Event

Weekend Ranger Programs

Point Reyes National Seashore

Fee:

Free.

Location: LAT/LONG: 38.040717, -122.799570


Bear Valley Visitor Center (unless otherwise noted)

Repeating Event

Days:

Every week on Sunday and Saturday

Dates:

December 03, 2022 to September 30, 2023

Time:

11:00 AM

Duration:

1 hour

Type of Event

Guided Tour
Talk
Walk

Description

Come join a Park Ranger to learn more about Point Reyes National Seashore's natural and cultural history, or participate in a park-themed activity. Topics may cover earthquakes and plate tectonics, the Coast Miwok, Francis Drake, the U.S. Lifesaving Service, or area flora and fauna. Some programs may be activity-based. Stop by or call the Bear Valley Visitor Center at 415-464-5100 x2 x5 for additional information about scheduled programs. Some programs may require up to a 1.6 kilometer (one mile) walk on easy to moderate trails, while others are stationary. Meet at 11 am at the Bear Valley Visitor Center (unless otherwise noted).

Currently planned* ranger-led programs

Date Program Title
Saturday, September 16 "On Shaky Ground" nature walk
Sunday, September 17 TBA
Saturday, September 23 "Birds of Prey" nature walk
Sunday, September 24 "Bear Valley Discovery Walk"
Saturday, September 30 TBA
Sunday, October 1 TBA
Sunday, October 7 "On Shaky Ground" nature walk

* Program schedule subject to change.

Program descriptions:

Below are brief descriptions of the programs that current Park Rangers present. Please note that we usually only offer one program per weekend day. Please see the "Currently planned ranger-led programs" section immediately above for a listing of programs that are currently scheduled to be presented.

Bear Valley Discovery Walk
You never know what you might discover in Bear Valley! Meet a Park Ranger at the Bear Valley Visitor Center for a guided walk into wonder. Lasts one hour.

"Birds of Prey" nature walk
Join a Ranger to learn about the birds of prey at Point Reyes. Learn about their adaptations and habits, and hope to see a red-shouldered hawk or a white-tailed kite and more. This 1-hour long program begins at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. From there, we will take a 1-kilometer (0.6-mile) long walk along the wheelchair-accessible Earthquake Trail. Feel free to bring binoculars and/or spotting scopes.

"Deciphering the Green Blur" nature walk
Do you ever look out on the forest and just see a big blur of green? Get to know the plants of Point Reyes National Seashore by taking a guided 1 hour walk on some of the trails around the Bear Valley Visitor Center.

An Introduction to Point Reyes National Seashore / Park Orientation
Join a Park Ranger for a 15 to 30 minute overview of what to see and do at Point Reyes National Seashore.

"Of Kings and Congressmen: Origins of our National Seashore" ranger-led walk
Native stewards. Imperial explorers. Industrious inventors. Passionate politicians. Point Reyes has long inspired conflicting visions for a common cause: a point for the people. Join a park ranger for a one-hour walk to learn more about this one-of-a-kind national park. Program begins at Bear Valley Visitor Center.

"On Shaky Ground" nature walk
Dare to tread the San Andreas Fault where the earth's crust shifted and moved 5 meters (16 feet) in 1906! Meet a Park Ranger at the Bear Valley Visitor Center for this easy 1-kilometer (0.6-mile) walk. Lasts 1 to 1.5 hours.

"Sir Francis Drake: Pirate or Hero 444 years after landing in Marin" ranger talk
Historians who study the circumnavigation made by Francis Drake (1577–1580) think that he made landfall here at Point Reyes in order to prepare his ship, the Golden Hind, for the return voyage to England. He was celebrated and granted a knighthood by Elizabeth I, and reviled by the Spanish, whose ships and South American colonies he had robbed and pillaged. Earlier in his career, he had been involved in the transatlantic slave trade. Four hundred forty-four years after Drake's visit to Point Reyes, what is his legacy?

"What a long trip!" ranger talk
Elephant seals and whales travel immense distances on their regular journeys between breeding and feeding zones. Join a ranger to learn more about these migratory marine mammal champs.


More information

Reservation or Registration: No


Contact Information

Bear Valley Visitor Center
415-464-5100 x2 x5
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