Being a tourist in your own back yard is especially beneficial if you live near Point Reyes and its historic Lighthouse. Perched on the western most point of contiguous North America, Point Reyes Lighthouse is about an hours drive from San Francisco.
I recently visit this National Historic place with my family and couldn’t resist sharing a few images from our trip. Although it was November, the weather was unseasonably warm, in the 70’s, thanks in part to the ongoing drought. We began our journey at the crossroads of historic Olema. As we drove north we flanked Tomales Bay, famous for its oysters, until we reached the turnoff to Point Reyes Lighthouse.
As the roads snaked through rolling hills we passed several historic ranches being grazed by California’s famous dairy cows. The sand dunes leading down to the ocean were dotted with large patches of ice plants. Ice plants, which my kids love to squish under their feet, are a non native invasive species threatening the coastal dunes. Planted in the early 20th century by well meaning locals to keep access roads sand-free. Today ice plants are forcibly uprooted at regular intervals.
Point Reyes Lighthouse is accessible by a short uphill walk from the visitor parking lot.
Once you reach the visitor center however, there are over 300 steps down to the lighthouse itself. And if you schedule your visit ahead of time you can go inside the lighthouse to learn about its history see the handout Fresnel lens up close. If steps aren’t your thing, the lighthouse is clearly visible from the top. Weather permitting, you can enjoys endless views to the south and north of the Point Reyes shoreline.
Finally, Point Reyes shoreline is a front row seat to spot migratory whales between December through February. Off to the lighthouse!
Xoxo,
Ten Key Pieces
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