things to do in point reyes national seashore

Do you have a windbreaker or sweatshirt?.

Do you have enough gas in your car and time in your schedule to make the drive out and back? You won’t want to rush this excursion!.

Explore Family-Friendly Limantour Beach in Point Reyes ().

I wrote a companion piece with Gray Whale Photos for Kids taken from our Point Reyes trip. Of course, the Lighthouse is the big pay off and looking for whales off the coast. Count backwards from this number going up and take lots of breaks! Um, it’s a little different story when you get to the bottom and you’re looking up.īut the stairs are numbered! Genius! A parent must have designed this trick. I thought they were penguins from far away! See the wildflowers in the foreground? With my zoom, I was able to pick out some Common Murre’s on a rock to the right. BUT the stairs are fun if only to say that you conquered them! We actually did our whale viewing from up here, because you can see further and watch the whales actually round the coast. There’s a picnic area at the top of the steps to the Lighthouse. The kids will like the Visitor Center and there are lots of places to look at the views over the railing. If this is as far as you make it, then it’s okay. Then you’ll come upon the little Visitor Center with super-friendly rangers. Park employee lodgings and the restroom building is the next place you’ll reach and it’s a good idea to stop, in case you decide to tackle the 300 stairs down to the lighthouse (where there are NO restrooms). My daughter spotted all of this on her own: Have the kids keep their eyes out for deer, birds, and interesting fauna growing out of the cypress on the way. It’s an out-and-back-trail, so we returned to the white sign board and headed up the paved pedestrian road towards the Visitor Center. No mistakes out here where the view is breathtaking – with a drop to match! We just stood for 20+ minutes and watched the surf pound the shore. I’d be a lot more cautious with little ones and keep them in arm’s reach, because the steep bluff is unforgiving. We could see them the whole way and we warned them to stay behind the barrier. I was okay sending them on this short trail ahead of us. We were traveling with an 8, 12, and 15 year old. On our April Spring Break visit, we were able to drive right up to the small parking lot.Įveryone just wanted to MOVE once we got out of the car! So we walked from the parking lot to the shuttle bus stop and beyond is a narrow & bumpy-with-rocks trail out to a point.įamily Travel Tips On-the-Way to the Lighthouse It sounds like it gets busy during whale watching season and you might be required to park and take a shuttle bus. But it’s beautiful! Make sure you look out the window! We spotted osprey nests, funky architecture, mysterious tidal views, wildflowers, cypress trees, meadows with cows munching close to the ocean, peek-a-boo views of the beach, and historic farms. It’s a long and windy drive to get to the Lighthouse.

The official website does a good job covering the weather & tides. On the Point Reyes official website it even warns that the stairs to the Lighthouse close when it’s too windy or wet.

You just might not know what you are going to get until you arrive. Even if it’s sunny inland, there’s a good chance it will be foggy when you get to the coast. We were soooooooo incredibly lucky to have sunshine and a clear view on the day we visited. Okay, I’m going to share my Point Reyes Lighthouse family travel tips for a successful visit to the visitor center at the point of this National Seashore.įirst of all, it probably WON’T look like my photos when you go! Sorry.

Things to do in point reyes national seashore