Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
A flat coastal walk ends at a campground beside Santa Maria Beach.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Point Reyes Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Point Reyes National Seashore. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Muddy Hollow Trailhead“You're coming up on Muddy Hollow Trailhead, where a gentle creek path runs through red alder and willow to an open tidal marsh.”
Plays on the road 0.2 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Point Reyes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
This is a 5.6-mile out-and-back along a flat dirt-and-gravel service road from the Coast Trailhead on Laguna Road to Coast Camp. Coast Camp is about 2.7–2.8 miles one way; this outing returns the same way, not by the Laguna–Coast loop. The payoff is a small coastal-valley campground, with access from there to Santa Maria Beach.
The broad road begins across Laguna Road from Limantour Lodge and follows the Coast Trail through creek-side habitat, then wetlands as it nears the ocean. The grade stays easy and flat; this is a practical walk to the beach rather than a climb or a narrow, technical trail. Allow about 2½ hours for the round trip, plus time to explore the beach.
Parking is on an unpaved shoulder on Laguna Road’s south side, opposite the lodge; it generally fits about 15 vehicles. Larger vehicles and horse trailers use the grassy area 1,000 feet east. Don’t park at the lodge or on the north shoulder. From Coast Camp, the beach is about 220 yards away and tidepools are about 720 yards southeast. The campground has year-round vault toilets and potable water, but an overnight stay needs an advance permit. Dogs are not allowed on trails here.
Wildlife
2,552 sightingsNorthern Elephant SealMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
127 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
109 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
29 sightingsSteller Sea LionMost seen around noonSighting map
203 sightingsCalifornia Sea LionMost seen around noonSighting map
352 sightingsHarbor SealMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Point Reyes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateLaguna-Coast Loop5 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayA Drakes Bay ridge view, then a bluff-top coast return.
ModerateSculptured Beach via Laguna and Santa Maria Beach6.6 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayRidge views, a remote beach, and a route planned around the tide.
EasyMuddy Hollow Trail3 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.4 mi awayA flat walk through alder shade to a tidal marsh.
ModerateEstero–Glenbrook–Muddy Hollow Road Loop7.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.4 mi awayA changing loop from young woodland to open Estero views.
ModerateInverness Ridge–Drakes View–Bayview Loop4.9 mi · 2.8 hr · 1.3 mi awayA wooded five-mile loop with one steep, pine-soft descent.
EasyLimantour Spit Trail2 mi · 1 hr · 1.5 mi awayA short sandy trail for birdwatching beside the estuary.
ModerateMount Wittenberg from Sky Trailhead5 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayThe forested high point hides summit views; the return finds the Pacific.
ChallengingSky–Woodward Valley–Fire Lane Loop9.5 mi · 5 hr · 1.6 mi awayA steep ridge-to-coast loop with big ocean views off Woodward Valley.
Lodging · 0.1 mi awayLimantour LodgePark's only roofed lodging, tucked in a valley near Limantour Beach
Beach · 1.6 mi awayLimantour BeachWide, dune-backed sand stretching four miles along gentle Drakes Bay
Campground · 1.9 mi awayCoast CampgroundGrassy coastal valley camp minutes from beach and tidepools
Campground · 1.9 mi awaySky CampgroundHike-in ridgetop tent sites with sweeping Drakes Bay and ocean views
Beach · 2.6 mi awaySculptured BeachWave-carved rocks and low-tide pools, two miles down a wild shore
Beach · 2.7 mi awaySecret Beach and Skylight CaveCollapsed sea cave and hidden beach reached only at negative tides
Sight · 3.2 mi awayMount VisionDrive-up peak with panoramic views over esteros, headlands and ocean
Sight · 3.3 mi awayKule LokloA replica Coast Miwok village with a round house and acorn granariesParkwolf’s Point Reyes ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
