Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
A short ridge walk ends at a bench above Drakes Bay.
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 trailhead
Mount Vision Overlook“You're approaching Mount Vision, a viewpoint high on Inverness Ridge. A short walk from the pullout opens onto Drakes Estero, the headlands, Great Beach, and, in clear air, the Farallon Islands.”
Plays as you drive up to this 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
Point Reyes Hill Trail is an easy, one-mile out-and-back from Point Reyes Hill Trailhead at the south end of Mount Vision Road. Follow Inverness Ridge Trail for 0.4 mile, turn right onto Bucklin Trail, then continue 480 feet to a bench with a view across Drakes Bay and the estero. The one-mile figure is roundtrip; allow about 30 minutes with a pause at the bench. It is a good choice when you want a coastal viewpoint without giving a longer ridge hike most of the day.
Pine and chaparral cover the ridge. The short directions end at the Bucklin bench; longer Bucklin and summit approaches are separate hikes. Fog can hide the coast in summer, so the view is the reward for a clear window. From the bench, frame Drakes Bay and the estero together: that wide coastal view is the reason to make the short climb.
The trailhead is a small dirt lot for about 30 vehicles, 3.8 miles from Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Mount Vision Road is narrow, two-way, and one lane wide, with sharp switchbacks and few pull-offs; vehicles longer than 24 feet and trailers are prohibited. Dogs are not allowed on trails from this trailhead. Though the route is described as going to the hilltop, its directions take you only to the bench. Stay on authorized trails and follow posted signs near the radio range station.
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
ChallengingBucklin–Muddy Hollow Road–Drakes View–Inverness Ridge Loop7.7 mi · 5 hr · At the trailheadA strenuous ridge loop with wide Drakes Bay views.
ChallengingBucklin–Muddy Hollow Road–Bayview–Inverness Ridge Loop8.6 mi · 5 hr · At the trailheadAn 8.6-mile strenuous loop from ridge views into pine forest.
ModerateInverness Ridge Trail3.2 mi · 1.8 hr · At the trailheadA quiet ridge crossing opens toward Drakes Estero and the Pacific.
ModerateBucklin Trail5.4 mi · 3.5 hr · At the trailheadA ridge connector with ocean views from Limantour to Chimney Rock.
ModerateInverness Ridge–Drakes View–Bayview Loop4.9 mi · 2.8 hr · 2 mi awayA wooded five-mile loop with one steep, pine-soft descent.
ModerateDrakes Head via Estero Trail8.8 mi · 5 hr · 2.4 mi awayLong pasture miles end at a bluff above Drakes Estero.
ModerateSunset Beach via Estero Trail7.8 mi · 4 hr · 2.4 mi awayEstuary views and working pasture lead to a rocky wetland shore.
ModerateEstero–White Gate Loop11.4 mi · 5.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayTwo estuaries, marsh ponds, and a four-mile retrace.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayMount VisionDrive-up peak with panoramic views over esteros, headlands and ocean
Sight · 1.5 mi awayPoint Reyes ShipwreckCollapsing wooden fishing boat settled into Tomales Bay mudflats
Lodging · 2.8 mi awayLimantour LodgePark's only roofed lodging, tucked in a valley near Limantour Beach
Sight · 3.3 mi awayDrakes Estero Kayak LaunchPaddle into a hushed marine wilderness of seals, rays and birds
Sight · 3.4 mi awayHistoric Life-Saving Service CemeteryFour surfmen's graves behind a white picket fence in eucalyptus
Food · 3.7 mi awayBovine BakeryMorning buns, almond croissants, and strong drip coffee
Campground · 3.8 mi awaySky CampgroundHike-in ridgetop tent sites with sweeping Drakes Bay and ocean views
Sight · 4.1 mi awayCypress Tree TunnelQuarter mile of 1930s Monterey cypress arched into a green tunnelParkwolf’s Point Reyes ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
