Backpacking Campgrounds Are Closed Due to the Woodward FireDue to the Woodward Fire, which started near Woodward Valley Trail on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, Point Reyes National Seashore has closed Coast, Glen, Sky, and Wildcat Campgrounds until further notice. However, campers with reservations for Tomales Bay Boat-in Camping permits may resume camping beginning on Thursday, September 10, 2020. Visit our Woodward Fire - August 2020 page for more information. Camping during the COVID-19 PandemicPoint Reyes National Seashore's campground reopened to those with camping reservations on Thursday, July 9, 2020. Visit our Backcountry Camping page for more details on pandemic-related changes to rules and protocols. Please keep in mind that while you may make a reservation for camping at Point Reyes National Seashore during the next six months, your reservation may be cancelled if park campgrounds have to be closed again by the date of your reservation due to the issuance of new health guidelines or other changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; you will be notified by email and issued a full refund. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please keep in mind that there are still Stay at Home (also known as Shelter-In-Place) Orders in place for Marin County (and for other Bay Area counties and much of the state of California) until further notice. Updates pertaining to other pandemic-related closures affecting Point Reyes National Seashore will be posted to our Current Conditions page and to the park's social media channels. Please Recreate Responsibly. This page contains descriptions of the backcountry campgrounds at Point Reyes National Seashore. Point Reyes National Seashore only offers backcountry hike-in and boat-in camping. For those who would prefer to camp in or near their vehicle or RV, there are a number of nearby campgrounds in Marin County and along the Sonoma County coastline. There are also numerous options for lodging in West Marin. Each Point Reyes National Seashore hike-in campground has a vault toilet and a water faucet. The water from the faucets is usually potable, but campers should bring along some means of treating the water in case the campground's water treatment system fails, at which time signage would be posted at the water faucet to alert campers that the water is not potable. Each 1–6 person campsite has a picnic table, a food storage locker and a charcoal grill. Group sites have two picnic tables, two food storage lockers, and one large or two regular charcoal grills. To find out more about camping fees and regulations and how to reserve and obtain a backcountry camping permit at Point Reyes, visit our Backcountry Camping page. To find out more about overnight kayaking and boating on Tomales Bay, visit our Guide to Low Impact Boat Camping page and our Kayaking page. 
Coast CampgroundCoast Campground is nestled within a small coastal grassy valley with easy access to the beach. The beach is within 200 meters (220 yards) of the campground, and there are tidepools located 660 meters (725 yards) southeast of the campground. Coast Campground has twelve individual sites and two group sites. Sites 1–7 are in a small semi-protected canyon. Download the aerial photo/map of Coast Campground. (269 KB PDF) For the shortest approach to Coast Campground on solid ground, start at the Laguna Trailhead. Drive 9.4 km (5.9 miles) along Limantour Road until you reach a road junction signed for Hostel and Education Center (if you are using Google Maps, please be aware that this road is mislabeled as "Limantour Spit Rd"). Turn left and drive 0.8 km (0.5 miles) to the Laguna Trailhead. If the Laguna Trailhead parking lot is full, there is overflow parking on the south side of the access road before you reach the turn to cross a bridge that leads into the Laguna Trailhead parking lot. Please make sure that your vehicle is completely off the pavement of this narrow, one-lane access road to allow passage by emergency vehicles. From the Laguna Trailhead, you can hike to Coast Campground via the Laguna and Firelane Trails climbing over a 120-meter-tall (400-foot-tall) ridge. This route is 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles) long, but is closed to bicycles and other wheeled devices since it passes through Wilderness. There is also a vernal pool through which the trail passes near the ridgecrest. This vernal pool is frequently filled with water in the winter and spring, so expect to get your feet wet if you are hiking this route during the "rainy season." To keep your feet dry (or at least drier) during the "rainy season," or if you have bicycles or wagons, you will want to follow the Coast Trail from the Coast Trailhead, which is located just west of the hostel. The Coast Trail offers an easy, flat 4.3 km (2.7 miles) route and is open to bicycles and other non-motorized wheeled devices. If you'd prefer to hike on a beach to get to Coast Campground, drive to Limantour Beach, but do not park in the large, gravel day-use-only parking lot; just before you reach the main parking lot, there is a spur road that branches off to the east. Drive 0.6 km (0.4 miles) along this spur road to a small, paved parking lot and park in one of the designated parking spots. Overnight parking is permitted in this lot for those that have current and valid backcountry camping reservations. From here, hike along the path to the beach and turn left to walk east on the beach for 2.2 km (1.4 miles) until you arrive at the beach access path descending down from Coast Campground. Or, if you'd prefer a hike that is closer to 6.4 km (4 miles), park at the Sky Trailhead along Limantour Road and hike to Coast Campground via the Laguna or Fire Lane Trails. Both of these routes descend from an elevation of ~200 meters (~670 feet) near Inverness Ridge's crest. If you are interested in a longer hike, park at the Bear Valley Trailhead to hike up and over Inverness Ridge. (Overnight parking is available in the gravel parking lot near the trailhead; do not park in the paved lot near the visitor center.) There are a variety of options to hike from Bear Valley to Coast Campground, with the shortest being about 10 kilometers (6 miles) long. The highest elevation along: the Mount Wittenberg Trail is ~400 meters (~1300 feet); the Meadow Trail is ~325 meters (1075 feet); and the Horse Trail is ~333 meters (1100 feet). 
Glen CampgroundGlen Campground is a quiet and secluded camp deep within a wooded valley protected from ocean breezes. The shortest hike to this camp is a moderate 7.4 km (4.6 miles) by foot along the Bear Valley Glen Trails. To access Glen Campground by bicycle, start at the Five Brooks Trailhead, follow the Stewart Trail to the Glen Trail, then north to the Glen Camp Loop, and finish by descending to Glen Campground. This is a strenuous 10.1 km (6.3 mile) bike ride. It is a 4 km (2.5 mile) strenuous hike to the beach at Wildcat Camp. No groups (e.g., parties of more than six people), horses, or pack animals are allowed at Glen Camp. Twelve individual sites. Download the aerial photo/map of Glen Campground. (206 KB PDF) 
Sky CampgroundSky Campground is located on the western side of Mt. Wittenberg at an elevation of 310 meters (1025 feet). In clear weather, it has a sweeping view of Point Reyes, Drakes Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. The easiest and shortest approach is a 2.2 km (1.4 miles) moderate uphill hike or bicycle ride from the Sky Trailhead (elevation 250 meters [840 feet]) on Limantour Road. For a more challenging hike, park at the Bear Valley Trailhead to engage in a 4.3 km (2.7 mile) steep uphill hike via the Mt. Wittenberg or Meadow trails. It is a steep 6.4 km (4 miles) hike down to the beach via either the Woodward Valley or Fire Lane trails. Eleven individual sites and one group site. Download the aerial photo/map of Sky Campground. (233 KB PDF) 
Wildcat CampgroundWildcat Campground is located in an open meadow on a bluff overlooking the ocean with a short walk to the beach and a 3.2 kilometer (2.0 miles) round-trip walk to Alamere Falls. It is a 10 kilometer (6.3 miles) hike from Bear Valley 
Tomales BayTomales Bay boat-in camping is allowed on west side National Park beaches north of Tomales Bay State Park's northern border (i.e., north of Indian Beach and Duck Cove). These beaches are tidally influenced and generally are small sandy coves backed against steep cliffs. Campers on Tomales Bay beaches must arrive by boat and may not hike, bike, or ride horses to the beaches. Overnight parking for boat-in campers is prohibited within Point Reyes National Seashore (i.e., along the Pierce Point and L Ranch Roads and at the Marshall Beach Trailhead) and Tomales Bay State Park. All waste (including human) must be removed. Disposing of human waste in the bay or onto park beaches is prohibited, so campers must bring portable facilities or limit camping to Marshall Beach and Tomales Beach, where vault toilets are available. There is no potable water available. Twenty permits are available each day—nine for parties of 1 to 6 people and eleven for parties of 7 to 12 people. Download the Tomales Bay Boat-in Camping Map. (1,798 KB PDF) Contact UsTo make, change, or cancel your camping reservations, log in to your Recreation.gov account, or call the Recreation.gov call center at 1-877-444-6777. Call center staff are available every day of the year from 7 am to 9 pm PT, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. If you have non-emergency, park-specific camping questions that cannot be answered by reviewing the content above or on our Backcountry Camping and Boat-in Camping, please send an email to our Camping Desk. Again, DO NOT email the Camping Desk to make, change, or cancel reservations; contact Recreation.gov. |
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Last updated: September 10, 2020