• The Point Reyes Beach as viewed from the Point Reyes Headlands

    Point Reyes

    National Seashore California

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  • Operational Changes Took Effect on May 1

    The Lighthouse Visitor Center is now only open Fridays through Mondays. The Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center will be closed through late December 2013. More »

  • 2013 Harbor Seal Pupping Season Closures

    From March 1 through June 30, the park implements closures of certain Tomales Bay beaches and Drakes Estero to water-based recreation to protect harbor seals during the pupping season. Please avoid disturbing seals to ensure a successful pupping season. More »

Fire Management

**2013 PROJECTS**

Funding for 2013 fire management projects has not yet been approved.

The tentative workplan for the winter includes burning debris piles left over from previous fuel reduction and continuing the thinning of Bishop pine along Limantour Road.

For more information call 415-464-5133.

**RECOVERY ACT FUEL REDUCTION PROJECTS**

Funding provided by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act enabled crews to work on a series of hazardous fuel reduction projects from November 2009 through September 2010.

See an example of a thinning treatment (265 KB PDF).

Read the success story.


Fire plays a significant role in the ecosystems at Point Reyes National Seashore. The fire regime has varied over time in response to both climatic changes and human activity. Fire history at Point Reyes has been shaped by lightning, as well as by the land management practices of Native Americans, ranchers, loggers, and most recently, the National Park Service.

The goals of the Point Reyes Fire Management Program are:


  • Protect Firefighters, the Public, and Property
  • Maintain or Improve Conditions of Natural Resources and Protect these Resources from Adverse Impacts
  • Maximize Efforts to Protect Cultural Resources from Adverse Effects of Fire Management Practices
  • Foster and Maintain Effective Community and Interagency Fire Management Partnerships
  • Foster a High Degree of Understanding of Fire and Fuels Management among Park Employees, Neighbors, and Visitors
  • Improve Knowledge and Understanding of Fire and Continue to Refine Fire Management Practices


The Point Reyes Fire Management Program is part of the San Francisco Bay Area Network.

Fire staff based at Point Reyes also serve Golden Gate National Recreation Area, John Muir National Historic Site, Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, and Pinnacles National Monument.































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Did You Know?

Bull elephant seal © Richard Allen

Four species of pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) rest onshore or breed at Point Reyes:  the Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), and the Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). More...