Category: National Seashores

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National Parks Free Day June

Just a friendly reminder that June 21, the first day of summer, is only two weeks away and is a National Parks fee free day. That means that the entrance fee to the parks, monuments, preserves, recreation areas and other sites within the National Park system will be waived. Fee Free National Parks days are offered throughout the year. In addition to the first day of summer, National Parks will also be fee free on September 24 (Public Lands Day) and from November 11 – 13 (Veterans Day weekend) this year.

Drakes Bay Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore

The fee free National Parks day on June 21, 2011 is good for free entrance to the parks in the National Parks system, but it doesn’t apply to other fees within the National Parks system such as reservation fees, camping fees, tour fees and concession fees. Most of the National Parks fee free days result in the National Parks being quite busy, but since the first day of summer falls on a Tuesday, it should be a great opportunity to visit a National Park for free with a minimal chance of large crowds. With the kids out for summer vacation, it may be a perfect day trip to plan.

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Tomales Bay California State Park

While driving to Tomales Bay California state park within Point Reyes National Seashore (there are also areas of Tomales Bay state park across Tomales Bay on highway 1) you will turn off Pierce Point Road and descend into the park. Tomales Bay isn’t part of Point Reyes and there is an entrance fee of $8.00 per vehicle to enter (or you can purchase a California State Park Pass)

The road is quite curvy and there really aren’t any places to park, but it can be worthwhile to try and find a spot (or decide to hike the road) as it provides some great photo opportunities. This includes seeing Tomales Bay with all the forest before it:

View from road going into Tomales Bay California state park

There’s also spectacular undergrowth below the trees if you take the time to explore a bit.

Trees and undergrowth Tomales Bay California State Park

Again, the road isn’t really made to do this and you definitely need to be very careful if you decide to do it, but there’s a good chance that you will be well rewarded with some interesting photos if you decide to do so.

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National Parks Photo Contest 2011

Share the Experience National Parks Photo Contest

When I visit National Parks, I find it hard not to take photos. Even though I am far from a professional photographer, I enjoy documenting what I see so that I can share it with others. If you have any interest in photography and our National Parks, you will want to know about the National Park Foundation’s 2011 Share the Experience photo contest.

Share the Experience is an annual photography competition which has the goal of encouraging all to share their National Parks experiences through photographs. The contest is open to everyone age 13 and older. Photos can be submitted online and by December 31, 2011 at ShareTheExperience.org. The following prizes are available for the National Parks photo contest:

Grand Prize: Trip to Recreation Area 4 days / 3 nights for 4 people, Magellan GPS eXploris 510, Federal Recreational Lands Interagency Pass, $100 REI gift card and $500 in spending money

1st Prize: Magellan GPS eXplorist 510, Federal Recreational Lands Interagency Pass and $100 REI gift card

2nd Prize: Magellan GPS eXplorist 310, Federal Recreational Lands Interagency Pass and $100 REI gift card

3rd Prize: Magellan GPS eXplorist GC, Federal Recreational Lands Interagency Pass and $100 REI gift card

Honorable Mention (10 winners): Federal Recreational Lands Interagency Pass and $100 REI gift card

Since the National Parks Photo Contest 2011 runs through the end of the year, there has been no announcement of the National Parks Photo Contest 2012 as of yet. As soon as we get information on the National Parks Photo Contest 2012, we will post it here.

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Point Reyes Lighthouse Water Collection System

Across from the Point Reyes Lighthouse visitors center and gray whale skull at Point Reyes National Seashore is a concrete dome that appears to be some type of military bunker:

Point Reyes water collection system

In reality, it has nothing to do with the military and everything to do with being able to survive. The dome is actually part of a water collection system since fresh water was a continuing problem for those that lived out on Point Reyes. As explained on an information placard by the concrete dome:

Although surrounded by seawater, the Point never had adequate wells or springs to supply fresh water. The lightkeepers were forced to devise this elaborate system for catching and storing rainwater. They piped the cistern water to the residences and down to the fog signal for making steam.

The dome in front of you covers the cylindrical concrete cistern. The catchment area around the cistern extends far up the hillside and captures runoff from natural rock formations.

Water collection system diagram Point Reyes National Seashore

The information sign can easily be missed because those arriving tend to focus on the visitors center and the sign is around a slight bend on the way out.

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Gray Whale Skull Point Reyes Lighthouse

After passing the wind swept trees on your way to Point Reyes Lighthouse at Point Reyes National Seashore, you will reach the Point Reyes Lighthouse Visitors Center. Just outside the visitors center to the left is a gray whale skull:

Gray Whale Skull Point Reyes Lighthouse National Seashore

Along with some other gray whale bones:

Whale bones at Point Reyes Lighthouse

The skull and bones are well weathered as they are outside and not protected from the elements, but you have the chance to see the skull up close and touch the bones if you wish. Definitely worth stopping to investigate before or after you hit the Point Reyes lighthouse.

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Wind Swept Trees Point Reyes Lighthouse

Once you begin walking up the road toward Point Reyes Lighthouse, you have about a half mile hike before you reach the lighthouse. There are several benches along the side of the road where you can rest and get a slightly different perspective on the view of Point Reyes Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore. About half way through the hike you will come to about 5 trees that have been shaped and twisted by the wind:

View of Point Reyes Beach through tree

I think most people walk briskly by these trees because they are so excited to get to the Point Reyes lighthouse, but I think that the trees provide a great photographic opportunity for those that spend a bit of time there, especially with Point Reyes beach in the background:

Point Reyes lighthouse wind swept tree

Even after passing the trees, they still provide some interesting photo shots.

Rocks and trees Point Reyes Lighthouse National Seashore

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Point Reyes Lighthouse Parking Lot Trail

Once you see the dramatic view at the Point Reyes Lighthouse parking lot view looking over Point Reyes Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore you’ll be tempted to take a short path (about 1/4 mile) you can see right in front of you to a point a little farther out. The hike is fairly easy, but the view isn’t much different than the one you see at the top:

Point Reyes Lighthouse parking lot hike beach view

You are able to see a bit more of the sand dunes of Point Reyes Beach, but there isn’t a big difference in the view (compare here) so passing on it shouldn’t be a huge issue.

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Point Reyes Lighthouse Parking Lot View

Even before you consider going to Point Reyes lighthouse at Point Reyes National Seashore, be sure to pack your best windbreaker and an extra layer of clothes. The Point Reyes lighthouse is the windiest and foggiest point on the Pacific coast and even on a sunny day, the wind can send chills through your body (and may provide the opportunity to see double waves). I arrived on a beautiful sunny day, but with wind gusts up to 40 miles an hour which would have left me shivering without my windbreaker.

After you park in the Point Reyes Lighthouse parking lot, you will see a gated road which you will follow to get to the Point Reyes lighthouse. To the right of the gate is a dramatic view point which looks out over rows of waves crashing onto Point Reyes Beach that makes for a wonderful photograph:

View from the Point Reyes lighthouse parking lot over the ocean

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National Parks Free Days 2011 & 2012

One of the great things about National Parks, National Monuments, National Recreation Areas, National Preserves, National Seashores and National Lakes is that several times a year the ones that charge entrance fees offer free access days. The National Parks free days for 2011 are as follows:

Snow covered Bryce Canyon National Park in winter

January 15 – 17 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday weekend)

April 16 – 24 (National Park Week)

June 21 (The first day of summer)

September 24 (Public Lands Day)

November 11 – 13 (Veterans Day weekend)

The 2011 free National Parks days are good for entrance fees, commercial tour fees and transportation entrance fees, but do not apply to other fees such as reservation fees, camping fees, tour fees, or concession fees. While national Parks are already a great value, National Parks free days make them even more so.

The 2012 National Parks free days have also been announced and as expected, they are quite similar to the 2011 free National Parks days with the main difference being the June fee free day which in 2011 was the first day of summer, but in 2012 will be on Get Outdoors Day in June.

January 14 – 16 (Martin Luther King Jr. weekend)

April 21 – 29 (National Park Week)

June 9 (Get Outdoors Day)

September 29 (National Public Lands Day)

Nov. 10 – 12 (Veterans Day weekend)

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Double Wave: Point Reyes National Seashore

I love it when I look back at photos I have taken at National Parks (or in this case, a National Seashore) and find them to be even more wonderful than I thought they would be. On a visit to Point Reyes National Seashore in California, I was walking toward the light house and taking photos of the ocean waves below. As is quite common at Point Reyes, the wind was blowing at a fair clip, and hard enough that when a wave would break, the wind would take the mist of the breaking wave and blow it back over the wave to make a double wave. I was lucky enough to catch a photo of this double wave:

double wave at Point Reyes