©Richard Blair
Story by Richard Blair, Feb. 29, 2021.
When you live in Point Reyes as long as I have, you start to look for new places to go - hidden gems that are not on the popular trails. I love Drakes Beach, Bear Valley, and Pierce Point, and walking down to McClure’s Beach, but I most love the process of finding new routes and seeing new views.
Point Reyes National Seashore is mostly unseen by visitors because of this funneling effect of popular destinations. One can go from a popular beach or trail in the usual and obvious direction. As a creature of habit, I join the other hikers on these well worn routes.
The net sometimes amplifies these patterns. Palomarin trail head, the gateway to Alamere Falls via the coast trail, went viral on the web and it became a really popular hike for people of a certain age, twenty somethings.
Alamere Falls ©Richard Blair
I went there with Kathleen on a foggy weekend day, and we could barely find a parking spot in the huge lot, only managing because we have a handicapped placard. On the trail were a steady stream of hikers, many looking at their cellphones, tracing the route to the Falls and hoping for a signal. They were a strange group of hikers, uncommunicative, even withdrawn, and unsure of trail etiquette. That’s OK, who wants to talk to this photographer? They were out, experiencing a beautiful trail with a rare beach waterfall at its end. Parks need park lovers, and many were losing their hiking virginity that day!
Back to my travels... Lately I have been exploring new routes in the elk preserve near the end of Pierce Point Road. After Kehoe Beach, the road goes up a big hill and stays high. There are outcropping, perhaps called hogbacks, between the canyons that slope down to Tomales Bay. Some look very promising for expansive views. I am kind of a klutz climbing through barb wire fencing. Kathleen helped me through the strands without ripping my coat. We were about twenty feet from the fence, hiking through tall grass with our hiking sticks, when an angry motorist started to yell at us. “It’s private property”, he shouted, “get out of there!”
A hidden spot near Drakes Beach ©Richard Blair
Of course, he was wrong, we were in the national seashore, and were perfectly within our rights to go hiking there. But he didn’t know that. Which brings me to a larger observation, that a lot of park visitors have no idea that the ranch land is not private property but land that is part of the park and open to all. That is a big reason to why ranches and parks don’t mix. It’s not only the pollution from the cows, and the terrible price that land pays for its overgrazing but the sheer volume of parkland that is locked up from recreation and conservation. All for 24 ranches that got bought out years ago.
Elk on Hillside ©Richard Blair
We walked out to a vantage point that we had seen from the road, carefully avoiding the large animal burrows hidden in the grass. That’s a good reason to use those hiking poles. It was windy and cold, so dust and moisture hazed out the view, but we’ll be back when the conditions are clearer. Another tip for explorers that I got from outdoorsy kids who grew up here. Look at the tides, weather, and any hints that you can discern to determine where it’s best to go. Some days are big ocean days, other times require sheltering from the wind. Do you want fog??? Maybe it’s a water day, to go out in a kayak? Should I try and catch some crabs via Nick’s Cove in an inflatable?
Cliffs near Point Reyes Headlands ©Richard Blair
You get the idea, planning has its benefits. Yet, dumb luck isn’t too bad either!
I will start showing you some of the great hikes and places that I have found. You can see photographs of some of the new scenes. I’ll include directions so you can see them for yourselves. Please check the blog for new stories, and I’ll send out emails too.