This was the last hike we took before Katelyn headed home in January, and it was special in a number of ways. First of all, Rick went with us, what a treat! And the hike was longer than anything we had done, although we didn't quite make it all the way to the point.
Also, I read reports of elk near the trail, and realized I wasn't quite sure what an elk looked like! We also saw a coyote on the trail, and he seemed quite used to people. All this, plus the beautiful scenery, made for a very memorable experience.
To orient you, Tomales Point is at the very tip of the spit of land that makes up Tomales Bay. As you can see, it's quite a drive to get there because you have to go around the bay and through Pt. Reyes, so it was probably an hour or so from our house to the trailhead. The trailhead is approximately where the little white road ends.
When you arrive at the trailhead, there is quite a large parking area near some ranch buildings. I didn't know the history of this ranch, so looked it up when we got home. I learned that the buildings were originally part of the Pierce Ranch, which ceased operations in 1973. The National Park Service invested in the rehabilitation of the ranch core, citing it as the best example of a west Marin dairy ranch from the 1800s. Part of the ranch's main house dates to 1856, making it the oldest surviving ranch house in the Point Reyes region, if not in the whole coastal section of Marin County. Pierce Point Ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and was subsequently opened to the public as an interpretive site. Visitors are allowed to walk through the ranch complex, where interpretive signs describe the history and function of the various buildings. Historic features include the main house, a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, barns, dairy houses, and many other structures.
Back to the hike! We skirted around the ranch buildings and hit the trail. It was quite wide in most places, and hardpacked dirt (important when you're hiking in the rainy season). Because of the wildlife, dogs are not allowed, but there were plenty of people on the day we went (1/20/21). You are surrounded by beautiful views, either of the bay on one side or the ocean on the other.
Before we encountered wildlife, the most interesting thing I saw was this section of beach and what I called "rainbow waves". I don't know if it always looks like this, or if it was something magical about the light that time of day, but the waves formed a rainbow as they rolled in.
You can see it even better in this video. I found it quite mesmerizing and could have stayed in this one spot all day!
From there we hiked along the dirt path, down and up a gully, and then encountered the coyote. He pretty much ignored us even though we got fairly close.
A little ways beyond that we saw the herd of elk. These aren't very good photos, but I didn't want to get too close.
From there we hiked a ways down the point, and stopped to rest, have a snack, and enjoy the view. From there you can see across Bodega Bay to Doran Beach. Great views!
It's interesting, at this point we had gone to Doran Beach, Bodega Head, the beach north of there, and now we were seeing it from the south. Interesting to see it from a different perspective! I realized the big rock full of seals near Doran Beach (see this blog to hear them via video), was actually visible from where we were, all the way across Bodega Bay.
Next time we'll have to make it all the way to the point! In the meantime, this was a great way to end Katelyn's visit and enjoy some great family time.
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