Point Reyes National Seashore is the most exposed stretch of coastline in the Bay Area. Its triangular headland juts about 10 miles into the Pacific and takes the full force of whatever the ocean sends ashore. The National Park Service calls Point Reyes the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest place in North America. Storm gusts there have topped 100 mph. This is a far harsher ocean climate than San Francisco residents are used to, and a visit takes more preparation than most Bay Area destinations.
Why Point Reyes Is So Foggy
Point Reyes sticks straight out into the cold coastal water of the California Current, which keeps Northern California's ocean in the low to mid 50s. The prevailing northwest wind blows almost straight onshore there. Moist air cools over that cold water and forms advection fog, which the wind drives across the headlands. The lighthouse, at the tip of the point, has no shelter at all.
In summer, the lighthouse can sit in fog for days or even weeks with few breaks. The interior of the park, sheltered by Inverness Ridge, does better. Even there, though, places like Bear Valley and Drakes Estero see frequent fog and gray skies all summer. When the fog thins on a summer morning, the headlands are one of the Bay Area's best places to spot a fogbow.
The Inverness Ridge Divide
Inverness Ridge and Tomales Bay split the park into very different weather zones. West of the ridge, the outer headlands face the open Pacific and take the full marine layer. East of the ridge, the slopes above Tomales Bay and the farmland toward Olema are partly sheltered and often warmer and clearer. The town of Inverness sits on the west shore of Tomales Bay below the ridge. It can be sunny and calm while the lighthouse a few miles away sits in dense fog.
That split matters for planning hikes. Trails on the exposed western side can be cold, windy and foggy even when the Bear Valley visitor center feels pleasant. They include the Tomales Point Trail, the trail to Chimney Rock and the walk to the lighthouse. The walk from the lighthouse parking area to the lighthouse stairs is one of the windiest in the Bay Area. Signs there warn that gusts can knock people down, and they mean it.
Wildlife Seasons and Weather
Point Reyes is one of the best places in California to watch wildlife, and the seasons line up with its weather. Elephant seals give birth from about December through February, mainly on the beaches near Chimney Rock and, in recent years, at Drakes Beach. That is the heart of the wet season, when storm swells and green hills make the park especially dramatic. Gray whales migrate past from December through May, and southbound whales peak around January, and mothers with calves head north in spring, often close to the headlands.
Late summer and fall bring the tule elk rut at Tomales Point, when bulls bugle and spar in the golden grass above Tomales Bay. September and October are usually the park's best weather months, as the marine layer pulls back and afternoons warm enough for comfortable hiking. Wildflowers bloom from about February through April, as the rainy season ends, and color the headlands and grassy mesas.
Practical Weather Preparation
Point Reyes rewards visitors who come prepared rather than hoping for good weather. Bring layers and a windproof jacket and expect fog, in any season and especially in summer. Visitors who arrive in July in shorts and sandals often turn back at the lighthouse after a few minutes. A 40 mph wind in 55-degree fog is not the beach day they expected.
A windproof layer matters more than a heavy jacket, because wind, more than cold, is what makes Point Reyes uncomfortable. With a thin windbreaker, 55 degrees and a 25 mph wind feel fine, but without one the same conditions feel miserable. Bear Valley, in the sheltered valley behind the ridge, is often 10 to 15 degrees warmer than the lighthouse and much more forgiving. Visiting the lighthouse in the morning, before the afternoon wind peaks, is usually far more pleasant. On dark nights from about July to early November, Tomales Bay on the park's eastern edge can glow, as our guide to bioluminescence in Tomales Bay explains.
