Bear Valley Forest Loop
Trail length: 7.1 miles, loop
Terrain: Riparian; Douglas Fir/Mixed Evergreen Forest; dirt and gravel trails
Restroom? Yes, three. One at the Bear Valley Visitor Center, one at the edge of the parking lot near the Earthquake Trail, and one at Divide Meadow.
Parking: large parking lot
Dates visited:
Hike this loop in the spring for lush greenery and a vibrant profusion of shade-loving wildflowers on the Bear Valley Trail including magenta Pacific Trillium (Trillium ovatum) and deep pink Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa).
Point Reyes is the second foggiest place on earth so you can enjoy the beauty and drama of fog all year round, however, March and April are particularly good times to hike the Mt Wittenberg trail to enjoy the mist.
Sky Trail is adorned with splashes of colorful flowering berry plants starting in February including Salmonberry, Huckleberry, and cheerfully pink Red-flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum). You are likely to encounter plenty of striking orange-red Cobra Lily (Chasmanthe bicolor), an African iris that has successfully proliferated in Point Reyes forests.
Old Pine Trail is lined with moss and mushrooms in the moister portions of the trail, especially near the Sky Trail. This trail was burned by the Woodward Fire in 2020 though its lush vegetation is slowly returning. Coast Creek runs in a ravine nearby bringing forest birds and moisture-loving spring wildflowers including Star-flowered Lily-of-the-Valley (Maianthemum stellatum).
Back on Bear Valley Trail, you’ll notice the temperature is cooler in the shaded parts of the trail near the creek, which is most of the trail. It’s a good trail to hike on a hot day. Look for birds including Osprey nesting in snags, and wildflowers. In spring and summer, the elusive Western Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum) is secretly flowering along the edges of the trail. Read more about this delightful heart-shaped plant with fuzzy flowers.
Loop: Bear Valley, Mt Wittenberg, Sky, Old Pine, Bear Valley
Start at the Bear Valley trailhead
Hike a short distance on the Bear Valley Trail to Mt Wittenberg Trail (0.2 miles). Turn right onto Mt Wittenberg Trail and hike rigorously uphill (1.8 miles); continue parallel to the Sky Trail until you meet the Sky Trail (0.5 miles). On a foggy day, enjoy the Douglas Firs dramatically shrouded in mist. On a clear day, enjoy views to the ocean.
Continue on the Sky Trail to Old Pine Trail. (1.1 miles)
Hike Old Pine Trail to Bear Valley. Take a break at lovely Divide Meadow; vault toilets are nearby. (1.9 miles)
Turn left and hike Bear Valley Trail back to the trailhead. (1.6 miles)
For a shorter loop, return on Meadow Trail (4.9 miles) rather than Old Pine.
Volunteer Opportunity: PRNSA Field Institute
The Point Reyes National Seashore Association needs assistants for their Field Institute classes. You will spend a day training with PRNSA staff, then a couple of times a year you'll select the classes you'd like to help with. Shortly afterwards, you'll receive a confirmation of which ones you've been assigned. As a facilitator, you get to take the class for free. Normally, two facilitators help with every class. Duties include signing in class participants, making coffee (for indoor classes), talking briefly about PRNSA, and generally helping out as needed. I've been volunteering for about a year. It's a great experience to work with other facilitators and get to know the amazing field institute instructors.