Tomales Point (Tule Elk Reserve)
Point Reyes National Seashore · near Inverness · SF Bay Area
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 9.5 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,200 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Year-round · Spring wildflowers; fall for the elk rut; clear days spectacular
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- Free NPS parking at Pierce Point Ranch; no reservation. Pets prohibited on the entire Tomales Point peninsula.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Tule elk herd · Twin-ocean views (Pacific + Tomales Bay) · Wildflower grasslands · Historic Pierce Point Ranch
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Start early and bring wind protection and all your water — zero shade, no water, and punishing afternoon wind. Give elk a wide berth in the fall rut.
The guide
A ridge-top walk out a narrowing finger of land with the Pacific on your left, Tomales Bay on your right, and Point Reyes' famo…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Tomales Point (Tule Elk Reserve) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.1917, -122.9535