Point Reyes National Seashore
Marin County · near Point Reyes Station · SF Bay Area
Stargazing · Wildlife Watching
At a glance
- Best season
- Fall for clearest skies (summer is foggy); go near new moon
- Best season
- Dec–Apr for gray whales & elephant seals; elk & birds year-round
- Open year round
- Yes
What is here
- Highlights
- milky-way · astrophoto
- Landscape
- coast
- Amenities
- Milky Way over the Pacific · Historic lighthouse foreground · Hike-in campgrounds · Closest dark escape to the Bay Area
- Best for
- The Bay Area's nearest coastal darkness
- Features
- Nearest wild dark sky to SF · Ocean & lighthouse foregrounds · Hike-in coastal camping · Milky Way over the sea
- Wildlife
- whales · seals-otters · land-mammals · birds
- Species
- Gray whales, northern elephant seals, tule elk, harbor seals, 490+ bird species
- Amenities
- Lighthouse gray whale overlook · Tomales Point tule elk herd · Chimney Rock elephant seals · 490+ bird species
- Best for
- An all-in-one coastal wildlife day
- Features
- Gray whales from the lighthouse · Tule elk on Tomales Point · Elephant seal colony · Most bird species of any US park
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Frequent coastal fog — fall offers the clearest skies · SF light dome to the southeast · Cold, windy, damp nights — dress warmly · Winding roads & long drive out to the point at night
- Beginner friendly
- Yes
- Hazards
- Long windy stairs to the lighthouse · Dense fog & fierce wind · Winter weekend shuttle & crowds · Keep 25+ ft from elephant seals & elk
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Stargazing detail
- Designation
- informal
- Reach
- easy
- Darkness
- 3
- Sky notes
- The Bay Area's closest wild dark-sky escape — a windswept peninsula of empty beaches, cliffs, and a historic lighthouse where, on a clear night, the Pacific holds back the San Francisco glow and the Milky Way rises over the sea
- Stats note
- ~Bortle 3; ocean & lighthouse foregrounds; SF light dome to the southeast
- Campground
- Yes
- Intl tip
- The Bay Area's closest wild dark-sky escape — a windswept Marin peninsula of empty beaches, cliffs, and a historic lighthouse (~Bortle 3), where the Pacific helps hold back the SF glow and the Milky Way rises over the sea, with hike-in campgrounds. The challenge is fog: summer is often socked in, so fall offers the clearest skies. Noticeable SF light dome to the southeast; cold, windy, damp nights (dress warmly); a long, winding drive out to the point at night. Accessible and lovely when clear.
Wildlife Watching detail
- Viewing
- shore
- Effort
- moderate
- Habitat
- coast
- Sighting
- 4
- Viewing notes
- A wildlife-watching grand slam on one peninsula — gray whales past the lighthouse, a tule elk herd on Tomales Point, elephant seals at Chimney Rock, and world-class birding
- Intl tip
- A wildlife grand slam on one peninsula an hour north of San Francisco: gray whales past the lighthouse (winter/spring), a free-ranging tule elk herd on Tomales Point, an elephant seal colony at Chimney Rock, harbor seals, and world-class birding (~490 species). Largely accessible and family-friendly, but the lighthouse stairs are steep and the wind/fog fierce; winter weekends mean shuttle-only access and crowds. Keep well back from seals and elk. A California crown jewel.
The guide
Point Reyes National Seashore, a wild, windswept peninsula jutting into the Pacific in Marin County, is the closest true dark-s…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Point Reyes National Seashore — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.07, -122.88