Operating Hours & Seasons

The park is open daily from sunrise to midnight throughout the year. Overnight camping is available by permit only.

All Visitor Centers are normally open throughout the year, but are closed December 25. Visitor Centers may close at 2 pm on Thanksgiving. Call 415-464-5100 for hours of operation on these holidays.

Visitor Center hours are as follows:

Bear Valley Visitor Center

Spring, summer, and early fall hours from March 1 through October 31:
The Bear Valley Visitor Center will be open on:
Weekdays from 10 am to 5 pm
Weekends and holidays from 9 am to 5 pm

Winter Hours from November 1 through February 28:
The Bear Valley Visitor Center will be open on:
Weekdays from 10 am to 4:30 pm
Weekends and holidays from 9 am to 4:30 pm

Extended Summer Hours

From July 3, 2015, through September 5, 2015, the Bear Valley Visitor Center was open until 6 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Extended hours for Fridays and Saturdays were not offered during the summer of 2016, 2017, or 2018. Extended hours for Fridays and Saturdays of summer 2019 have yet to be determined.

Lighthouse Visitor Center and the Point Reyes Lighthouse

Restoration Impacts on Visitors

On Monday, August 6, 2018, Point Reyes National Seashore began a large restoration project on the historic Point Reyes Lighthouse. There will be no public access beyond the visitors' parking lot until the restoration work is completed in early winter 2019–2020. This website's 2018 Lighthouse Restoration blog and our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will keep you up-to-date, so bookmark these and check back in the near future. There lighthouse area will be closed to all foot traffic for the duration of the restoration project and we apologize for that in advance. The necessary improvements will make your future experience even better. More information is coming soon.
Map of the temporary closure in the Point Reyes Lighthouse Area - Monday, August 6, 2018, until Tuesday, December 31, 2019 (318 KB PDF)

Once the restoration project is complete, we anticipate that hours of operation will be:

The Lighthouse Visitor Center is only open on:
Fridays through Mondays from 10 am to 4:30 pm

The stairs leading down to the Lighthouse, the exhibits in the lower Lighthouse chamber, and the Equipment Building are only open (weather permitting):
Fridays through Mondays from 10 am to 4:30 pm

The Lighthouse's first gallery (the middle chamber, which contains the Fresnel lens and clockwork mechanism) is only open (as weather & staffing permit):
Fridays through Mondays from 2:30 pm to 4 pm.

The Lighthouse Visitor Center and the stairs leading down to the Lighthouse are closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Extended Summer Hours

The Lighthouse Visitor Center, the stairs leading down to the Lighthouse, and the Lens Room reopened on Thursdays from June 25, 2015, through September 24, 2015. These facilities were not reopened on Thursdays for the summer of 2016, 2017, 2018, or 2019. No decision has yet to be made concerning whether these facilities will be reopened on Thursdays for the summer of 2020.

Winter Shuttle Bus System

IMPORTANT NOTE: The shuttle bus system was cancelled for winter 2018–2019.
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Chimney Rock Road are open to privately owned vehicles from 6 am to midnight, seven days a week.
On weekends and holidays from late December through mid-April when visitation by whale watchers to the Point Reyes Lighthouse area is heavy, visitors may be required to ride a shuttle bus from Drakes Beach to the Lighthouse and Chimney Rock areas.

Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center

Until further notice, the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center is open on:
Saturdays and Sundays and federal holidays from 10 am to 4:30 pm
Closed Mondays through Fridays.

After the Lighthouse Visitor Center reopens, the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center at Drakes Beach will likely be closed seven days a week. During the summer of 2015, the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center was open on weekends and Mondays from Saturday, June 27, 2015, through Monday, September 7, 2015, and on weekends from Saturday, September 12, 2015, through Sunday, September 27, 2015. The Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center was closed during the summer of 2016, 2017, and 2018. No decision has yet to be made as to whether the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center will be open during the summer of 2019.

PRNSA Bookstore at Drakes Beach

The PRNSA Bookstore at Drakes Beach is open from 11 am to 4:30 pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and most federal holidays (except Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day)
Closed Mondays through Fridays, and on Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

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SEASONAL EVENTS

Event	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Gray Whale Migration	X	X	X	X
Elephant Seal Pupping & Breeding	X	X	X									X
Bird Migration			X	X	X			X	X	X	X	X
Harbor Seal Pupping			X	X	X	X
Peak Flower Blooms				X	X
Tule Elk Rut							X	X	X	X
Big Time Festival							X
Sand Sculpture Contest								X

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