Closures at Point Reyes

For emergency road and weather conditions in West Marin, visit Point Reyes National Seashore's Twitter feed, the County of Marin's Public Emergency Portal, the National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area's Twitter feed, the Marin County Department of Public Works' Twitter feed, the Marin Sheriff Department's Twitter feed, the Marin Fire Department's Twitter feed, the California Highway Patrol: Marin's Twitter feed, or tune in to KWMR, 90.5 FM.

 

Area Road Closures

For information on road closures in Marin County and the Bay Area, check the Marin Sheriff Current Emergency Information, the California Department of Transportation's Current Highway Conditions, and CHP Traffic Incident Information (select "Golden Gate" from the "Communication Centers" drop-down menu in the upper left corner, then look for "Marin" in the "Location" and/or "Area" columns) websites.

 

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Beach Closures

From December 15 to March 31, to better protect elephant seals from disturbance, especially during the pupping season when they are exceptionally vulnerable, the park implements closures along beaches near the Point Reyes Headlands. Additional closures may be implemented if elephant seals haul out on beaches outside of these areas or outside of these dates. See the Northern Elephant Seals section of the Wildlife Protection Closures below for more details.

From Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend, a closure of the Point Reyes Beach between the North Beach parking lot and the mouth of Abbotts Lagoon is in effect on weekends and federal holidays to better ensure the survival of western snowy plover nests and chicks within this area on busy weekends. All public use is prohibited. Additional restriction on pets at various beaches are in effect between March 1 and September 30. Additional closures may be implemented if snowy plovers nest on beaches outside of these areas or outside of these dates.See the Western Snowy Plover section of the Wildlife Protection Closures below for more details.

Campground Closures

All campgrounds within Point Reyes National Seashore are currently open.

Road Closures

Trail Advisories and Closures

Visitor Center Closures

All Visitor Centers will be closed on December 25. Visitor Centers usually close at 2 pm on Thanksgiving Day. Visit our Visitor Centers page for current days and hours of operations.

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Wildlife Protection Closures

Tule Elk

Llamas are prohibited from all areas that are inhabited by tule elk. Map (180 KB PDF)

Marine Protected Areas

On May 1, 2010, a number of Marine Protected Areas went into effect within and adjacent to Point Reyes National Seashore, in part to better protect nesting birds. Per the Marine Life Protection Act (MPLA), the Point Reyes Headlands is closed to all vessels within 305 meters (1000 feet) of shore from Chimney Rock west to Longitude 123° 01.00'. Per the Superintendent's Compendium, from Longitude 123° 01.00' west to the Point Reyes Lighthouse the headlands is closed to all vessels within 91 meters (100 yards) of shore. There are also 91-meter (300-foot) special closures around Point Resistance and Double Point/Stormy Stack, per the MLPA.

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Harbor Seals

To protect harbor seals from disturbance during the most crucial part of the pupping season, from March 1 through June 30 the National Park Service has closed the following areas to the public: Drakes Estero, Estero de Limantour, Double Point, and the western end of Limantour Spit. Duck Island and the east side of Hog Island are closed to the public year round.
Map of Estero closures March 1–June 30 (2,952 KB PDF)
Map of Seal Protection Closures at the western end of Limantour Spit March 1–June 30 (148 KB PDF)
Map of Hog Island closure (98 KB PDF)

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Western Snowy Plovers

The western snowy plover is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Disturbance by park visitors, especially those with pets, in plover breeding areas can separate chicks from the adults, and the chicks may then not be able to forage efficiently, thermoregulate properly, and hide from predators.

Annual Closures

• Annual Pet Restrictions on Point Reyes Beach - March 1 through September 30
  During the nesting season of the threatened western snowy plover (March 1 through September 30), pets are not allowed on the Point Reyes Beach from the north end of the North Beach parking lot to the intersection of Kehoe Beach Trail and Kehoe Beach.
• Annual Kiteboarding Restrictions - March 1 through September 30
  From March 1 through September 30, kiteboarding (aka kitesurfing) is not allowed off of Limantour Beach west of the east access trail, the portion of Point Reyes Beach from North Beach parking lot to Kehoe Beach, and within Abbotts Lagoon.
• Annual Kite Flying Restrictions - March 1 through September 30
  From March 1 through September 30, kite flying is prohibited on/from Limantour Beach west of the east access trail, the portion Point Reyes Beach from North Beach parking lot to Kehoe Beach, and the shoreline of Abbotts Lagoon.
• Point Reyes Beach Closure - Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend
  A closure of the beach area between the North Beach parking lot and the mouth of Abbotts Lagoon is in effect on weekends and federal holidays from the Saturday immediately preceding Memorial Day through Labor Day to better ensure the survival of plover nests and chicks within this area on busy weekends. All public use is prohibited. Reproductive monitoring of western snowy plovers at Point Reyes has previously demonstrated that chick mortality is higher on weekend days than weekdays. In 2013, for example, of the 11 newly hatched chicks in this area, only 3 survived past the July 4 weekend.
  Map of Beach Closure - the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend (322 KB PDF)

Temporary Closures

• Temporary Beach Closure on the Point Reyes Beach - Thursday, April 20, 2023, through Sunday, September 3, 2023
  A temporary closure of the Point Reyes Beach between 0.25 mile north of the North Beach parking lot and ~1.5 mile south of the mouth of Abbotts Lagoon is in effect to facilitate the survival of multiple federally-threatened western snowy plover nests and hatchlings. The beach area will be closed to all public use from April 20, 2023, through September 3, 2023. The beach area will be closed for each day in its entirety.
  Point Reyes Beach North is an important nesting site for the western snowy plover, a federally listed species. Winter storms have narrowed stretches of this beach in areas where plovers are nesting. Stretches are so narrow that it is unsafe for visitors to walk at high tide without directly disturbing snowy plover nests on the upper beach. Biologists have found 3 known nests in the area, and they expect to find several more soon. Disturbance by park visitors plover breeding areas prevent plovers from incubating their eggs, can separate chicks from the adults, and the chicks may then not be able to forage efficiently, thermoregulate properly, and hide from predators.
  Determination of Temporary Closure - April 20, 2023, through September 3, 2023 - signed on April 20, 2023 (116 KB PDF)
  Map of the temporary closure to all public use on the Point Reyes Beach - April 20, 2023, through September 3, 2023 (9,080 KB PDF)
• Temporary Pet Restrictions on the Point Reyes Beach - Thursday, April 27, 2023, through Monday, September 4, 2023
  A temporary closure of the Point Reyes Beach between 0.5 mile south of the North Beach parking lot and 025 mile north of the South Beach parking lot was in effect to pets and visitors with pets to facilitate the survival of multiple federally-threatened western snowy plover nests and hatchlings in this pet closure area.
  Determination of Temporary Closure - April 27, 2023, through September 4, 2023 - signed on April 27, 2023 (36 KB PDF)
  Map of the temporary closure to pets on the Point Reyes Beach - April 27, 2023, through September 4, 2023 (951 KB PDF)

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Northern Elephant Seals

To better protect elephant seals from disturbance, especially during the pupping season when they are exceptionally vulnerable, the park implements the following closures:

Drakes Beach Elephant Seal Colony Year-Round Closure

The Drakes Beach elephant seal colony as delineated by signs at the western-most end of Drakes Beach is closed to all entry due to seal activity at all times of the year. This closure is necessary to protect an established elephant seal colony from disturbance and protect the public. The elephant seal colony is used all year. No management action other than a year-round closure is sufficient.

Seasonal Closures:

From December 15 to March 31, the following areas are closed to all entry in order to better protect nursing elephant seal pups:

• Drakes Beach: starting at the southern edge of the cove in front of the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center and continuing southwest (e.g., towards Chimney Rock; to the right as one faces the bay) to the current permanent elephant seal closure;
• the beach from the Chimney Rock Lifeboat Station to Chimney Rock;
• the road leading from the gate at the end of the Chimney Rock Road to the Fish Dock area, including immediately adjacent beaches. (Map - 301 KB PDF); and
• the southern end of South Point Reyes Beach (as signed) to the Lighthouse.

Drakes Beach Temporary Closures

Temporary closures are in effect due to the presence of elephant seals hauled out on the western end of Drakes Beach. To better protect elephant seals from disturbance:

• Until further notice, Drakes Beach is closed to all entry from ~0.5 miles west (e.g., to the right when facing Drakes Bay) of the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center to the year-round closure area at the west end of Drakes Beach. Poles and ropes with "Beach Closed" signs have been erected at the eastern end of the closed area, e.g., the end closest to the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center.
• The Peter Behr Overlook and trail are closed to all entry until further notice.

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Interactive Map Illustrating the Locations of the Closures Referenced Above

(Scroll past the first image in the StoryMap below and click on the "Beach Closures" header. Or scroll almost all the way through the Story Map to the "Beach Closures" section.)

 

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