On Glen trail

Driving to Point Reyes on a beautiful day!

Bear Valley Visitor Center

Along Bear Valley trail

Frosted table in the morning

Salamander

Spring Frog

Drakes Beach - at Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center

Drakes Beach - at Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center

On the beach

Drakes Beach Cafe at the Visitor Center

Super yummy hot chocolate!

Our first time in Point Reyes National Seashore. We hiked from Bear Valley Visitor Center (park headquarters) to Glen Camp and back, through Bear Valley Trail and Glen Trail. 4.6 miles one way.

A very nice hike to Glen camp with gentle elevation, along Olema Creek. Lush forest, abundant large ferns, inhabited by bright green spring frogs and shinny salamanders. Small Glen camp is situated in a pretty meadow. It is a luxurious camp with a filtered water point powered by solar panels, bathrooms, a wooden table for each campsite.
The temperature dropped at night near freezing. In the morning the meadow was frosted, the wooden table too, which made the carvings very pretty.

On the way back we stopped at Divide Meadow for lunch. Insect search was at a high for the boys!

After hiking back to Bear Valley headquarters, it was too late to take the shuttle to go to the lighthouse. So we decided to drive to Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center, 30mn south West, on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
The shore is breathtaking, it was windy and chilly and we were happy to stop at the visitor center’s coffee place for a delicious hot chocolate!

Map of Point Reyes National Seashore.

Camp at Skeels' Meadow

Manzanita Tree

A field skink and a blue tail skink

The trail along Middle Ridge

The amazing way the Acorn Woodpecker stores his acorns!

Filtering water in Coyote creek at Poverty Flat camp

Jerusalem Cricket

A wild Turkey on the trail

The trail along Pine Ridge, on our way back to the HQ

Great backpacking trip in Henry Coe, one of our favorite parks in the area. Beautiful weather and nice camps. The camps are situated near creeks, so the hike goes up and down the ridges, sometimes the trail is pretty steep!
Temperature in the 30s at night.
It feels great to spend a few days with just the things needed for the trip, it is quite a nice experience of frugality and simplicity.
Two nights/ three days give a really nice feeling of being far away.
We saw lots of animals: deer, a male turkey with its group of females, turkey vultures, a corn snake, a couple of skinks and Jerusalem crickets, scorpions, camel crickets, millipedes and salamanders.

First day
Henry Coe’s Headquarters – Frog Lake – Skeels’ Meadow (elevation: 1,580 feet). Distance: 4.1 miles. Up to Pine Ridge and Middle Ridge and down to Coyote Creek.
Second day
Skeels’ Meadow – Poverty Flat (elevation: 1200 feet).
Distance: 6 miles. Up to Middle Ridge, along Middle Ridge and down to Coyote Creek.
Third day
Poverty Flat – Henri Coe’s headquarters.
Distance 3.9 miles. Up to Pine Ridge and along Pine Ridge to the HQ.

A beautiful hike in quiet Castle Rock Park, around Goat Rock and to the Interpretative center.

We went to Ano Nuevo State Reserve and joined a 2 hour guided tour (reservation has to be made in advance) to see the elephants seals assembled for the winter on the beach with their pups. It is the time when they are present in great numbers. It is a great sight, one can see them from really close, but it does not look like they care about our presence. They make all sorts of noise, and the males are completely oblivious of the pups, rolling over them, only focusing on being sure their harem is not infiltrated by other males!

We then stopped at Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz and spent some time on the beach. for the first time I saw amazing “drawings” on the rocks.

Guided tours info to see the elephant seals – here.

A beautiful hike from the Headquarters to Manzanita Point and back.
Henri Coe State Park.

On the Half Moon Bay California Coastal Trail

Back to Half Moon Bay – walking on the beach

Looking for important things

Walking to Pillar Point, Princeton.