One of the most beautiful day trips you could take from San Francisco is to Point Reyes National Seashore. But if you have enough time to spare, I highly recommend to stay a night or two. My flight back to Texas was not until 5pm, therefore, I had enough time to do something in the morning. I was interested to see the Cypress Tree Tunnel ever since I saw it on Instagram. My cousin suggested we can stop there on our way to Point Reyes, then go to the Lighthouse, hoping we can get a glimpse of the whales.
The Cypress Tree tunnel is a row of Monterey Cypress trees that forms a tree tunnel. I expected it to be a long tunnel but it was actually pretty short. Nevertheless, it was still remarkable and awe-inspiring. There were several photographers capturing the beauty of the place especially with the morning rays but I was surprised to find hardly any crowd at all.
After taking several pictures (although I couldn’t really capture the beauty of the tree tunnel through photos since I only use iPhone for photography…maybe someday I’ll use one of those professional cameras lol), we proceeded to the Lighthouse.
But we were met by a ranger and informed us the only access to the Lighthouse is by taking the shuttle bus. The month of March was the best month for whale watching and the Lighthouse offers the best place to do so. We opted not to see the whales at this time since I was concerned with the timing, worried we may not have enough time to travel back to San Francisco to catch my flight.
Point Reyes National Seashore includes coastal beaches and hilly lands. At different vantage points, the view could look as if you’re in Switzerland or New Zealand (depends on your interpretation). We spent a good portion exploring Drakes Beach.
For hiking, you can start from Bear Valley Trail, starting from the visitor’s center (you may do this before or after Drakes Beach and Cypress Tree Tunnel). Across the parking lot at the Visitor’s Center is the Earthquake Trail that runs directly over the San Andreas Fault. I was hoping there won’t be an earthquake that day. 😜
We left the area in the early afternoon, giving us enough time for the Bay Area traffic and also to grab lunch. A half a day was not enough to explore everything there is to see, but the good news is there is always a next time.
thanks for shearing keep up the good work
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Thank you so much for reading!
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Beautiful pictures Boots! I have wanted to visit Point Reyes, but haven’t yet made it there! Your pics will have to do for now 🙂
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It’s so beautiful there! I’m sure you will like it Larry!
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I hope to visit Point Reyes the next time I’m in the Bay area!
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Looking good Boots. The cyprus tree tunnel is magic and the coast scenes look fantastic. You’re looking good too. What a lovely little break. Louise
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Thank you Louise! California is a beautiful state for sure.
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Wow, that’s some fantastic scenery. It’s things like that which make me wish I lived somewhere else. Home is home, but it’s really not that accessible to many things.
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Drew!!! You’re Canadian. Do you know how many Americans would love to be in your shoes right now? Lol!
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Oh, don’t get me wrong. I love home, and I don’t mind being in the middle of the prairies. But I need to travel quite a ways to get to pretty much anything
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Where exactly is the prairies?
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I’m in Manitoba – just above North Dakota. Actually only about an hour north of the border there. But there’s really not a lot that’s close. Minneapolis is about 8 hrs away, and there are other Canadian prairie towns a few hours away.
It makes “adventuring” a bit more difficult.
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It must be cold there? But perhaps lots of hiking areas to go to?
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Looks like a must visit destination! I would love to see it myself! Great picture!! Nowadays, iPhone camera works as good as DSLR, it depends on the photographer 😉
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Indah, thank you for telling me that! Coming from a great photographer such as yourself, it makes me feel better. I’ve been feeling guilty that I don’t like to use DSLR because of the bulk and I’m not a very technical person.
Yes, you need to come to San Francisco area. Lots of things to photograph!
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Omg! That tree tunnel looks lovely! I just love how the light is seeping through the trees. And I love cliffs. The area looks gorgeous.
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Thanks! It sure was beautiful. Since I saw the tree tunnel on Instagram I was thinking I have to see this place when I visit California. So I had to drag my cousin lol!
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What a beautiful site. That tree tunnel is really beautiful, looks like not a lot of people when you took the photo which is nice 👍🏼 glad you had a great time here 😊👌🏼
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Thank you! It was still early in the morning so there wasn’t any crowd yet. It sure was beautiful! The weather was also perfect!
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I should visit it next time. Ive never been there yet 😊
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