Can someone tell me how far is Point Lobos from San Francisco? (I thought it was close to Carmel) I had it confused with Point Reyes, which of the two is better? Thank you.

Point Lobos is at the south end of Carmel, near Carmel Highlands. Point Reyes is north of San Francisco. Point Reyes is huge. Point Lobos is smaller and can all be easily seen by foot in an afternoon. I think it will take about 2 and a half hours to get to Point Lobos from San Francisco, although it might be slightly longer, depending on the route you take and the traffic.

Thank you, I got all confused for some reason (I don’t know what I was thinking, perhaps since they both start with Point?) I was under the impression that they were both close to Carmel. Now, next questions do you know how far is Point Reyes from San Francisco, since I am already going to spend three days in Carmel and have Point Lobos on my to do list, I want to see what are the chances of going to Point Reyes while staying in San Francisco. Thank you.

Count on an hour to get to Point Reyes, and another 1/2 an hour to get to the lighthouse or the more remote northern beaches where you can see Tule elk.

So staying in the City (San Francisco) and driving there to spend the day and come back at night is something that can be done without over doing it?

You can absolutely do Point Reyes as a day trip from SF without over doing it. I highly recommend it. You can stop at Muir Woods on the way if you'd like and see some redwoods. The drive from Muir Woods to Point Reyes is really pretty. I'd pick up a picnic lunch somewhere along the way and make a day of it - there are little towns with small groceries and delis where you can buy sandwiches, etc.

Point Lobos opens at 9 am, as soon as the parking lot is filled, cars are only admitted on a one out/one in basis. We were once there at 8:50 am and there was a long line of cars outside the gate already, believe the lot can only hold a few hundred cars. It's gorgeous, rocky paths with picture-perfect cypress trees and tide pools, there is a flight of wooden stairs decending to a small beach cove fronting blue green ocean water with a waterfall tumbling down the cliffs. Enjoy!

We just spent an afternoon biking at Pt. Lobos and taking photos in December. You'll love it! ***kim***