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PointReyes is a few miles north of San Francisco and offers a number of great hiking options. There are short hikes to the beach from several entrances, as well as longer backpacking options. There are many campsites near the beaches with water and facilities. The lighthouse on the point is also a major tourist attraction. California is known for its beautiful beaches, but those preferring seals and solitude to bikini babes and boardwalks should head to point Reyes national seashore, 37 miles north of San Francisco. Protected in 1962 to save the area from residential development, the peninsula is one of California's few wild beaches. The 180 square mile park is nearly cut off from the mainland by Tomales Bay, an elongated body of water that sits in the rift zone created by the San Andreas. The peninsula includes wild coastal beaches and headlands, estuaries, and uplands, with a coastline that bears a striking resemblance to Cape Point. Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. Although parts of the Seashore are commercially farmed, and parts are under the jurisdiction of other conservation authorities, the National Park Service provides signage and seeks to manage visitor impact on the entire peninsula and virtually all of Tomales Bay. The Seashore also administers the parts of the Golden Gate National Recreation area, such as the Olema Valley, that are adjacent to the Seashore.
Point Reyes is only an hour north of San Francisco, and the park offers backcountry and boat-in camping. Permits and a willingness to rough it are required, no car or RV camping is available. Hiking trails abound, short ones less than a mile include the Earthquake trail, which straddles the San Andreas fault, and the Kule Loklo trail, which takes in a restored coastal Miwok Native American village. Those with more time and energy can set off on the US's longest hike, the 6,800 mile American Discovery Trail, from Point Reyes all the way east to the Atlantic Ocean.