Chimney
Rock Trailhead,
Point Reyes National Seashore,
National Park Service,
Marin County
In brief:
2 mile partial loop on a Point Reyes bluff overlooking the ocean. Spectacular
wildflowers in spring, and good seal, sea lion, and whale watching as well.
Getting there:
From US 101 in Marin County, exit San Anselmo (Sir Francis Drake). Drive about
20 miles west on Sir Francis Drake. Turn right onto Highway 1, then make the first
left onto Bear Valley Road. Drive about 2 miles to the junction with Sir Francis
Drake, and turn left. Continue about 16.5 miles, and turn left at the sign for
Chimney Rock. Drive slowly down this narrow road to the trailhead.
Trailhead details:
No entrance or parking fees. Limited parking in a gravel lot, with no designated
handicapped parking. Pit toilets on site. There's a map under glass at the information
signboard, but none to take with you. During some times of the year, vehicle access
is restricted in this southwestern corner of the park, and visitors are bussed
from the visitor center. You may check with a ranger at park headquarters (415-663-1092)
to be sure you will be able to drive all the way out to Chimney Rock. There is
no direct public transportation to this trailhead.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, stores, and restaurants at Point Reyes Station. There are a few stores and
restaurants in Inverness. Pay phones at the Bear Valley and Ken Patrick Visitor
Centers. There are overnight accommodations available on the eastern fringes of
the park, including a handful of motels in Inverness, and numerous bed and breakfasts
just off Sir Francis Drake. Point Reyes has several hike-in campgrounds -- inquire
at the Point Reyes Ranger Station in Bear Valley, or read more about the options
here. No
car camping in the park. Point Reyes Hostel, down Limantour Road, is an inexpensive
lodging option.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 2 mile partial loop hike is easy, with about 250 feet of elevation
change.
Rules:
Hikers only. No dogs.
The Official Story:
Point Reyes website.
Park headquarters 415-663-1092.
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Download
the park map pdf from NPS
• Other
Point Reyes maps from NPS
• Point Reyes by Jessica Lage (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a good map and descriptions of this hike.
• Trail Map of Point Reyes National Seashore, by Tom Harrison (order
from Amazon.com)
is the best all-purpose map to Point Reyes.
• Hiking Marin, by Don and Kay Martin, has a simple map and trail
descriptions (order
this book from Amazon.com).
• 101 Great Hikes of the San Francisco Bay Area, by Ann
Marie Brown (order
this book from Amazon.com) has a simple map and descriptions of a featured
hike.
Chimney
Rock in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to the featured
hike.
View
photos from the featured hike (2002)
• View 30 photos from the featured
hike (2000)
Chimney Rock may 
seem
like the McDonalds of the wildflower world, reliably serving thousands of aficionados
every spring. The trailhead gets crowded (even on weekdays) with amateur and professional
photographers, as well as nature lovers clutching field guides. Hikers seeking
a quiet nature experience may wish to look elsewhere. The display is impressive,
though. Carpets of flowers such as goldenfields, blue-eyed grass, and mule ear
sunflowers, are dramatic against a backdrop of cliffs receding sharply to the
ocean. There are two short official trails, one which drops down from the trailhead
to the historic lifeboat station, and a second which runs out to a bluff overlooking
the ocean. From the overlook near the trailhead, elephant seals can sometimes
be glimpsed during winter, their mating season. In spring, bring binoculars to
spy on migrating whales.
From the trailhead, 
start
out on the trail to the right of the information signboard. Flowers found
among the grass in spring include checker-blooms, California buttercups, paintbrush,
sun cups, clovers, Douglas iris, blue-eyed grass, baby blue eyes, lupines, strawberry,
and California poppies. This is just a teaser for the main display further along
the trail. At 0.39 mile, an unsigned path doubles back to the left, on the way
downhill to the old lifeboat station. Continue straight.
After skirting a fenced off portion of cliff on the right,
the trail rises a bit, then levels off. Yellow bush lupine is common along the
trail here. An arrow sign points you away from an unsigned side trail. As you
get closer to the official end of the trail, great carpets of blossoms sprawl
on both sides of the trail in spring. You may see goldenfields, pussy ears,
linanthus, paintbrush, blue-eyed grass, lupines, poppies, and mule ear sunflowers.
A side trail veering left at 0.76 mile offers a tour through a good selection
of blooms. The main trail ends at a fenced cliff edge at 0.92 mile. Off the shore
sit two large rocks; presumably the flat-topped one is Chimney Rock. From here,
you can simply retrace your steps to the trailhead, or take a side trip on an
unsigned path that doesn't appear on any of the official maps. (This path is narrow
and uncomfortably close to the cliff edge at places, so use good judgment and
caution.) Follow the fenceline around the point at the end of the main trail
to the right, then pick up a path running parallel to the coastline.
The narrow path is lumpy but it climbs easily through
grassland where you might see mule ear sunflowers and blue-eyed grass in spring.
The path reaches a flat grassy spot with incredible views west along the coastline.
In spring, with binoculars you may be able to make out beached sea lions or seals
in a cove to the left. Carefully pick your way back to the main trail, through
the grass. This area is notoriously unstable so stay well back from the cliff
edges. At about 1.56 miles you'll return to the main trail. Turn left and retrace
your steps back to the trailhead.
Total distance: 2.02 miles
Last hiked: Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
seem
like the McDonalds of the wildflower world, reliably serving thousands of aficionados
every spring. The trailhead gets crowded (even on weekdays) with amateur and professional
photographers, as well as nature lovers clutching field guides. Hikers seeking
a quiet nature experience may wish to look elsewhere. The display is impressive,
though. Carpets of flowers such as goldenfields, blue-eyed grass, and mule ear
sunflowers, are dramatic against a backdrop of cliffs receding sharply to the
ocean. There are two short official trails, one which drops down from the trailhead
to the historic lifeboat station, and a second which runs out to a bluff overlooking
the ocean. From the overlook near the trailhead, elephant seals can sometimes
be glimpsed during winter, their mating season. In spring, bring binoculars to
spy on migrating whales.
start
out on the trail to the right of the information signboard. Flowers found
among the grass in spring include checker-blooms, California buttercups, paintbrush,
sun cups, clovers, Douglas iris, blue-eyed grass, baby blue eyes, lupines, strawberry,
and California poppies. This is just a teaser for the main display further along
the trail. At 0.39 mile, an unsigned path doubles back to the left, on the way
downhill to the old lifeboat station. Continue straight.
linanthus, paintbrush, blue-eyed grass, lupines, poppies, and mule ear sunflowers.
A side trail veering left at 0.76 mile offers a tour through a good selection
of blooms. The main trail ends at a fenced cliff edge at 0.92 mile. Off the shore
sit two large rocks; presumably the flat-topped one is Chimney Rock. From here,
you can simply retrace your steps to the trailhead, or take a side trip on an
unsigned path that doesn't appear on any of the official maps. (This path is narrow
and uncomfortably close to the cliff edge at places, so use good judgment and
caution.) Follow the fenceline around the point at the end of the main trail
to the right, then pick up a path running parallel to the coastline. 