• 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 »

Headlands Winter Road Closures

Starting Saturday, December 28, 2013
Weekends And Holidays
Late December to Mid-April 2014
9 am to 5:30 pm

Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is CLOSED beyond South Beach Junction to visitor motor traffic. Visitors' vehicles are NOT permitted in the closed area between 9 am to approximately 5:30 pm when the shuttles are operating. Access to the Lighthouse and Chimney Rock during the closure is only available by shuttle bus, bicycle or by foot.

Shuttle Bus Service
$5.00 per person
Children 16 and under free

 
Map of road closure when winter shuttle is operating. Click on image for a larger map. (840 KB PDF)

Map of road closure when winter shuttle is operating. Click on image for a larger map. (840 KB PDF)

One Way Bus Loop from:
Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center at Drakes Beach (Stop 1)
To the Lighthouse Parking Lot (Stop 2)
Then to the Chimney Rock Parking Lot (Stop 3)
And back to Drakes Beach

Directions to Point Reyes National Seashore's Bear Valley Visitor Center (near the park's main entrance)

Directions from the Bear Valley Visitor Center to the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center at Drakes Beach

Park Map (489 KB PDF)

1. Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center at Drakes Beach
Purchase tickets in the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center beginning at 9:30 am. Buses leave on demand approximately every 15 to 20 minutes. Last tickets are sold at 3 pm and the last bus taking visitors to the headlands leaves at 3:30 pm. Dress warmly and be sure you have everything you need for the next few hours. No food is available after this point. There is a water fountain available at the Lighthouse Visitor Center and restrooms at the Lighthouse and Chimney Rock shuttle stops.

2. Lighthouse
Disembark the bus and walk 0.6 km (0.4 miles) to the Lighthouse Visitor Center. Just beyond the Visitor Center, you can watch for whales from the observation deck or descend down the 300 steps to the Lighthouse. Return to the shuttle stop when you are ready to move on, and a bus will come by every 15 to 20 minutes to take you to Chimney Rock. Be sure to return to the Lighthouse shuttle stop by 5 pm, or you may miss the last bus taking visitors back to Chimney Rock and Drakes Beach.

3. Chimney Rock
Whales, seals, and wildflowers! Walk about 300 meters (300 yards) to the Elephant Seal Overlook, visit the Historic Lifeboat Station, or take the 2.5 km (1.6 mi) round-trip hike to Chimney Rock to watch for whales. Keep your eyes open for wildflowers. Tidepool areas are closed while elephant seals are present. Return to the shuttle stop when you are ready to go back to Drakes Beach, and a bus will come by every 15 to 20 minutes. Be sure to return to the shuttle stop by 5:30 pm, or you may miss the last bus taking visitors back to Drakes Beach.
Chimney Rock Area Map (77 KB PDF)


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Did You Know?

Four tidewater gobies (small brackish-water fish) in a hand. Credit: Cassandra Brooks/NPS.

Since the restoration of the Giacomini Wetlands in 2008, the tidewater goby--a federally endangered brackish-water resident fish species--has not only been observed in the newly restored channels and ponds, but in Lagunitas Creek, where it had previously not been documented since 1953. More...