Parking
Start at Olema Marsh Parking Lot, a small dirt lot with 10 spaces and no fee. The trail leaves from the lot’s northwest corner.
Overview
About Olema Marsh Trail
Why go
- A quick, nearly level walk beside the marsh.
Heads up
- The outing is brief and ends at the road.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Point Reyes map
Full mapElevation10–23 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Point Reyes alerts
- ClosureOld Tocaloma/Platform Bridge closed to vehiclesDo not drive across the Old Tocaloma/Platform Bridge; it is closed to all vehicular traffic until further notice.Official details
- ClosurePalomarin Beach Trail closedPalomarin Beach Trail is closed to all visitors, employees, and residents until further notice; do not use the trail. - The trail is closed because unstable and failing sections have made it unsafe.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Point Reyes Tour Guide
Your drive to Olema Marsh Trail, narrated.
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
The Winter Salmon Run0:00 / 0:28
“Point Reyes has a wildlife migration that happens inland. Coho salmon grow in the Pacific, then return to creeks such as Olema to lay eggs in gravel. Winter rain raises the streams and helps them move upstream.”
Plays on the road 0.4 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Point Reyes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station
- When the Tide Returned
- The Ocean's Hidden Food Supply
- A Tree Full of Acorns
- 61 audio storiesacross Point Reyes’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Northern Elephant Seal, Grey Whale, Humpback Whale, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 65 trails, 41 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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
Hiking Olema Marsh Trail
A short marsh walkPoint Reyes' Olema Marsh Trail is a level, half-mile out-and-back on a dirt path between the…
Point Reyes' Olema Marsh Trail is a level, half-mile out-and-back on a dirt path between the Olema Marsh Parking Lot and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Walk about 1,300 feet north to the road, then turn around and return the same way. It is a quick leg-stretcher if you are passing through; the appeal is seeing the marsh grasses up close, not a long hike or a big climb.
Flat and weather-dependentThe earth path is nearly level, with about 16 feet of reported gain.
The earth path is nearly level, with about 16 feet of reported gain. Marsh grasses line the short corridor, which ends at the road; the separate White House Pool outing continues across Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Heavy winter rain can flood sections. After significant rain, choose another walk or expect wet feet, and stay on the path around muddy spots.
Getting thereAllow about 20 to 30 minutes for the half-mile round trip, including a look around.
Allow about 20 to 30 minutes for the half-mile round trip, including a look around. Start at the small dirt Olema Marsh Parking Lot, which has 10 spaces and no fee. Dogs are not permitted on this trail.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Point Reyes
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.
