NPS / Anela Kopshever Skylight Cave is a sea cave with a collapsed ceiling at the north end of Secret Beach, which is located within the Phillip Burton Wilderness along the eastern shore of Drakes Bay. Even though Skylight Cave is only 2.5 miles (3.8 km) from the closest parking lot at Limantour Beach, it is usually only safe to visit at tides that measure -1 (negative one) foot or lower. There is also one section of the route that will require descending and later climbing back up a nearly vertical eight-foot-tall wall of rock. This page was designed to provide safety and logistical information to those who wish to visit Secret Beach and Skylight Cave. If you are looking for information about the "Point Reyes Crater" or "Point Reyes Amphitheater" or "Secret Amphitheater" or a variation of those names, you are on the right page. Skylight Cave is mislabeled on Google Maps as "Point Reyes Crater". It is not a crater—craters are bowl-shaped depresions produced by an explosion, volcanic activity, or an impact, such as from a meteorite. Help Protect Wilderness ValuesWilderness areas are places of refuge—protected and managed to allow for relaxation, self-reliance, opportunities for solitude, and natural quiet. To maintain this extraordinary wilderness character, this area is supposed to be free of mechanized equipment and the imprint of human development is limited.
Please help us keep this extraordinary wilderness wild! Come Prepared
Emergencies
Closest Trailheads/Parking to Secret Beach and Skylight CaveThere are three trailheads/parking lots at which most visitors park to hike to Secret Beach and Skylight Cave: Limantour Beach South Parking Lot, Laguna Trailhead, and Coast Trailhead. Information about the routes from these trailheads to Secret Beach and Skylight Cave may be found below. Parking Lot Limantour Beach South Parking Lot
The Limantour Beach South Parking Lot is a small paved parking lot that can accommodate 15 vehicles. It is located at the east end of a short spur road branching off of Limantour Road a short distance before arriving at the Limantour Beach Main Parking Lot. A vault toilet, litter and recycling receptacles, and a path leading to the beach are located at the east end of the lot. The Limantour Beach South Parking Lot is approximately 20 minutes by car from the Bear Valley Visitor Center via Limantour Road.
Parking Fee No parking or entrance fees are charged at Point Reyes National Seashore. Cost: $0.00 Amenities
Image Gallery
Parking Lot Laguna Trailhead Parking Lot
A small paved parking lot at the Laguna Trailhead with space for 13 vehicles. This is the closest parking lot to the Coast Campground. Hikers can connect with the Laguna Trail via a short driveway at the east end of the parking lot. An overflow parking area is available along the south side of Laguna Road west of the turnoff that leads into the Laguna Trailhead Parking Lot. This parking lot is approximately 15 minutes by car from the Bear Valley Visitor Center via Limantour Road and Laguna Road.
Parking Fee No parking or entrance fees are charged at Point Reyes National Seashore. Cost: $0.00 Amenities
Image Gallery
Parking Lot Coast Trailhead Roadside Parking
Space for parking at the Coast Trailhead consists of an approximately 300-foot-long unpaved shoulder along the south side of the Laguna Road (e.g., across the road from the hostel). There are no other facilities or amenities at this location. This trailhead is approximately 15 minutes by car from the Bear Valley Visitor Center via Limantour Road and Laguna Road. Space is limited. Please make sure your vehicle is completely off the pavement.
Parking Fee No parking or entrance fees are charged at Point Reyes National Seashore. Cost: $0.00 Amenities
Image Gallery
Stay on designated trailsStay on park-maintained trails. Hiking along the bluff tops is strongly discouraged. Stay away from cliff edges. Loose soil and/or rock can give way suddenly and you may fall. Visitors walking on the beach below the cliffs may be injured or killed by rocks dislodged by visitors at the edge of the clifftops. Do not climb cliffs. Please note that the Sculptured Beach Trail was decommissioned in 2022 after severe winter storm damage. Visitors walking off of official trails and paths trample vegetation, which may lead to the death of the trampled plants, or spread seeds from non-native plants to locations where they have yet to be introduced. Over time, as more and more visitors use a route, it starts to look more and more like an official trail, and more and more visitors use it, resulting in a feedback loop that makes the "trail" look "official." However, these "social paths" tend to exacerbate erosion, fragment habitat, and harm threatened and endangered species. These paths also can lead to locations where visitors may be more at risk to injury, endangering themselves and any potential rescuers. The Routes to Sculptured Beach via Santa Maria BeachTo visit Secret Beach and Skylight Cave safely, Point Reyes National Seashore recommends hiking/walking to Santa Maria Beach adjacent to Coast Campground and, from there, walking a mile (1.6 km) southeast to Sculptured Beach (more about this section of the hike below) when the tide is very low (more information about tides is provided below). Many trails/routes lead to Coast Campground and Santa Maria Beach, but the most commonly used routes are: from the Limantour Beach South Parking Lot via Limantour Beach; from the Laguna Trailhead via the Laguna and Fire Lane Trails; or from the Coast Trailhead via the Coast Trail. The northern 2.8 miles (4.5 km) of the Coast Trail from the Coast Trailhead to Coast Campground is open to bicycles. Tip: If you are on a trail and are ever in doubt as to which way to go, there are signs at every official trail junction indicating some of the significant trail junctions and destinations in a given direction, as well as distances to those locations. In short, follow the signs for Coast Campground on the way out, and the signs for Laguna or Coast trailheads on the way back. (From Limantour Beach, there are no signs directing you to Santa Maria, Sculptured, or Secret Beaches, nor are there any signs on the beach pointing to the parking lots at Limantour Beach as you return.) 
NPS Photo Directions from the Limantour Beach parking lotsFollow the path from either parking lot at Limantour Beach to the beach and head southeast (to the left if you are facing Drakes Bay) on the beach. Sculptured Beach is 2.1 miles (3.4 km) from the smaller, paved Limantour Beach South parking lot and 2.4 miles (3.8 km) from the larger, gravel Limantour Beach parking lot. So long as the tide is low enough, you should be able to walk along the water's edge all the way to Sculptured Beach. The tide levels at which the walk is possible vary with the season with lower tides (usually less than 1 foot) necessary during the winter and spring; during the summer and fall, it's often possible to get to Sculptured Beach during three-foot tides. Directions from the Laguna TrailheadThis route steadily ascends the 0.8-mile-long (1.3-kilometer-long) southern leg of the Laguna Trail to a 400-foot-high (120-meter-high) ridge crest from which Drakes Bay is visible. The route then descends via the 1-mile-long (1.6-kilometer-long) southern leg of the Fire Lane Trail to the Coast Trail just north of the Coast Campground. Turn left, cross Jaybird Creek, and follow the Coast Trail south for 0.1 miles (160 m) to reach the Coast Campground and it's Santa Maria Beach Access Trail. Turn right to descend to Santa Maria Beach. Once on the beach, turn left and walk southeast along the water's edge for 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to get to Sculptured Beach. The tide levels at which this part of the hike is possible vary with the season with lower tides (usually less than 1 foot) necessary during the winter and spring; during the summer and fall, it's often possible to get to Sculptured Beach during three-foot tides. After reaching Sculptured Beach, you will need to return along the beach to Coast Campground, where you can either return to the Laguna Trailhead via the Fire Lane and Laguna trails. Or follow the Coast Trail to the Coast Trailhead, which is located across the Laguna Road from Limantour Lodge. Turn right on to Laguna Road and walk a short distance along the road to return to your vehicle. 
NPS Photo Directions from the Coast TrailheadFollow the Coast Trail for 2.8 miles (4.5 km) alongside Laguna Creek and then through bluff-top coastal grasslands to the Coast Campground. After crossing Jaybird Creek, continue on the Coast Trail south for 0.1 miles (160 m) to reach the Coast Campground and it's Santa Maria Beach Access Trail. Turn right to descend to Santa Maria Beach. Once on the beach, turn left and walk southeast along the water's edge for 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to get to Sculptured Beach. The tide levels at which this part of the hike is possible vary with the season with lower tides (usually less than 1 foot) necessary during the winter and spring; during the summer and fall, it's often possible to get to Sculptured Beach during three-foot tides. After reaching Sculptured Beach, you will need to return along the beach to Coast Campground, To return to the Coast Trailhead, retrace your steps. Alternatively, as described above, there are a number of other options, including returning via the Fire Lane and Laguna Trails to make your hike more of a loop hike. To do so, turn right onto the Fire Lane Trail 0.1 mile (0.2 km) west of the Coast Campground after recrossing Jaybird Creek and follow the Fire Lane Trail and then the Laguna Trail 1.8 miles (2.9 km) back to the Laguna Trailhead. Walk through the Laguna Trailhead parking area to Laguna Road, turn left, and follow the road back to your vehicle at the Coast Trailhead. The Coast Trail is a family-friendly, multi-use trail on which bicycles are allowed as far as Coast Campground. There is a bike rack bollard to which one may lock their bicycles near the Santa Maria Beach Access Trail junction. Visit the park's Bicycle Riding page for more information. 
NPS Photo Santa Maria BeachSanta Maria Beach is a one-mile-long (1.6-km-long) beach backed by sandstone bluffs that stretches from the southeast end of Limantour Beach to Santa Maria Creek. Coast Campground sits above the middle section of Santa Maria Beach where the seasonal Jaybird Creek descends to Drakes Bay. (Please note: Jaybird Creek is mislabeled as Santa Maria Creek on Google Maps.) The perennial Santa Maria Creek marks the boundary between the sandy Santa Maria Beach and the rocky Sculptured Beach. There is usually more than enough sand on Santa Maria Beach to safely walk along it without needing to worry about tide levels; the waves rarely reach the base of the bluffs unless there is a high surf warning or very high tides during winter storms. 
NPS Photo Sculptured BeachSculptured Beach is a 0.75-mile-long (1.2-kilometer-long) stretch of coastline along which many rocky outcrops rise above sandy sections of beach and extend out into Drakes Bay. At higher tides, waves reach the base of the naturally sculpted cliffs for which the beach is named. Therefore, it is only safe to visit Sculptured Beach at low tides. About 0.5 miles (0.8 km) southeast of Santa Maria Creek, a larger, finger-like rocky headland extends into the bay, blocking further passage unless one climbs onto the relative low headland near the base of the bluff. This ascent is not to challenging. 
NPS Photo The Drop/ClimbOn the other side of the headland is a much steeper, approximately eight-foot (2.4-meter) drop onto a small pocket beach. Do not descend here unless you are certain you can make it back up. After descending onto the pocket beach, you will walk on the sand between the bluff and a second finger-like rocky headland that has been severed from the bluff. (Or…there is a sea cave/tunnel that waves have carved through this outcrop. At very low tides, it might be possible to walk from one side of this headland through to the other without getting your feet wet. Please be careful only to step on sand and barren rock and not on intertidal organisms.) Once past this headland, you'll walk around the base of a stubby headland and reach a third finger-like headland after another 150 feet (45 meters) or so. This headland has a short tunnel through which you will pass. From here, your route is unobstructed sand for the next ~1,000 feet (~300 meters), until you get to the headland that separates Sculptured Beach from Secret Beach. And this is the location where planning, timing, tides, and surf conditions are most critical. 
NPS Photo The KeyholeAt the south end of Sculptured Beach is a headland that extends into Drakes Bay. The water around its base is relatively deep and it is never safe to walk/swim around it. However, there is a keyhole/tunnel that has been eroded through the headland that is large enough for people to pass through. But, safe passage through this keyhole is only possible when the tide is very low, i.e., a negative tide, sometimes necessitating a low of -1 foot. Be sure to check the tide predictions for Point Reyes before you visit. Please watch your step as you pass through the keyhole, both for your safety—the rocks may be covered by algae and can be very slippery—as well as for the survival of intertidal marine organisms—only walk on barren rock. There are two other variables besides the tides that come into play at this location: 1) how much sand is on the beach around the keyhole; and 2) the height of the surf. The more sand there is, the higher the tide can be without potentially having to wade through water. The less sand there is, the lower the tide will need to be. Usually, there is more sand on the beach around the keyhole during the summer and fall and less sand during the winter and spring. Somewhat similarly, the smaller the surf, the higher the tide can be without potentially having to wade through water. The bigger the surf, the lower the tide will need to be. And bigger surf increases the hazards of being hit and battered by a large wave while passing through the keyhole. If there are Beach Hazard Statements or High Surf Advisories or Warnings (or worse) in effect, do not attempt to pass through the keyhole. Once you make it through the keyhole, you've arrived at the north end of Secret Beach. Please watch you step as you cross the tidepool zone to reach the sandy section of the beach. 
NPS Photo / Anela Kopshever Secret Beach and Skylight CaveSecret Beach is 0.85 miles (1.4 km) in length. Sheer bluffs run the length of the beach, all the way to Point Resistance at its south end. In numerous locations, small faults and twisted and contorted layers of rock may be viewed, along with some small sea caves. The largest of Secret Beach's sea caves formed at its northern end. But, at some time in the distant past, the roof of the sea cave, but not its ocean-facing wall, collapsed, forming a large sinkhole-like depression in the coastal bluffs. This feature is labeled as Skylight Cave on an early park map used by the park's trail crew. Usually, one may enter Skylight Cave through a small tunnel-like entrance about 130 feet (40 meters) to the east of the keyhole. Sometimes, the sand has been scoured away from the entrance and one can walk upright through the tunnel. Other times, sand has built up at the entrance and one may need to crawl on hands and knees (or even on one's belly). And sometimes during the summer and fall, the entrance may be blocked by sand. Be careful as you pass through the tunnel not to hit your head on the tunnel's rocky ceiling. Timing Your VisitIf you are going no further than Skylight Cave, you will want to pass south through the keyhole no later than about 15 minutes before low tide so that you will have about 30 minutes before you need to pass north through the keyhole and have the same approximate tide level as when you passed to the south. If you plan to walk the entire length of Secret Beach to Point Resistance, you will want to pass south through the keyhole no later than 30 minutes before low tide. The lower the tide, the longer the window of opportunity will be, e.g., the tide might be low enough to pass through the keyhole an hour before to an hour after very low tides. |
Last updated: November 24, 2024