WEEKLY
WALKER
By Tom
Davids
A Hiking
Holiday
Point Reyes National Seashore
"There was fine
walking in the hills in the direction of the sea."
Walt Whitman
Directions: Point Reyes National Seashore is about one
and one-half hours from the Mid-Peninsula. Take Highway 101 north across the
Golden Gate Bridge to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and continue west through
the towns of Fairfax and San Anselmo to the intersection with Highway 1 at
Olema. Follow the signs to Point Reyes headquarters and parking lot.
Grade: Moderate to strenuous.
Distance: 12 miles the first day and eight miles the
second day.
Time: Two days and an overnight stay.
Special Conditions: Be prepared for windy, foggy
weather, and watch for poison oak. Carry a daypack with lunch and water.
You can fly to faraway places and drive for many hours to satisfy your urge for a hiking holiday. Or you can go to Point Reyes. This national seashore gets our vote whenever we want a little extra time away. And the area is ever changing, but never disappointing with its grassy headlands, fog-shrouded ridges, wildflowers in season, crashing surf, and herds of tule elk.
First, the lodging. You can drive to Point Reyes and back in one day, but the better choice is to stay over at least one night. There are many small hotels, country inns, and cottages available in the Point Reyes-Inverness area. Call 800-539-1872 for information and a brochure, but allow plenty of time, since guestrooms tend to fill up on weekends and holidays. Our personal choice is the Point Reyes Seashore Lodge (415-663-9000) on Highway 1 in the village of Olema, located at the intersection of Sir Francis Drake and Highway 1. The lodge is across the street from the Olema Inn, an old, restored, two-story hotel that has guestrooms and a fine restaurant.
This is our routine: We leave the Peninsula early in the morning, stop for breakfast, and arrive at Point Reyes Seashore Lodge about 9 a.m. We park at the lodge, let the office know we will check in later, stroll to the west side of the lodge, and cross the lawn to a wood plank bridge over Olema Creek. On the other side, we climb over a wooden stile and follow the trail across the pasture--which we usually share with a herd of cows--to the Rift Trail. At the junction, we turn right, pass through a metal cattle gate over a minor ridge, and on to the Bear Valley Trail. During our hike last month, we saw a flock of wild turkeys along the ridge.
If the wood plank bridge over Olema Creek should be washed out, you would have to go back to Highway 1 and walk south about one-quarter mile to the first intersecting road marked “Vedanta Retreat.” A short distance west takes you across the “Vivekananda Bridge” to the Rift Trail. A sign directs you south to Five Brooks or north to Seashore headquarters. Go north, and continue as reviewed above.
Our 12-mile hike takes Bear Valley Trail along a small creek under a canopy of trees, past Divide Meadow, and on to Arch Rock. Hike out to Arch Rock for great views along the coastline; then continue north on the Coast Trail past Kelham Beach and Point Resistance to the junction with Woodward Valley Trail. You’ve hiked 7.5 miles of mostly level trail with spectacular ocean views, and now the work begins. The Woodward Valley Trail is a continual uphill climb across the headlands into the forest and finally through beautiful Woodward Valley. Much of this part of the hike is through a wild fire burn area a few years old. It is interesting to observe the renewing qualities of fresh growth among burnt-out trees. At the junction with Sky Trail, turn left and continue 1.1 miles along the ridge past Meadow Trail to Mount Wittenberg Trail. Turn right, and in 1.8 miles, you are back at Bear Valley. If you have time and the skies are clear, a scramble to the top of Mount Wittenberg (1,407 feet) is worth the effort. Return to the lodge the way you came. A session in the Jacuzzi tub and dinner at the Olema Inn wind up a perfect day.
The next morning we have breakfast at the lodge, check out, drive through the town of Inverness, and continue to the intersection with Pierce Point Road. Turn right, and continue through three historic ranches—H, I, and J—to the road end at Upper Pierce Ranch.
Start your hike from the parking lot along the well-marked ranch road, and continue for 4.5 miles to the end of the peninsula at Tomales Bluff. Along the way, you will probably pass by a herd of tule elk. Historians tell us that great herds of elk once roamed the Point Reyes Peninsula. When the dairies and cattle ranching came, the elk were systematically removed. In 1997, two bulls and eight cows were brought to Tomales Point to begin a new herd. Now the combined herd is more than the terrain can handle, and animal experts are considering the best way to limit the herd. You may see some females wearing a neck collar—a sure sign of sterilization.
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.
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.
At the end, you’re standing 100 feet above the surf with a fine view of the bird and sea life below. This is the ultimate “trail’s end” location for lunch and visual exploration of distant shores and the surf below. But be careful, and don’t get too close to the edge of the vertical cliffs as you enjoy the views and ponder the mysteries of this wild and desolate place.