parktrotter

Mesa Road ends at a parking lot for the Coast Trail.  If the beach is your goal, there is another turnout between the Point Reyes Bird Observatory and the end of the line.  We stopped there once, strapped Lewis–then a baby–to my back, and set out confidently down the trail.  And ran right into a dead-straight dropoff where the trail washed out.  I think now that the National Park Service, which is otherwise in charge here, had nothing to do with that trail.  It was a social trail made by surfers, and they live a carefree life compared to dads with babies on their backs.

Once on the Coast Trail, the hiker has a number of options.  We simply walked to the junction with the Palomarin Beach spur trail, where a National Park Service trail sign points the way to the shore.  The junction is in a grove of impressive eucalyptus trees; that is Lewis sitting in one, above.  A pity they are not a native tree (they are from Australia, of course).  One native bird species likes them: the vultures roost here.  Their home in the eucalyptus grove is an inspiringly gruesome scene.  Lewis led the way down the rest of the trail to the beach–but here is another place to watch your kids closely.  The plant with reddish leaves-of-three beside the trail is what you might think it is: poison oak.  Just stay on the trail.

The Coast Trail itself continues on to Bass Lake and ultimately Alamere Falls, a favorite destination of people who know Pt. Reyes.  Here is Bay Area Hiker, a website I’ve often found useful, on this trail.

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