At Point Reyes, a Wilderness of Water and Wind

To say the least, the ocean is an overwhelming presence at Point Reyes National Seashore, which is bounded on three sides by more than 50 miles of bay and ocean.

The point--described as hammer-headed or wing-shaped by the more poetic--literally and figuratively sticks out and stands out from California’s fairly straight-trending coast north of San Francisco. Several short, attractive trails explore the top of the hammer and lead to some impressively wild beaches.

Point Reyes’ weather adds to its wilderness feeling. High winds scour the beaches, and heavy, heavy fogs often blanket the peninsula. Prepare for hiking in both cold weather and warm; national seashore weather varies dramatically--not only from day to day but from hour to hour.

McClures Beach: Way out on the northwestern shore of Point Reyes lies a beach that’s positively theatrical: great granite cliffs, enormous rocks, huge waves. Exposed to the full fury of the Pacific, McClures Beach resounds with waves like rolling thunder that strike the rocks and sea stacks at land’s end and toss great plumes of spray skyward.

Margaret McClure, whose family owned a dairy, was one of the first property owners to permit public access to a Point Reyes-area beach. She donated the beach and a portion of the nearby bluffs for parkland in the 1940s.

From the parking area, join the sandy creek-side trail for the brief descent (0.5 mile) to the beach. Look offshore for the unusual sea scoter, a small black sea duck with a bright orange-and-white bill that surfs the waves. Pelicans, cormorants and murres are among the many seabirds that perch on the rocks near shore.

The most intriguing part of the 0.8-mile-long beach is at the south end. Head toward the sea stacks, sculpted from McClures’ cliffs by the relentless surf. At low tide, you can squeeze through a narrow rock passageway and emerge at a dramatic little pocket beach.

Kehoe Beach: Overlapping the far north end of Point Reyes Beach, remote Kehoe Beach is well worth the short walk. The beach is backed by bluffs, bedecked in spring by such blooms as wild hollyhock, baby blue-eyes and California poppies.

The 0.5-mile-long path to the beach skirts Kehoe Marsh, a freshwater habitat attractive to birds, both resident and migratory. The mellow path crosses the wetland, passes a tiny lagoon, crosses the dunes and descends to the beach.

Harbor seals have been known to sun themselves on Kehoe Beach, which is walkable a short mile north and several miles south.

Abbotts Lagoon: Something about Abbotts Lagoon personifies the word “melancholy”: Maybe it’s the lagoon itself, a large, moor-like environment that compares to some of those I’ve visited in Scotland. Then there’s the lonely, wind-swept grasslands and the (forever, it seems) gray skies. It’s the kind of place you photograph in black and white.

While a bit on the somber side, the lagoon and lands beyond are by no means dreary or depressing; in fact, the landscape encourages reflection--an inward journey to accompany a fine outer one.

On a weekday excursion, your thoughts may very well be your only companion on this rather lightly visited trail. A low ridge hides Abbotts Lagoon from the sight of passing motorists on Pierce Point Road and seems to discourage drop-in visitation of the kind that occurs elsewhere along the Point Reyes coast.

Though the lagoon may be gray-hued, it’s anything but lifeless. Lots and lots of birds, both migratory and year-round residents, congregate in an upper freshwater lagoon and a more brackish lower lagoon. Look for the western grebe and its pint-size cousin the pie-billed grebe, as well as lots of coots and terns.

The wide, level trail heads across open fields. A bench encourages quiet contemplation of the lagoon. A mile’s walk leads to a footbridge that bisects the upper and lower lagoons. Soon you’ll reach low sand dunes and walk across them to the ocean shores of Point Reyes Beach. Seals and sea lions have been known to snooze here.

Walk to your heart’s content for miles, up-coast or down.

Access: From the hamlet of Olema, head north on California Highway 1 for 0.1 mile before turning left on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and proceeding 5.5 miles north and west to a junction with Pierce Point Road. Turn right (north).

Parking for McClures Beach is located nine miles up Pierce Point Road; for Kehoe Beach, 5.5 miles along the road; for Abbotts Lagoon, 3.2 miles.

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McClures Beach, Kehoe Beach, Abbotts Lagoon Trails

WHERE: Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

DISTANCE: To McClures Beach is 1 mile round trip; to Kehoe Beach is 1 mile round trip; from Abbotts Lagoon to Pt. Reyes Beach is 3.2 miles round trip.

TERRAIN: Lagoons, low dunes.

HIGHLIGHTS: Dramatic beaches, bird-watching.

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Easy to moderate.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956; tel. (415) 663-1092.