Exploring Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is a beautiful and unique place under the management of the National Parks Service. This was my first time ever visiting this park and my breath was taken away by the so many beautiful (and ecologically different) landscapes that I saw throughout the day while exploring this park. My adventures at Point Reyes only gave me a preview of how much more there is to discover at this park and I already cannot wait until my next trip here. In the meantime I will revisit the experiences and memories that I made on this day while daydreaming of the next ones to be made.
Earthquake Trail
After a quick stop at the Bear Valley Visitor Center to get our bearings in the park (and of course to get my National Parks passport stamp) we (knowingly) walked on the San Andreas Fault along the Earthquake Trail. This 0.6 mile loop trail provides a great introduction into the San Andreas Fault, earthquakes, plus the effects from earthquakes. Along the trail, you get a great visual of how much earthquakes can change our landscape with a fence representing the displacement movement from the 1906 earthquake. Though you may already have an understanding of how earthquakes happen and know the effects they can leave, this trail is a great reminder and sets the tone to think how the geologic processes have sculpted the rest of the landscape throughout the park that you will discover.
Hiking the Laguna-Coast Loop
Most of the day was spent hiking the Laguna-Coast Loop, which was approximately a five mile long hike round-trip. This hike starts by the Point Reyes Hostel and we chose to take it going down the Coast Trail first and then connecting to the Laguna Trail on our way back from the beach (taking the loop counter-clockwise.) We did not know it at the time but this was a smart direction to take this loop considering that the Laguna side of the loop was very muddy, slightly washed out in places, and had more of an elevation change. Though that meant we were hiking up more towards the end of our day on the trail it did make it easier to navigate through the slick and muddy conditions than if we were descending them.
Throughout the five miles on these trails the landscape changes many times and there were lots of different sounding birds chirping away so there was always sometime new to take in. Plus I never thought I would ever wear my hiking boots at the beach but it happened!
A Blustery Visit to the Point Reyes Lighthouse
After exploring the trails and being at Point Reyes for the first time I had to see the lighthouse (even though I knew it was closed on the day I was visiting.) The drive out to the lighthouse was longer than I expected it to be but there was plenty of scenery to take in along the way. Once again I was shocked by how the scenery changed and how many different ecosystems live within this one park - from Redwood forests to rolling green farm lands with cows to beaches, and even a heard of elk relaxing on a hill!
Despite this visit being on a cold and gray wintery day, the parking lot for the lighthouse was quite full of others adventuring out to see this landmark. It is a short walk from the parking lot to the lighthouse point and it was quite windy walk. But those winds were nothing compared to what we experienced on the lookout point above the lighthouse. Just check out the picture below to get an idea of what I am talking about.
Not pictured: +30mph winds
As you can see, I was as bundled-up as I could be (I had five layers on my upper body - a base-layer, fleece, flannel, puffy vest, and rain jacket) and I was still freezing. That said, more lighthouse admiring will have to be done on my next visit out here (on a warmer and less windy day.)
For more information to plan your own adventures at Point Reyes National Seashore visit the National Park Service site to get the most up-to-date information about the park’s current operations.