEEKLY
WALKER
By Tom Davids
A Breeze in Your Face
Tomales Point Trail-Point Reyes National Seashore
"There was fine walking in the hills in the direction of the
sea." -- Walt Whitman
Directions: Highway 1 in Marin County to
Olema. Turn west on Bear Valley Road, which soon joins Sir Francis Drake
Highway, and continue through the town of Inverness. Turn right at the
intersection with Pierce Point Road (Tomales Bay State Park and McClures Beach)
and continue about eight miles to the Upper Pierce Ranch parking area. (From
San Carlos/Redwood City area allow two hours driving time.)
Grade: Easy, 300-foot elevation gain.
Distance: Nine miles.
Time: Four hours.
This week’s walk gets my vote as the best seascape walk in the Bay Area. There is something special about walking toward the sea. A brisk breeze in your face, sometimes fog, sometimes sun, crashing surf, and limitless views that draw you to the farthest point on the horizon. Tomales Point is rich in history, but its wildlife orientation and topography make it truly unique. Historians tell us that great herds of Tule elk once roamed the Point Reyes Peninsula. When the dairies and cattle ranching came, the elk were systematically removed. But now they are back. In 1977 two bulls and eight cows were brought from Owens Valley to Tomales Point to begin a new herd. During a recent hike to the point, we saw three large herds and walked to within a few hundred feet of several dozen who crossed the trail ahead of us. The magnificent bulls with huge racks of antlers ambled to a hillside and stopped to watch us go by. Silhouetted against the morning sky, it was a beautiful sight.
Tomales Point is also a home for mountain lions, or so the trail head poster told us. While we didn't catch a glimpse of the great cat, we did see a skunk, several rabbits, turkey vultures and many other birds, starfish, and a few seals in the waters below Tomales Bluff.
As you hike north to Tomales Bluff, Tomales Bay is on your right, and Dillon Beach is the small seaside town to the northeast. The San Andreas Fault runs under Tomales Bay and extends north into the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula you are walking on slid almost 20 feet north during the 1906 earthquake, and Point Reyes offers several hikes to explore the rift zone.
Start your hike from the parking area adjacent to the Upper Pierce Ranch, and follow the well-marked trail road northward for 4.5 miles to the tip of the peninsula at Tomales Bluff. The trail meanders through open grassland with a modest elevation gain to 406 feet above sea level. This is wide-open country with spectacular views in every direction. Only a few trees dot the landscape, but as you continue north you will pass through a clump of eucalyptus and cypress, which sheltered Lower Pierce Ranch many years ago. Now the ranch road turns into a sometimes-indistinct trail that meanders to the point.
At the end you're standing 100 feet above the surf with a fine view of Bird Rock and the sea life below. We took our hike on a beautiful sunny day in September. The tide was low, and we could see several brightly colored starfish below. This is the ultimate "trail's end" location for lunch and visual exploration of distant shores and the surf below.
Your return route to the parking lot is on the same trail, but you'll enjoy equally lovely views of the hills and shoreline while pondering the mysteries of this wild and desolate place.