Point Reyes National Seashore is a serene natural sanctuary, located just an hour and a half north of San Francisco, California, with about 100 miles of rugged coastline, hidden beaches, and windswept headlands, waiting to be explored. There’s approximately 150 miles of hiking pathways in the park, but, in our opinion, the Tomales Point Trail is the best option, offering jaw-dropping views of the dramatic sea cliffs, rolling hills of wildflowers, and close encounters with tule elk, the smallest species of elk in North America that are only found in California.
If you want to experience this unique hike yourself, here’s everything you need to know about the Tomales Point Trail, one of the best day hikes from San Francisco.
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About the Tomales Point Trail
The Tomales Point Trail traverses the Point Reyes Peninsula along a tall coastal bluff, while hugging the Pacific coastline. Along the way, you’ll pass hidden coves, technicolor wildflowers in the springtime, and rugged sea stacks, jutting out of the turquoise waves.
Here are some quick stats about the trail:
- Length: 9.6 miles
- Elevation gain: 1,204 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Dog-friendly? No, dogs are not allowed on the trail.
- Trail map
How to get to the Tomales Point Trail
The Tomales Point trailhead is located here in Point Reyes National Seashore, about an hour and a half north of San Francisco. There’s no entrance fee for Point Reyes.
If you happen to just be visiting the San Francisco area, you’ll need to pick up a rental car as, unfortunately, there’s no public transit that reaches the trailhead. The road leading to the trailhead is paved, but is narrow and windy, with some potholes, so be sure to drive carefully!
Once you’re about a mile away from the trailhead, you’ll pass a sign, indicating that you’re entering a tule (pronounced “too-lee“) elk reserve. Fun fact—Point Reyes is the only National Park Service unit where you can find these creatures!
The trailhead parking lot holds about 20 cars, but, if you happen to be visiting during a particularly busy period, you can find overflow parking at the McClure Beach lot, just 0.2 miles down the road. You’ll also find the nearest vault toilet to the trailhead here.
Pssst… we hiked this trail on a weekday in March and barely saw anyone else on the trail. However, from reading others’ reviews on AllTrails, it can get pretty busy on weekends. If you want to snag a parking lot (and enjoy some peace and solitude), I’d suggest trying to get to the trailhead as early as possible!
What to expect along the Tomales Point Trail
From the parking lot, the trail starts by snaking through historic buildings of the Pierce Ranch. The property dates back to 1858 and was considered the leading dairy farm in California in the early 1900s.
There are some educational signage along the way to learn more about the history of the ranch and the lives of the workers who lived here.
The trail then veers sharply westward, to the coastline for about 0.3 mile until you reach the edge of a coastal bluff, with sweeping views of the Pacific below. For the next mile or so, the pathway follows the coastline, with an incredibly gentle incline uphill.
Be sure to give the edge of the sea cliffs a wide berth along the entire trail—they’re super crumbly and accidentally falling off one of these would almost certainly lead to death.
About 0.9 miles into the trail, you’ll reach an area with views of Driftwood Beach to the west and Hog Island, jutting out of Tomales Bay, to the east. If you’re short on time, this is an excellent place to turn around.
If you continue on, around two miles into your hike, the trail starts to slope steeply downward for the next mile and curves a bit closer to the coastline. Keep your eyes peeled around this area—we saw a HUGE herd of tule elk, just a few dozen feet off trail here!
The trail levels out around three miles in, with the Lower Pierce Ranch stock pond on the right-hand side of the pathway. This is another good spot to see elk, as well as other wildlife, like turkey vultures and ducks.
After this point, the next mile and a half of the trail is technically unmaintained, following over a series of rolling hills as you get closer to Tomales Bluff, at the northern tip of the Point Reyes Peninsula.
On AllTrails, other commenters have complained that this portion of the trail was overgrown, but, when we hiked it in March, that wasn’t an issue at all, with a well-defined path, leading through fields of blooming wildflowers.
I think it’s absolutely worth hiking to the end of the trail to Tomales Bluff, where you’ll be rewarded with jaw-dropping views of rugged seastacks, secluded coves, and the Pacific Ocean, relentlessly pounding against the cliffsides.
This also is an excellent vantage point to spot grey whales as they migrate to and from the chilly waters of Alaska to the warm lagoons of the Baja Peninsula, from mid-December through January and March through May. Unfortunately, even though we were visiting in March, we didn’t spot any, but we definitely would love to come back and try again!
Once you’re done taking in the views here, simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
What to bring when hiking the Tomales Point Trail
Hiking boots
There isn’t anything too terribly technical about this hike, with moderate elevation gain and a mostly even trail.
However, I’d still recommend wearing proper waterproof hiking boots to provide better traction and support, especially if it’s recently rained—we encountered a LOT of huge and deep mud puddles, one of which I slipped and fell butt-first into.
We each have a pair of Danner hiking boots (his and hers) and LOVE them!
Water bottle
There are no year-round reliable water sources along the trail, so I’d recommend bringing a large refillable water bottle, like these enormous Nalgene bottles that we always use, along with you.
Sun protection
There is no shade along the trail, so be sure to bring adequate sun protection, like sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat.
Camera and telephoto lens
Obviously, this one is very optional, but we had an AMAZING time taking photos of all the wildlife, like the tule elk, vultures, and pelicans.
We brought along this camera and our trusty telephoto lens and were super pleased by some of the photos we got!
When to hike the Tomales Point Trail
One of the best things about the Tomales Point Trail is that it’s great to hike year round! However, some seasons are definitely better than others.
Fall typically offers warm and clear days to take in the coastal views.
This also happens to be the elks’ mating season, so it’s a great time to see (and hear!) them, as the male elk protect their harems and bugle away. Friendly reminder to not get too close to the elk, as they can get aggressive during this timeframe.
Winter is the rainiest season in Point Reyes. However, when there isn’t precipitation, days tend to be clear, offering spectacular vistas of the Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean. The rain can cause the trail to become rather muddy, though, like the aforementioned mud puddle I fell into during our trek!
Spring is maybe the best time to hike the trail, with blooming wildflowers, lots of elk activity as the calves are born, and pleasantly cool weather. We hiked this trail in early March and LOVED it, thanks to the surrounding rolling green hills, endless wildflowers, and excellent elk sightings along the way.
Summer is actually the worst time to hike the trail, primarily due to the thick fog that surrounds the Peninsula (a.k.a., the Bay area’s infamous “June gloom”). If you luck out with a clear day, though, the weather is usually pleasant to hike in, with moderately cool temperatures.
There you have it—everything you need to know about hiking the Tomales Point Trail! We seriously LOVED this hike so much and hope you do, as well! Do you have any questions about tackling this trail? Let us know in the comments below!
