Hike out of Sky Camp in Point Reyes

Just came back from an overnight hiking trip to Point Reyes. It was great. We camped at the Sky Camp, which I chose because it was the first available reservation when I called the Visitor Center two months ago. In the end I was very happy with that choice, we had a very private camping site surrounded by forest on one side and tall chaparral on the other sides. The site was very clean, had a picnic table and a large food locker.

The plan for Saturday was to hike the Sky Trail down to the coast, walk along the coast to the Sculptured Beach, and go back to the camp on the Fire Line Trail. We parked at the Sky Trail head at about 11 AM and hiked to the camp on the Sky Trail service road. The day was foggy and tall trees along the road were dripping water.


At the camp we just setup the tent and started the hike. I knew Point Reyes as semi dry coastal hills. The Sky Trail going out of the camp is very different, a temperate rain forest with lush green vegetation. On Saturday the forest was covered in fog and dripping buckets of water. The sides of the trail were dotted with blooming Crocosmias. We also found blue berry bushes (at least they looked and tasted like blueberries).


The Sky Trail goes on the forested high ridge for several miles, and at the end drops down to the coast.


At the coast we decided to walk extra 0.5 mile to see the Arch Rock. This picture shows a little sandy beach just to the left of the Arch Rock.


Arch Rock was a good place to sit down, look at the ocean, have some snack, and be watched by a very curious California Seagull.


Out of the Arch Rock there is a little trail going along the cliff, which we tried hoping to get back to the Coast Trail. No luck, the chaparral is too thick and high. But the trail has nice lunch spots at the edge of the cliff, and a view on the rock inhabited by the Black Cormorants.


Our next stop was the Sculpture Beach, where I got a good shot on the seagull working on a crab dinner, and a raven sitting on the nearby rocks.



We were back in the camp after 7PM. The area was covered in fog and trees kept dripping water. At the camp site it felt like sitting next to the rain.

On Sunday early morning, before folding the tent, we made a short walk to the top of a nearby Mt. Wittenberg. The air was fresh and moist, everything was quiet, and the forest in the fog was very mystical.


If you looked through this post and like some of the pictures, drop me a comment line.