Trifter

Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California was established by Presidential order in 1962 to protect the area from commercial development and contains a wide array of awesome sites to see. The park encompasses over 70,000 acres on the Point Reyes Peninsula which is located right along Highway 1 on California’s coastline about 30 miles north of San Francisco. The park receives over 2.5 million visitors per year and this is what they see.

The Lighthouse

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The Point Reyes Lighthouse is the signature destination at Point Reyes National Seashore and dates back to 1870. Point Reyes is considered the windiest and foggiest spot on the Pacific Coast. The Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

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Arch Rock View

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Whales

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Whales can be spotted from Point Reyes as they migrate south in January and north in March. The best viewing spot is from the lighthouse. Whale bones like the ones below and whale jaws are on display in the park.

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Alamere Falls

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Beautiful Alamere Falls drops into the Pacific Ocean along Wildcat Beach in Point Reyes. Along with McWay Falls in Big Sur it is known as a Tide-fall because it drops right into the ocean. You can read about and see more photos of Alamere Falls here.

Drakes Beach

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Drakes Beach and Bay are named after Sir Francis Drake who probably landed here during his circumnavigation of the world in 1579.

Fantastic Waves

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Seen below are ripples created as waves bounce back off the rocks of Point Reyes.

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Tule Elks

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Tule Elks were reintroduced into Point Reyes in 1978 and their numbers have grown from 10 to over 600 today.

Ghostly Fog

I’ve been to Point Reyes a handful of times and never experienced more than a wisp of morning fog that was soon burned off by the sun but fog can be common in the area especially during certain times of the year. In 1980 famed horror movie director John Carpenter fresh of his smash hit horror flick “Halloween” filmed “The Fog” in Point Reyes. The Fog is a ghost story and stars Jamie Lee Curtis who also starred in Halloween.

Birds

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Alfred Hitchcock’s famous movie thriller The Birds was filmed in Bodega Bay which is just up the coast from Point Reyes and across from Tomales Bay and Point and Hitchcock chose well as Point Reyes is home to almost 490 bird species. That is 45% of the bird species in North America and the greatest diversity of birds found in any United States National Park site.

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Kule Loklo

The Native Americans who occupied the Point Reyes area were called the Coast Miwok people. Kule Loklo which means “Bear Valley” is a recreated village located near the Point Reyes Visitor Center.

Beautiful Marsh Patterns

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South Beach

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Tomales Bay and Point

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Tomales Bay is the long inlet that separates the northern part of Point Reyes from the main coastline of California. The bay is about 15 miles long and averages just 1 mile in width. Sir Francis Drake is thought to have discovered the bay in 1579 long before the Spaniards did in 1595.

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Seals

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You can see both Elephant Seals and Harbor Seals at Point Reyes both in and out of the water.

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Fabulous Ocean Views

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The views from Point Reyes especially around the Lighthouse area are the stuff of dreams.

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Hope you enjoyed the sites. The 16th site is the first photo of Chimney Rock. You can see 15 Awesome Sites in Namibia here.