A Weekend Backpacking in Point Reyes
A relaxed two-night backpacking trip along the California coast.
Trip Overview
Laguna Trailhead -> Sky Campground -> Coast Campground -> Laguna Trailhead
Day 1: Laguna Trailhead to Sky Campground
3.5 miles, 1,115 ft gain
There are lots of trailheads and ways of hiking Point Reyes, and we decided to make a loop from Laguna Trailhead. We started after work, but thankfully had a short 3.5-mile hike to Sky Campground (38.04005, -122.82850). The Fire Lookout Trail was flooded, but the Laguna Trail was in great shape. We made it to camp just before sunset.
The campsite was so fancy: a very clean pit toilet, picnic tables, water, garbage cans, and a bear locker for each campsite. Site 11 and 10 had the best views, Site 1 was the quietest (especially if there is no one at the group site) and closest to the bathroom.
Day 2: Sky Campground to Coast Campground
10 miles, 900 ft gain (-1,869 ft loss)
There are a few ways to get down to the beach from Sky Campground. The most direct is to take the Woodward Valley Trail. We decided to make the day a bit longer and hike down the Sky Trail.
When we intersected the Coast Trail, we first went south to Miller Point (37.98510, -122.81166), where we got a lovely view. There were a number of seals on the rocks below the point, and they were very unhappy with our presence, so we quickly walked back and stayed out of view. Then we continued hiking north toward the Coast Campground (38.01766, -122.85480). This was such a lovely day, and we kept stopping to take pictures and enjoy the view.
Kelham Beach (37.99680, -122.82146) was definitely worth the detour, especially at low tide. It was a bit of a rough trail to get to, but it was worth it.
We took the side trail down to Sculptured Beach (37.99680, -122.82141). It was a bit overgrown, but we quickly made it to the beach. If you head south, you will find some lovely arches and sea caves. You will need a low tide for this beach. Since the tide was still low, we decided to walk the beach north all the way to the Coast Campground.
The Coast Campground was another very nicely appointed campground with a very clean pit toilet, garbage cans, water, picnic tables, and bear bins at each site. There was sadly no view from this campground, but the ocean was close by.
Day 3: Coast Campground to Laguna Trailhead
3.5 miles, 200 ft gain
We woke up early and made our way back to the car. We wanted to get in a little more beach time, so instead of hiking the Fire Line Trail (which in our case was also flooded), we stayed on the Coast Trail and looped back to the Laguna Trailhead.
Final Thoughts
Overall we had a lovely weekend. The weather was fantastic, all the trails except for Fire Line were in good shape, and the views were fantastic. A nice relaxing weekend by the beach. Would definitely recommend. There are also lots of other trails in the area if you want higher mileage.