The Great Outdoors: Point Reyes Peninsula
Less than an hour north of the City, a lonely wedge of land juts out into the teeth of the Pacific swell. Almost completely separated from the Marin mainland by the grinding force of the San Andreas Fault (SAF), the Point Reyes Peninsula is a focal point for all kinds of natural forces.
Chief among them is the SAF, which marks the boundary between the north-riding Pacific tectonic plate and the west-sliding North America plate. The Point Reyes Peninsula sits on the Pacific plate and drifts north at the blistering rate of about two inches per year. Since the peninsula was created by coastal uplift in the Quaternary Period, the SAF has transported it at least 450 kilometers northwest of its original location.
Driving through West Marin on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is like driving back in time. The bustle of 101 gives way to small Main Street towns like San Anselmo and then to weather-beaten barns, livestock, and droopy barbed wire fences surrounding lush green meadows, and eventually to even smaller villages like Olema and Point Reyes Station. It's not hard, especially when driving the Drake at night, to catch a glimpse of the pastoral idyllicism of another time -- a time when West Marin was the serious boondocks.
Around the peninsula, it's a federal affair. The Point Reyes National Seashore, a National Park Service site, accounts for about 99 percent of the peninsula. The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary abuts its southern shore and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area sits just across the Fault.
No visit to the peninsula is complete without driving out to the iconic Point Reyes lighthouse on the southwest tip of the peninsula. From the end of the road, a taxing 308 steps lead down to the lighthouse, which is perched perilously on a crumbly promontory overlooking about 270 degrees of amazing view. Built in 1870, the lighthouse was retired from service in 1975 when the U.S. Coast Guard installed an automated light. Now it serves as a beacon of romantic nostalgia.
The southwestern part of the peninsula has a somewhat barren Planet of the Apes feel (the Lake Powell scenes in the beginning), the result of 150 years of ranching and dairy farming. How it must have looked in its original forested splendor to Sir Francis Drake in 1579 and to the Miwoks before him. Still, there's something to be said for the stark contrast of the sun sparkling off the deep blue water in the bays of Drake's Estero with the light browns of the sandy beaches and the livestock-ravaged low scrub. Definitely make the short hike out to Chimney Rock for some spectacular photo ops, but unless you're a First Responder buff, skip the historic Point Reyes Lifeboat Station, which was about as interesting as a Phil Angelides speech.
An extensive network of hiking trails, including the 16-mile Coast Trail, characterize the southeast corner of the peninsula. More lush than the exposed and seriously windswept western edges, this corner of the peninsula also features the only campgrounds and the only mountain bike trails within the Point Reyes National Seashore boundaries.
Spectacular, massive, sandy beaches in the Oregon Coast style highlight the western edge of the PRP. These beaches offer wide expanses of sand on which to picnic and recreate, and they're also a good place to see various forms of dead marine life that have washed onshore, from abandoned crab shells, to decomposing gulls, to bloated and stinky sea lions. Beware however, the undertow and rip currents are ferocious, and the hammering waves are often extremely large and violent. South Beach and North Beach, along with Kehoe Beach further to the north, are the only places in the park where you can walk your dog -- on-leash only, of course.
In the north part of the peninsula, be sure to check out the Tule Elk Preserve and the historic Pierce Point Ranch, if you haven't already OD'ed on rustic and run-down farm structures.
Fall is the right time of year to check out Point Reyes. Summer has the fog, winter has the rains, spring has the really heavy winds. The months of September and October offer the best combination of sun and no wind. Make no mistake though, whenever you go, you'll need a windbreaker, and you'll need to layer.
For motorcyclists and roadies, the peninsula roads offer great sightlines and plenty of curves. The incessant wind also provides an additional, persistent challenge. For mountain bikers, there are options, but don't come to Point Reyes for a full day of dirt. Just east across the San Andreas Fault though are some of the best trails in the Bay Area, including the Bolinas Ridge Trail. Nearby Samuel Taylor State Park also has some fun dirt action and lots of connectors to other classic Marin trails.
A note of caution: distances may not look that far on the map, but driving out to the lighthouse or the Elk Preserve takes much longer than you might think. The two-lane roads are narrow and often winding. Give yourself plenty of time to visit all the spots and take in all the sights.
An interesting demographic/political/sociological observation. West Marin is characterized by large properties and an obvious preponderance of heavy money. Yet, its organic farms and generally progressive atmosphere suggest a liberal mindset not generally associated with wealthy, rural, agrarian types. Could it be the influence of the sixties hippy communes that once populated the region? Sure, most sixties hippies long ago abandoned the commune and signed up with American Express to become part of the ownership society, but it seems that their spirit remains. Makes sense, West Marin is a land rich in nostalgic charm.