Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is a 71,028-acre (287.44 km2) park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula. Its location is 3 mi south of Point Reyes Station. The site is in the hands of the National Park Service. It had 2.4M visitors in 2025.
A national seashore, 3 mi south of Point Reyes Station
You can sleep inside the park
6 places to stay are inside the park: Limantour Lodge and Morning Glory Cottage. The nearest town with more is Point Reyes Station. Where to stay ↓
Inverness is inside the park
Inverness sits inside the park’s boundary. Where to stay ↓
Best month: May
May is mild and quieter than average, with a high of 63°. When to go ↓
A day trip from San Jose
San Jose is about 75 miles southeast (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Established in 1962
Point Reyes National Seashore dates from 1962 and is run by National Park Service. About ↓
Written from National Park Service visitor counts, NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Updated when the Park Service posts a new month.
Crowds and weather by month
A visit to Point Reyes can follow the busy and quiet months below.
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is a 71,028-acre (287.44 km2) park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as an important nature preserve. No other U.S. national park south of Alaska hosts breeding hoofed megafauna (elk) and marine megafauna (elephant and other seals). Some existing agricultural uses are allowed to continue within the park. Clem Miller, a US Congressman from Marin County, wrote and introduced the bill for the establishment of Point Reyes National Seashore in 1962 to protect the peninsula from development which was proposed at the time for the slopes above Drake's Bay. About half of the national seashore is protected as wilderness.
- Type
- National Seashore
- Established
- 1962
- Run by
- National Park Service
- Wikipedia readers
- 26K a year
- Official site
- nps.gov/pore
Useful details
Where to base yourself for Point Reyes National Seashore
You can sleep inside the park (6 places). Rooms are nearest in San Francisco (528) and Inverness (14).
- 1Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
- 2Chase Center
- 3Presidio of San Francisco
- 4Lombard Street
- 5USS Hornet
- 6Oracle Park
- 7Muir Woods
Stay in the park
- Limantour Lodge lodge or cabins
- Morning Glory Cottage hotel
- The Blackthorne inn or B&B
- Wildcat Campground campground
- Camp Glen campground
- Stewart Horse Camp At Pt Reyes campground
San Francisco
The closest town with somewhere to stay.
826,079 people
28 mi southeast of Bear Valley Visitor Center · 18 mi to the park
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From the visitor center | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 28 mi southeast | 40 min | 528 426 hotels · 24 motels · 37 inns & B&Bs · 5 lodges & cabins · 27 hostels · 6 campgrounds · 3 RV parks | 826,079 | $1,395K | D |
| Inverness 25% vacation homes | inside the park | 5 min | 14 1 hotel · 1 motel · 6 inns & B&Bs · 5 lodges & cabins · 1 campground | 1,346 | $1,873K | — |
| Point Reyes Station | 3 mi north | 5 min | 8 2 hotels · 6 inns & B&Bs | 517 | $1,603K | — |
| Novato | 14 mi east | 20 min | 13 10 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 2 RV parks | 51,947 | $1,033K | C+ |
| San Rafael | 17 mi east | 25 min | 18 15 hotels · 1 motel · 2 inns & B&Bs | 59,410 | $1,356K | D |
| Petaluma | 17 mi northeast | 25 min | 17 11 hotels · 1 motel · 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins · 3 campgrounds | 59,688 | $879K | C+ |
| Santa Rosa | 28 mi north | 45 min | 42 28 hotels · 3 motels · 7 inns & B&Bs · 3 lodges & cabins · 1 RV park | 179,437 | $714K | C |
| Napa | 32 mi northeast | 50 min | 64 44 hotels · 2 motels · 16 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 76,562 | $856K | C |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service, from the visitor center
Next door to Point Reyes
These well-known sights sit within 68 miles.
Big draw130 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw234 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw329 mi GardenPresidio of San Francisco
Big draw431 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw538 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw633 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
721 mi National MonumentMuir Woods National Monument757K visitors a year
Big draw68 mi Stadium & arenaLevi's StadiumPhoto credits
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Muir Woods National Monument: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0
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2025: 2,429,601 visitors
These are the visits counted between 2016 and 2025.
Questions about Point Reyes
What town is Point Reyes National Seashore near?
Point Reyes Station, CA, about 3 miles north.
When is the best time to visit Point Reyes National Seashore?
May, with a high of 63°. July is the busiest month (about 246,246 visitors).
How many people visit Point Reyes National Seashore each year?
2,429,601 in 2025, according to the National Park Service. The record is 2,738,098, set in 2021.
How far is Point Reyes National Seashore from San Jose and Stockton?
About 75 miles southeast of San Jose and about 81 miles east of Stockton, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Point Reyes National Seashore?
Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County (STS), about 32 miles away. The nearest big hub is San Francisco (SFO), about 37 miles.
Where should I stay near Point Reyes National Seashore?
Inside the park: Limantour Lodge, Morning Glory Cottage and The Blackthorne. Nearby: San Francisco (28 mi, 528 places to stay), Inverness (4 mi, 14 places to stay) and Point Reyes Station (3 mi, 8 places to stay).
Locals’ advice in Point Reyes Station
Questions and tips go in Point Reyes Station’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · National Park Service visitor use statistics · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.