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Contact: John Golda, 415-464-5143
The winter is full of wonder at Point Reyes National Seashore. Elephant seals are hauling out on the beaches at Chimney Rock and the first pup of the season was born on Sunday, December 16. The gray whales are migrating past on their way to Mexico. Point Reyes is a great place to enjoy the holidays and the New Year. All Visitor Centers at Point Reyes National Seashore will be closed on Tuesday, December 25, 2012, but the park and trails will remain open. All Visitor Centers, including the Lighthouse, will be open on Tuesday, January 1, 2013. The best, first stop at Point Reyes, is the Bear Valley Visitor Center. The doors of the Bear Valley Visitor Center open at 10 am on weekdays and at 9 am on weekends and New Year holiday. The Visitor Center closes at 4:30 pm. Ranger programs are offered daily at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm from December 26 through January 1. The Point Reyes Lighthouse and Visitor Center are normally open Thursday through Monday from 10 am until 4:30 pm. To help celebrate the New Year, it will also be open on Tuesday, January 1. The Lighthouse Lens room is open from 2:30 pm until 4 pm. This is a perfect place to watch for gray whales and enjoy spectacular views of the coast. The Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center at Drakes Beach will be open on the weekends and on January 1 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. On weekends and holidays, shuttle service provides access from Drakes Beach directly to the lighthouse parking lot where visitors can disembark for whale watching, then to Chimney Rock for hiking and seal watching. Tickets must be purchased at the Drakes Beach Visitor Center. No advance reservations are required. Ticket sales begin at 9:30 am and bus service begins at 9:45 am. The charge is $5.00 per person (children 16 and under are free). Tickets are sold until 3 pm with the last bus trip leaving Drakes Beach at 3:30 pm. The winter is an amazing time of the year at Point Reyes National Seashore. We hope you will come experience your America in one of your almost 400 National Park Sites. For more information, visit our website at https://www.nps.gov/pore. Commemorating 50 years of Point Reyes National Seashore, 1962-2012 -NPS- |
Last updated: February 28, 2015