Tomales Point Trail is a 9.4 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Inverness, California that offers the chance to see wildlife and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Horses are also able to use this trail.
hiking
horseback riding
nature trips
walking
bird watching
running
beach
views
wildlife
over grown
no dogs
Hike out to Tomales Point with stunning views surrounding you on all sides. An excellent out and back day hike. This open trail offers spectacular views of Tomales Bay, Bodega Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. It is also a prime wildlife viewing trail, as it is remote and the tule elk are enclosed in this reserve. The first 3 miles to Lower Pierce Point Ranch are well marked and maintained, but the last stretch can be overgrown with bush lupine and other shrubs, so long pants and long sleeves are a good idea. The journey all the way to the Point is worth it, for the view is unparalleled. Fog and wind can limit visibility and make this hike more challenging. The Tomales Point Trailhead is at the end of Pierce Point Road, 40 minute driving time from Bear Valley.
Jacob Rupiper recorded Tomales Point Trail
I would recommend for moderate level hikers. Full of beautiful views and good amount of elevation changes. Saw many elk, deer, birds and a coyote. Bring a freind, it’s a hike to take pictures and enjoy a day out of the house.
Breathtaking, and other worldly. The whole walk was pretty, filled with elk and sweeping ocean and bay views, but the real gem is getting to the very end. Incredible. One warning, take the current wind speed of Pt. Reyes and multiply by 2. Truly a special place. Pretty easy, not to many hills and none are too steep.
easy just long.
Great trail! There were so many beards of elk all along it, very cool. The porta potties at the trailhead were clean with TP - great bonus after nearly 10 miles!
Lovely trail but check for ticks once you’re done. I found two ... yuck!!
A beautiful slice of Mother Earth, although managing your experience may be in order with the popularity of this trail. We went on a Thursday after Christmas, which left a reasonable 2-300’ average between us and the next group of hikers. The trail begins at a historic farm complex in which each building has an interesting placard to read. Encountered many elk shortly thereafter, with Pacific shore vistas opening up at about a mile in. The elk will let you get within about forty feet, although they scare beyond that. A slow climb in elevation until both shores of the peninsula could be seen at a ridge about three miles in. There were nice rocks to rest on and eat lunch here. You’re quite exposed to the elements; a sunny and relatively wind-free day is best. We went on a day such as this and saw many families with their children. We only got three miles in due to navigation issues (if you use Android Auto, be sure to keep your phone off low battery mode or it does crazy things to your navigation), but hope to return in the future. Overall, quite a memorable hike!
Taylor Allen recorded Tomales Point Trail
Very nice hike. Some grass/dirt areas and some sandy areas. Tons of large elk to look at. Mostly foggy during the entire hike so visibility of the ocean was limited. Very windy and cold at the end. Parking lot was full so the rest of the cars parked along the road. Port o’ Potties were located at the parking grounds. Neat old farm on site. Definitely recommend this hike, would love to do it in the summer.
L Rod recorded Recording - Jan 01, 03:26 PM
Great hike, we did just over 10miles. It was cold & windy, be prepared for the weather. Beautiful views, lots of elk to see.
Beautiful hike with my 13 year old. It’s worth it to go all the way to the Point! Saw many elk, birds, and even a seal at the point. We were lucky enough to go on a sunny day and the views were spectacular. Hiking that close to so many elk was really incredible; it was a fantastic experience.
This was a beautiful hike. The trail is easy to follow. I saw over 50 elk and about 15 deer. It’s worth it to walk all the way to the end.
Pretty spectacular sliver of planet earth! Highly recommended.
beautiful views, tons of elk, easy but long out and back trail
Stavros Mitchelides recorded Tomales Point Trail
My 121st National Park and I have to say, this trail is now in my top 10.
it was a nice long hike with great views of the ocean, beautiful area.
beautiful trail...lots of elk and two coyotes sighted, amazing views
Georgi Stoev recorded Tomales Point Trail
Birthday present with my mom.
Loved this trail! Hiked it last weekend with a couple friends. Moderately difficult I would say but definitely worth it. It was foggy most of the day but occasionally sunny. Quite a few people out there but not too many. It was so cool when we got to the pond and saw the herd of elk. Some of the bulls were huge. We also saw a large very healthy coyote hunting rodents. We went all the way to the point which is a little tougher because of thick sand in spots. The cliff views were spectacular! I think it took us about 3 hours but we stopped a lot to admire the scenery. I’ve wanted to do this hike a long time and am so glad I finally made it.
Kevin Whitcomb recorded Tomales Point Trail
Lots of foggy mist which made seeing all the elk kinda otherworldly
Nora Yang recorded Tomales Point Trail
Very foggy along the trail. Saw some elks
Shaun Kozolchyk recorded Tomales Point Trail
Amazing and beautiful hike, but I wasn’t prepared for the elevation gain to be same out as in! And the unmaintained beach sand part is about 1.5 miles with some sustained climbs. I think it’s tougher than moderate for the average hiker. But totally doable and worth it.
It has stunning views, also saw a lot of wildlife, coyote, elks, pelicans. Does not have any steep climbs but the last part has soft sand which might go inside shoes.
LONG but way worth it when you get to the end. My leg is hurting!
Jeffrey Hagedorn recorded Tomales Point Trail
Long but worth it! (That’s what she said)
Try to go all the way to the end to see the cliffs
Chih C recorded Tomales Point Trail
Great trail - the last part might be a bit sandy but overall is easy hike with great view! It’s mind-blowing to see lots Tule elks. Started around 4ish and got to the point around sunset time. Night hike was great with the full moon.
An overall easy-to-moderate hike. You’ll find beautiful views of the Pacific right as you start the trail. Fun is when you have the company of Tule elks in groups all along your trail. The last 1.5 miles of the trail is not maintained and is sandy! So, a little work out should be expected. Plan your day for the sunset! If you’re a sunset lover as I am, plan your day such that you reach the trail head back out, right before the sun sets so that you won’t have to hike much in the dark. I would totally go back only for the mesmerizing frame as I watched the slow decent of the sun turning the landscape gold and painting the sky in a dazzling array of pink and orange hues.
