Trip · 3-day backpacking trip
For · Friends and new backpackers
Vibe · Challenging and hard
Distance · 19.6 miles and 3,894 feet of elevation gain
Reservations · Yep, reserve a backcountry campsite at Glen Campground
Drive · 1.5 hours from SF
Ideal dates · April to June
Pets · Not allowed on trails and campgrounds
Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) is a majestic peninsula carved by the San Andreas Fault overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The 71,000-acre park is a stunner. It's dotted with wild coastal beaches, rugged headlands, and grazing cows. This place is a natural sanctuary for tule elk, elephant seals, gray whales, and more. Visit for the breathtaking views, and camp to experience the magic.
Official National Park Website
Park Status and Trail Conditions
Main image credit: Sammie Chaffin
Each campsite comes with a:
Glen Campground is a backcountry destination with perks. It's a 5-mile hike to reach the campground, which is protected from ocean breezes, and then another 3-mile hike to reach the Pacific. There are 12 campsites (people like sites 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8), access to toilets, a water pump, trash cans, and glorious tranquility. You can reserve a campsite up to six months in advance so it's never too early to make backpacking plans!
Nightly Fee: $20
JFK anointed Point Reyes National Seashore as public land in 1962. It's the only national seashore on the west coast. NBD.
Coast Miwok Indians were the first inhabitants on the Peninsula 5,000 years ago. 120+ known village sites exist within the park
Spanish explorers named the headlands after religious figures. "La Punta de los Reyes" means the Point of the Kings
You won't be saving money, but you'll save space and weight with these camp sandals.
Clothes
Sleepover! This is a tent you can stand up in and have plenty of space for air mattresses, doggos, and more.
Shared Gear
A reliable, popular, and relatively affordable dual-burner camping stove that is fairly heavy, but performs well.
Kitchen
It's pricey, but the New York Times' Wirecutter recommended this attachment as a way for wheelchair users to navigate uneven terrain.
Essential Items
Instead of transporting stuff on your lap, use this storage bag to easily store items underneath your wheelchair.
Essential Items
Never dig around your pack to find some hand sanitizer. Instead, hang this one on the outside of your pack.
Personal Stuff
If you're an experienced backpacker, this is the lightest full-size, full-featured, frameless pack made.
Essential Items
Add a little magic to your experience by hanging these twinkling lights around your tent every night.
Shared Gear
Sometimes you just want a camp chair that gets the job done. Nothing glamorous or fancy. Well, this is it.
Shared Gear
The more you backpack the lighter your shelter becomes, and the lighter it is, the more expensive it can be.
Shared Gear
Camp underneath the stars and watch glorious sunrises in Joshua Tree National Park, the second largest national park in California.