Bucklin–Muddy Hollow Road–Drakes View–Inverness Ridge Loop

This 7.7-mile loop starts and finishes at Point Reyes Hill Trailhead: down Bucklin, across Muddy Hollow Road, up Drakes View, and back along Inverness Ridge. The National Park Service rates it strenuous. Allow about five hours for the route’s climbs and descent; this is a half-day hike, not a quick viewpoint walk.

Bucklin climbs to a bench with views over Limantour Beach and Drakes Bay, then drops through open grassland into Bishop pine and Douglas-fir. The 1995 Vision Fire reshaped these slopes. Bishop pines filled much of Drakes View, so the bay appears only through occasional gaps there. On the final Inverness Ridge stretch, look back toward Point Reyes Hill and north toward Tomales Bay and Mount St. Helena.

Begin at the small dirt lot at the south end of Mount Vision Road; it has space for about 30 vehicles. The road is narrow, two-way, and full of sharp switchbacks. Vehicles over 24 feet and vehicles towing trailers are prohibited. Pets aren’t allowed on trails from this trailhead. Heavy winter rain can flood the route between Muddy Hollow Road and Drakes View; the park advises avoiding it after significant rain or expecting wet feet. The official trailhead listing names parking, but not water or restrooms.