Sky Trail
Trail length: 6.2 miles
Terrain: forest, coastal scrub
Restroom? Yes, at Sky Camp (1.4 miles from the trailhead)
Parking: Very small parking lot
Kid friendly? Yes. The trail is well marked and wide to avoid poison oak. The short leg to Sky Camp is a good hike for young kids. It's fun to explore the camp sites, provided they are not occupied.
Dates visited: 8/15/17, 6/19/18, 11/6/18, 4/13/19, 12/14/19, 3/27/20, 4/11/20
Favorite plants on this trail: Common Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), California Bay (Umbellularia californica), Red-flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum), Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum), Red-berried Elder (Sambucus racemose)
Favorite spots:
Weaving through the misty firs and bays when it's foggy, which is most mornings.
The views of the ocean as the trail gets closer to the Coast Trail and Bear Valley Trail.
Passing along the green walls of Huckleberry, currants and other berries lining the path. In springtime, the berries are flowering in shades of vivid pink and white and pollinators are humming everywhere.
Sky Trail is the misty spine of Bear Valley. It's a gorgeous, forested trail and connects with many popular trails such as Woodward Valley, Bear Valley, and the Coast Trail. From the Sky Trailhead on Limantour Road, you'll ascend gradually for almost a mile and a half on a gravel road to Sky Camp. From there, the trail is mostly a gradual descent or flat all the way to the end, where the trail meets the Bear Valley Trail. On most days, you'll be treated to shrouded misty views through towering firs and bay trees, and you'll likely get wet from the dripping fog in this verdant rainforest.
You can make a loop by starting at the Sky Trailhead, hiking the Sky Trail to the end where it meets the Bear Valley Trail. Follow the Bear Valley Trail to any one of the trails that connects with the Sky Trail: Baldy, Old Pine, Meadow, Mt Wittenberg and trek back to the Sky trailhead. Alternatively, start at the Bear Valley trailhead and take the Mt. Wittenberg Trail to the Sky Trail. Turn left and walk toward Meadow Trail and the ocean. The end of the Mt. Wittenberg Trail right before the Sky Trail is the most beautiful spot in Point Reyes, particularly on a misty day when light barely filters through the majestic lichen-covered firs. I hope the Woodward Fire of August/September 2020 did not permanently damage this magical spot.
Panoramic of giant old bay tree
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 since 2017. It's a great experience to work with other facilitators and get to know the amazing field institute instructors.