Point Reyes National Seashore & Point Reyes Station (San Francisco, CA)

While several National Seashores are on the East Coast of the U.S., only one is on the West Coast- Point Reyes National Seashore. It means it is that much more beautiful.


Point Reyes National Seashore  

Located on Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, Point Reyes National Seashore stretches across 71,028 acres (287.44 sq. km.) and is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS) as an important nature preserve. Geologically separated from the rest of Marin County and most of the continental United States by a rift zone of the San Andreas Fault, about half of which is sunk below sea level and forms Tomales Bay, Point Reyes Peninsula is on a different tectonic plate than the east shore of Tomales Bay. This results in a difference in soils between the areas and a noticeable difference in vegetation.

The area includes wild coastal beaches, estuaries, and uplands. Although some parts of Point Reyes National Seashore are commercially farmed and some parts are under the jurisdiction of other conservation authorities, the NPS provides overall management of the area and seeks to supervise visitor impact on the entire peninsula and most of Tomales Bay. It also administers parts of the Golden Gate National Recreation area that are adjacent to the Seashore, such as Olema Valley.

The small town of Point Reyes Station is not actually located on the peninsula, but provides most services for the area. A few services are also available in Inverness (on the west shore of Tomales Bay). Olema, a small town about 3 miles (4.8 km.) south of Point Reyes Station, serves as the gateway to the Point Reyes National Seashore and its visitor center, which is located on Bear Valley Road.

Only 22 miles (35 km.) north of San Francisco, there is a Western old town on the way to Point Reyes National Seashore.

Point Reyes Station
The small town of Point Reyes Station (formerly, Marin and Olema Station) is located in western Marin County, about 13 miles (21 km.) southeast of Tomales. The town serves as the gateway to the Point Reyes National Seashore along SR-1.

Point Reyes Station gets its name from nearby Point Reyes Peninsula and its status as a terminus of the North Pacific Coast Railroad that connects Cazadero with the Sausalito ferry. The area once belonged to the Coast Miwok Indians.

Point Reyes Station is where local students from Stanford and Berkley stop by for a rest on the way to beautiful Point Reyes National Seashore on weekends.

Even if it is small, Point Reyes Station has a restaurant with fresh and delicious oysters and a famous bakery. Various deserts from the home-made bakery, special hand-made cheese from Cowgirl Cheese factory, and chocolate, milk, and ice cream are the must-try foods in Point Reyes Station.

Cafes in Point Reyes Station have each their own signature taste of sandwiches with cheese made from cows grazing in their own fields.

The Los Angeles Times (newspaper) recommended trying these organic products and introduced the cheese trail from the Point Reyes area to Sonoma County. It is great that there is a small school introducing areas nearby to Point Reyes Station. There is also a history-learning time for tourists.





*This posting was translated from a Korean post. Click here to read the original version.