San Francisco To Pt. Reyes Station
 

We will drive the second week in October from Fisherman's Wharf to Pt. Reyes Station, it will be our first time driving in CA.I know there is a long mountain way to go that has some sheer cliffs, looking for the other way,short & simple,Please advise, Thank You.

O.k., first of all:

Pt. Reyest Station is the name of the small town close to the Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

Now, there simply is no such thing as a straight and short way to any place on the coast in Marin. The "terrifying" route you are thinking of is northward along the coast from Muir Beach. It's really not that bad unless it's raining or very foggy. It's a beautiful road, but easily avoided if you want alternatives - and here they are:

1. Take the San Anselmo exit from 101 northbound. Stay on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. ALL the way out to the coast. It goes through some small towns, up a curvy series of hills and then turns into a narrower road the closer you get to the coast.

2. Take the Lucas Valley exit from 101 northbound. Take a right turn towards Nicasio, then a left turn onto the Petaluma/Pt. Reyes road. There will be a stop sign after a few miles. Turn right. You will end up on Highway One slightly north of the town of Pt. Reyes Station. Take a left, go through town, and then take the right turn exit towards Inverness and Tomales Bay - you'll be headed towards the beaches and hiking areas.

There are curves on ALL the roads to the coast because you are going over hills. Relax, just pay attention, pull over to let impatient locals go by. You'll make it to Pt. Reyes.

The OTHER "terrifying" way to go is over Mt. Tamalpais. Again, a lovely road with incredible views, but maybe a white-knuckle drive for first-timers.

Thank You for the posts,we are going into Pt. Reyes Station to visit a family friend.Best Wishes,Pakepf3

dovima's route #1, Sir Francis Drake Blvd, is by far the fastest and least curvy road from 101 to 1. (When you get to Olema, turn right to Pt. Reyes Station.)

The curves are mostly in the redwoods, not on the side of a cliff, which makes them feel a bit more secure. It will take you anywhere from 45 min to an hour from the time you leave 101 til you reach Pt. Reyes Station.

Wave as you go past my street!

yup-I agree with the Sir Francis Drake route. We do take Lucas Valley Road and have for years..even still it's pretty curvey! Do not absolutely do not go over the mountain. Enjoy Point Reyes..it's just about the most beautiful spot I've ever seen!

Can I jump in here with a related question? We were planning to first drive to Muir Woods and then on to Pt. Reyes. If we want to travel to Pt. Reyes with the least amount of mountain/curvey roads, would we be best to go back to 101 and follow the options presentd in this thread? And stay away from Stinson Beach along the coast? Just wondering how tough that coastal drive might be?

A 4th for dovima's Sir Francis Drake route.
Ladies and Gents-we need a Pt.Reyes
GTG in October!
Except, Marilyn is in STL and Pam is in Paris.
(Poor ol' little us stuck at home)
:'(

R5

Hello lbaboyd,
If you are at Muir Woods and heading towards Pt. Reyes, I think you should take the coastal route unless the weather is very wet or foggy. To get back to 101, you'd have to re-trace your steps over some winding road on Shoreline anyway. Some people would go back up the to the Mt. Tam road. Either way, although the road(s) are curvy and narrow, you will be on the "good" side, that is, next to the cliff face rather than on the cliff edge. The coast route was much improved a few years back in an area where rockslides tended to happen in wet weather - the road was widened a bit. There is a spectacular look-out point just past Muir Beach, the views toward S.F. on a clear day are just stunning.

Some advice - watch out for the bicyclists, esp. on weekends. And the ironclad rule is - the driver does not get to appreciate the view! Hope this helps.

I prefer the Lucas Valley Road because it has less traffic than Sir Francis Drake Blvd. It also is prettier. Both a quite curvy, and since both are inland, within hills, they are not as white-knucle roads as the coastal highway or the Mt. Tam drive.

Lucas Valley Road is pretty (I take it all the time), but it's not the shortest way. You have to go farther north on 101 to get it, and unless I'm mistaken, you have to drop back down to SFD anyway to get to the coast in the vicinity of Pt. Reyes Station.

lbaboyd, it would be really crazy to backtrack from Muir Woods. You would add at least an hour to your drive, possibly more depending on traffic. When you get to Muir Woods you will have already done half the curvy stuff.

The coastal road north of Stinson is no big deal. There are some curves, but at that point you are pretty much at sea level, not on a cliff. This is nothing like Big Sur, if that's what you are imagining.

Thanks all. Sorry to highjack your thread, pakepf3. But these clarifying posts have been very helpful :->

I agree! Thank you all for posting.