Backcountry Camping at Point Reyes National Seashore

Campers have an excellent view of the stars on clear nights. San Francisco glows in the distance.

NPS / A. Kopshever

Point Reyes National Seashore offers year-round backcountry camping along Drakes Bay and amongst the hills and valleys of the Phillip Burton Wilderness. Because of its location near the Metropolitan San Francisco Bay Area, the campsites at Point Reyes are in great demand. You must reserve a permit through Recreation.gov in advance of arrival. Permits may be—and frequently are—reserved three months to the day in advance, so it's best to plan your trip well in advance.

Backcountry camping is only allowed in one of four established campgrounds at Point Reyes National Seashore: Sky Campground, Coast Campground, Glen Campground, and Wildcat Campground. The backcountry sites may only be accessed by hiking, riding bicycles, or riding a horse to the campgrounds.

Be sure to visit the park's Campgrounds page for more information about the campsites and the park's Backcountry Camping page for details on how to obtain a permit and other information.

Camping rules & regulations must be observed.

Please visit our Leave No Trace page to learn how you can help leave the backcountry in a better condition than you found it.

There is no car or RV camping available within the park. There are, however, many nearby campgrounds, located outside of Point Reyes National Seashore, that do have car and RV camping.

Backcountry Office contact information:

For non-emergency, park-specific camping questions, please send an email to our Camping Desk.

To make, change, or cancel your camping reservations, log in to Recreation.gov, or call the Recreation.gov call center at 1-877-444-6777. Call center staff are available every day of the year from 7 am to 9 pm PT, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Details

Duration

2-5 Days

Camping is limited to four nights per visit, with a maximum of thirty nights per year.

Activity

Camping

Age(s)

All ages. The minimum age of any camper is eighteen unless accompanied by an adult. Permits are not issued to children seventeen years of age or younger; an adult must reserve the permit and camp with the youth.

Pets Allowed

No

Pets are not allowed at the backcountry campgrounds, nor on most of the park's trails. Please visit our Pets page for information about where pets are welcome at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Activity Fee

Yes

• $30/night/site for 1- to 6-person permits
• $60/night/site for 7- to 14-person permits
• $90/night/site for 15- to 25-person permits

Individuals who have an Interagency Senior Pass, an Interagency Access Pass, a Golden Age, or a Golden Access Pass are eligible for a 50% discount on the camping fee for an individual site; discounts are not available for group site fees. 

Location

Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Point Reyes National Seashore has four backcountry campgrounds that are adjacent to or surrounded by the Phillip Burton Wilderness.

Coast Campground

Coast Campground is nestled within a small coastal valley with easy access to the beach and tidepools. The shortest approach on solid ground is via the 1.8-mile-long slightly uphill hike on the Laguna and Fire Lane Trails, starting at the Laguna Trailhead just east of the hostel.

Geographic Coordinates of Coast Campground: 38.0179, -122.8548

Glen Campground

Glen Campground is located deep within a wooded valley protected from ocean breezes. The shortest route to Glen Camp is via a 4.6-mile hike from the Bear Valley Trailhead. To ride a bicycle to Glen Camp, start at the Five Brooks Trailhead for a 6.3-mile bike ride.

Geographic Coordinates of Glen Campground: 37.9893926, -122.7883284

Sky Campground

Sky Campground is located on the western side of Mount Wittenberg at an elevation of 1025 feet. The easiest and shortest approach is a 1.4-mile moderate uphill hike or bicycle ride from the Sky Trailhead (elevation 680 feet) via Sky Trail.

Geographic Coordinates of Sky Campground: 38.039997, -122.8286679

Wildcat Campground

Wildcat Campground is located in an open meadow on a bluff overlooking the ocean with a short walk to the beach.It is a 6.3-mile hike from Bear Valley Trailhead or a 5.5-mile hike from the Palomarin Trailhead. The only bicycling route is via a strenuous 6.7-mile ride along the Stewart Trail from the Five Brooks Trailhead.

Geographic Coordinates of Wildcat Campground: 37.9702, -122.7905

Reservations

Yes

All camping permit reservations for Point Reyes National Seashore are handled by Recreation.gov. Effective spring of 2021, the six-month reservation window has been discontinued and the park is now offering three different reservation windows. Look for the "Site Availability" headers on our Campgrounds page to learn when specific sites become available. Some campsites may be reserved up to three months to the day in advance, other campsites may be reserved up to 14 days to the day in advance, and a few campsites are usually available for same-day, one-night reservations. As an example, on February 12:

• For the sites that are available three months in advance, reservations may be made for any available dates through May 12, and reservations for May 13 will become available at 7 am PST on February 13.
• For the sites that are available 14 days in advance, reservations may be made for any available dates through February 26, and reservations for February 27 will become available at 7 am PST on February 13.
• For the sites that are only available for same-day reservations, those permits will usually become available to reserve online at 7 am on February 12. If you hope to stay in the same site for a second night, the permits for February 13 would be available to reserve online at 7 am on February 13. Be aware that mobile phone service at the campgrounds and from most locations along the trails near the campgrounds is unreliable to nonexistent.

Weekends and holidays fill up quickly, especially group sites, so you will want to make your reservations as far in advance as possible. Reservations may be made online at Recreation.gov. Reservations may also be made by phone by calling toll free 877-444-6777 (TDD: 877-833-6777).

Call Center Hours of Operation:

• 7 am to 9 pm PT, year-round
• Call Centers are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Season

Year Round

Winter

The heaviest rainfall occurs in the winter months. Come prepared for rain and drizzle to possibly last for several days. In between winter rains, it is often sunny, calm, and cool.

Spring

Most spring days are windy and this area frequently experiences fresh to strong breezes. Expect cool temperatures in March. By late May and early June, temperatures can be quite pleasant, even warm.

Summer

Although there is very little rain during summer months, there is often dense fog throughout the day in July, August and September with temperatures often 20 degrees cooler than at Bear Valley.

Fall

The coastal areas of Point Reyes experience some of the clearest days in late September, October and early November. The occasional storm will start rolling through in late October, bringing clouds, wind, and rain. The strongest winds occur in November and December during occasional southerly gales.

Time of Day

Any Time

• Check-in: Campers do not need to stop by the Bear Valley Visitor Center on their arrival date to check in. (Visit Camping Permits and Parking Passes section on the park's Backcountry Camping page for instructions.) Campers are allowed to arrive at their campsite any time after 6 am on their day of arrival. Please keep in mind that the campers from the previous night are not required to depart until noon.
• Check-out: Campers must vacate their campsite by noon on their day of departure, but are welcome to continue hiking and exploring the park after noon. Campers do not need to return to the Bear Valley Visitor Center in order to check out.
• Quiet hours are from sundown to sunrise.

Accessibility Information

Point Reyes National Seashore's hiking trails vary in quality, width, grade, and slope. Many are single-track with rough, uneven surfaces with lots of tree roots or other obstacles or tripping hazards. However, each campground is serviced by a multi-use maintenance road that is over eight-feet-wide and may be accessible to those in wheelchairs or those who wish to ride a bicycle to the campground. Accessibility for those routes are described below.

Campground Facilities

Each campground has two vault toilets and a water faucet from which potable water is usually available. While the vault toilet buildings are in and of themselves designed to be accessible, the unpaved ground and terrain around the toilets do not meet the standards to qualify as accessible. While the ground around the water faucets may be relatively flat, it is unpaved and does not meet the standards to qualify as accessible.

Campsites

A few campsites at each of the four campgrounds has relatively flat ground throughout the campsite and a relatively flat approach to the campsite, but none of the campsites meet accessibility standards. Each campsite has a picnic table and food storage locker. None of this equipment meets accessibility standards.

Routes to the Campgrounds

Coast Trailhead to Coast Campground

Distance: 2.8 miles (4.5 km) one way, relatively flat

The Coast Trail from the Coast Trailhead doubles as an eight-foot-wide (2.4-meter-wide) service/fire road that is composed of compacted dirt and gravel (and potholes and washboarding). The Coast Trail's northern 2.8 miles (4.5 km) is relative flat; the steepest section is at the Coast Trail's junction with the Laguna Road where the trail drops relatively steeply from the built-up road to the valley floor. The road-side parking at the Coast Trailhead is on the shoulder, which has surfaces that are uneven and sloped.

Five Brooks Trailhead to Glen Campground

Distance: 6.7 miles (9km) one way, very steep

The Stewart Trail, Glen Trail, and Glen Camp Loop Trail to Glen Camp are old ranch roads that are currently maintained as multi-use trails for the public and as service roads for NPS vehicles to drive from the Five Brooks Trailhead to Glen Campground. The trails tend to be at least 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide throughout their duration. The trails' surfaces are comprised of compacted dirt and gravel. Since the Stewart Trail ascends from ~260 feet (79 meters) to 1,324 feet (404 meters) in elevation in a bit more than 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) and due to the steep grades along many sections of the route to Glen Campground, it will likely be very challenging for someone in a wheelchair without assistance.

Sky Trailhead to Sky Campground

Distance: 1.4 miles (2.3 km) one way, moderately steep

The Sky Trail is an old ranch road and its northern 1.4 miles (2.2 km) is maintained as a service road for NPS vehicles to drive from the Sky Trailhead to Sky Campground. The trail tends to be at least 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide with a substrate of dirt and gravel. Since this section has a change in elevation of about 350 feet (106 meters), it may be challenging for someone in a wheelchair without assistance.

Five Brooks Trailhead to Wildcat Campground

Distance: 6.7 miles (9km) one way, very steep

The Stewart Trail to Wildcat Camp is an old ranch road that is currently maintained as a multi-use trail for the public and as a service road for NPS vehicles to drive from the Five Brooks Trailhead to Wildcat Campground. The trail tends to be at least 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide throughout it's duration. The trail surface is comprised of compacted dirt and gravel. Since this trail ascends from close to sea level to 1,324 feet (404 meters) in elevation in a bit more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) and due to its steep grades along many sections of the route, it will likely be very challenging for someone in a wheelchair without assistance.