Point Reyes Elephant Seals & Whales
Two-ton elephant seal bulls bellowing on the beach below a short, flat trail, then 313 steps down to a cliffside lighthouse to look for whale spouts. Free all day.
1.75 hrs drive · 1 day · Best for toddlers to teens · Dec–Mar
Day 1: Seals and the lighthouse
- 8:00 Leave SF via 101 and Sir Francis Drake Blvd (about 1.5 hrs to Point Reyes Station)
- 9:30 Morning buns and picnic supplies, since there is no food past Inverness
- 10:30 Lighthouse stairs before the 2 to 3:30 rush, then scan for gray whale spouts from the deck
- 12:15 Picnic and binoculars at the overlook near the lighthouse lot
- 1:15 Drive 10 min, then the short flat walk to the seal colony
- 2:45 More seals from the Drakes Beach lot and visitor center
- 4:15 Early dinner on the way out
- 5:15 Drive home (about 1.25 hrs)
From parents who have been
- Buy lunch in Inverness or Point Reyes Station before heading out. The Drakes Beach bookstore sells only snacks and is open Fri–Sun and Monday holidays, and everyone has to leave the Drakes Beach lot by 4. Marin Mommies
- The Elephant Seal Overlook trail is easy enough for small kids. The fence near the old lifeboat station gives the closest safe view. Marin Mommies
- From the overlook the Chimney Rock seals can look small and far off, so pack binoculars. Drakes Beach is the easier place to see them, and the Chimney Rock Boathouse has hands-on exhibits on some winter weekends. Mama Kim's Animal Rescue Point Reyes seals
- Chimney Rock Rd is a one-lane road for about a mile, so go slowly and pull over for oncoming cars. Big kids can keep going past the overlook on the 2-mile round trip trail, where more seals show up along the shore on the way back. California Through My Lens
- The restroom at the Drakes Beach visitor center is clean and has a changing table. Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station is the morning bun stop parents mention. TripAdvisor Drakes Beach reviews
- Sea Lion Overlook, a short walk from the lighthouse lot, makes a good picnic and spotting stop. Look up into the cypress trees on the walk in for birds. Point Reyes Nature kids guide
Good to know
- There is no winter shuttle and no weekend road closure anymore. NPS says the Winter Shuttle Bus System is indefinitely suspended with no plans to resume, and Sir Francis Drake Blvd and Chimney Rock Rd are open to private cars 6 am to midnight every day.
- Lighthouse: 313 steps down about 240 feet, 5 to 10 minutes down and 10 to 20 back up. The stairs close at 4 and whenever wind tops 40 mph. 2 to 3:30 is busiest, and the main lot has only 38 spaces. The observation deck stays open to about 11:45 pm.
- The lighthouse visitor center and stairs were open Thu–Mon plus federal holidays, 10 to 4, and closed Tue–Wed in the 2025–26 season (per Marin Mommies; the NPS hours page did not load). MLK and Presidents' Day Mondays are fine.
- Elephant seals peak December through March. The Elephant Seal Overlook is a 0.3-mile flat dirt walk from the Chimney Rock lot, and Winter Wildlife Docents may be there weekends and holidays from late December to March. Stay at least 25 feet from seals.
- Seal closures: Drakes Beach from the cove to the permanent closure is closed Dec 15 to mid-June, and the beaches from the Chimney Rock Lifeboat Station to Chimney Rock and near the lighthouse are closed Dec 15 to Mar 31.
- Last season (2025–26) peaked at 1,248 females and 1,080 pups across the park, with up to 76 females right at the Drakes Beach visitor center.
Sources: NPS Winter Shuttle (suspended) · NPS Point Reyes Lighthouse · NPS Viewing Elephant Seals · NPS Elephant Seal Overlook · NPS elephant seal season summary 2025–26 · Marin Mommies winter wildlife (Jan 2026)