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Farmers' Market a Point Reyes
Farmers' Market a Point Reyes
Una piccola città con un grazioso mercato settimanale
Fuori dalla Toby’s Feed Barn alla Point Reyes Station, troverete cappelli di paglia, qualche succulento pettegolezzo locale e musica bluegrass dal vivo. Questo remotissimo mercato a nord di San Francisco, molto informale ma tutto biologico, è composto unicamente da un paio di bancarelle, ma questa minuscola città turisticamente poco conosciuta è un esempio eccellente di come la qualità spesso riesce a surclassare la quantità. Soffermatevi sull’essenziale striscione bianco sul retro su cui compaiono solo tre lettere, GBD. Stanno per Golden, Brown, Delicious (dorato, tostato, delizioso), tre parole magiche che descrivono perfettamente gli incredibili panini al formaggio venduti qui: pane fresco dell’Osteria Stellina (uno dei ristoranti migliori della città) farcito con prelibato formaggio Cowgirl Creamery locale. Accomodatevi su una balla di fieno e gustatelo, è un ottimo modo per ricaricarvi prima di ripartire per un’escursione nel vicino Point Reyes National Seashore.
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Focus: Point Reyes National Seashore
Il caseificio Point Reyes Creamery e i suoi seguaci
Il California Dream Eater percorre un’avventura di degustazione di formaggi.
Con una sporgenza impressionante sul Pacifico, l’unica riserva costiera nazionale della costa occidentale si estende su oltre 28.000 ettari di una penisola triangolare che sembra essersi staccata dalla costa settentrionale della California. L’area costiera protetta della Point Reyes National Seashore, situata 1 ora a nord di San Francisco, salvaguarda oltre 1500 specie di animali e piante nel suo paradiso acquatico di spiagge, lagune, estuari e stagni che circondano la zona interna ricca di folti boschi. Qui troverete specchi d'acqua, spiagge remote, banchi di nebbia che nascondono colline costiere, duelli tra elefanti marini sulla sabbia e potrete scorgere i wapiti di Tule che pascolano nei prati.
In questo paradiso lussureggiante verde e blu, è indispensabile indossare scarponcini da trekking e portare con sé un binocolo; i kayak sono facoltativi, ma utili. Il principale centro visite del parco, quello di Bear Valley, rappresenta il punto ideale per iniziare l’esplorazione: i bambini adoreranno i pannelli interattivi. Potrete avere informazioni sui passaggi di balene (solitamente da gennaio a metà aprile), sulla fioritura dei fiori selvatici (in primavera) e sulle condizioni dei sentieri. Centri per visitatori di più piccole dimensioni si trovano presso la Drakes Beach e il Point Reyes Lighthouse.
Per osservare la fauna selvatica, dirigetevi a Tomales Point dove potrete osservare i wapiti di Tule, in particolare in autunno, stagione degli amori per i cervi. Quindi visitate la Abbotts Lagoon che con i suoi 80 ettari vi permetterà di osservare moltissimi uccelli selvatici (a Point Reyes è stato avvistato oltre il 45% delle specie presenti in Nord America). Per passeggiate sulla spiaggia, provate la Kehoe Beach, dove sono ammessi i cani, o la Drakes Beach, adatta ai bambini. Quando si ritira la marea, esplorate le pozze della McClures Beach. Quando invece la marea sale, dirigetevi alla Bear Valley e percorrete i sentieri che attraversano fitte foreste di abeti di Douglas e pini di Bishop. Per godere delle iconiche viste sul Pacifico, percorrete i 308 gradini in discesa (al ritorno in salita!) che portano al Point Reyes Lighthouse, un faro del 1870. E alla fine del giorno, gustatevi una cena a base di ostriche locali e formaggi artigianali a Point Reyes Station o Inverness, per poi andare a dormire in uno dei numerosi bed-and-breakfast o piccoli alberghetti di campagna.
Il caseificio Point Reyes Creamery e i suoi seguaci
Il California Dream Eater percorre un’avventura di degustazione di formaggi.
Cliff Briggin/Getty Images
Point Reyes Beaches
Point Reyes Beaches
Find your perfect stretch of sand among Point Reyes’ 80 miles of shoreline options
With more than 80 miles of Pacific shoreline, the Point Reyes peninsula features a diverse array of beaches for beachcombing, sunbathing, kayaking, kite flying, and bird-watching. Want to drive right up and plop down in the sand? Then head to Drakes Beach. Backed by tall cliffs, this sheltered cove provides refuge from Point Reyes’ blustery winds and safe swimming in the relatively calm waters of Drakes Bay. Look for the small memorial to Sir Francis Drake, who may have harbored his ship the Golden Hind here in 1579 while exploring the New World. A small visitor center and bookstore are open on weekends.
Nearby is Point Reyes Beach (also known as The Great Beach or Ten Mile Beach), which spans 11 captivating miles of sand and surf. You never know what you’ll find on a long walk here, but count on brayed-tan sand, wild waves, and unforgettable sunsets. (Access is at the parking lots for North Beach and South Beach.) Another great drive-up beach is Limantour, located about 20 minutes’ drive from Bear Valley Visitor Center. The mile-long beach is backed by low, grassy dunes, so it’s ideal for picnicking, even on windy days. There’s plenty of space for everybody, including Rover and Lassie—dogs are permitted on its southeast end.
If you’re willing to walk a bit, you’ll find seclusion at Point Reyes’ hike-in beaches, including dog-friendly Kehoe Beach on the peninsula’s northern tip. An easy, nearly level trail skirts alongside Kehoe Marsh, where songbirds flit, and pink and yellow mustard grows waist-high in the spring. Near the ocean, the marshy terrain morphs into giant sand dunes and sandstone cliffs. Farther north, near Pierce Point Ranch, is photogenic McClures Beach, set in a cove bookended by rugged cliffs. During low tides, head south to explore rocky tidepools teeming with sea life. At minus tides, a narrow passageway is revealed. Pass through this rock-lined gap to gain access to a secluded cove, connected to McClures by a narrow shelf of rock.
Courtesy of Cowgirl Creamery
Point Reyes Farmers Market
Point Reyes Farmers Market
A tiny town serves up one of the Bay Area’s longest-running all-local, all-organic markets
Outside Toby's Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station, it's all about homemade jam, local gossip, and live music every Saturday from June to October. The low-key, all-organic Point Reyes Farmers Market is smaller than many, but it's a prime example of how quality trumps quantity. Browse the booths featuring local oysters, grass-fed meats, artisan cheeses, home-grown sheep’s wool, olive oil, farm-fresh eggs, and picked-at-dawn vegetables.
After you’ve checked out all the offerings in the main space, look for a simple white banner in the back that says “GBD,” which stands for Golden, Brown, Delicious—three words that perfectly describe the incredible grilled cheese sandwiches made by Osteria Stellina. The secret recipe? Wood-fired Brickmaiden bread dipped in Straus Creamery butter and oozing Cowgirl Creamery cheese. Settle down on a hay bale and enjoy—this snack is perfect for fueling up before a hike in nearby Point Reyes National Seashore. But if you’re more into noshing than hiking, stroll downtown’s three or so blocks and you’ll find more culinary gold, like the crazy-good scones and muffins at Bovine Bakery and champagne-style honey mead at Heidrun Meadery.
Before you head to the market, be sure to check their calendar of events to see what will be going on. They host musicians playing everything from bluegrass to Brazilian jazz to Middle Eastern music weekly, and also welcome chefs and, in collaboration with Point Reyes Books, cookbook authors to take part in the Chef’s Booth series, where they can talk about their latest releases and lead a cooking demonstration with products featured at the market. (Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and French Laundry fame was an early participant.) Have kids? They’ll have a blast at the KidsZone, where there are crafts, a mini farm stand, and a play kitchen. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
If you’d like to have a knowledgeable guide unlock the secrets of Point Reyes’ foodie nirvana, ride along with the agricultural and culinary experts at West Marin Food & Farm Tours. Four- to five-hour tours offer insight into family farming and artisan food production and give you a backstage pass to see how cheese is made, oysters are farmed, and grass-fed animals are raised. Pick your flavor—the company offers an Oyster Lover’s Tour, Cheese Lover’s Tour, or the all-encompassing Flavors of West Marin Tour.
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Point Reyes Lighthouse
Point Reyes Lighthouse
See whales and seabirds on a visit to this romantic nautical icon
Perched on the windiest and foggiest point on the West Coast, the Point Reyes Lighthouse steered ships away from the peninsula’s treacherous northern point from 1870 to 1975, its glowing light visible for 24 nautical miles. At sunset each day for more than 100 years, the lightkeeper lit an oil lamp inside the first-order Fresnel lens, and 1,000 glass prisms directed the beam to the horizon.
Today the iconic Point Reyes Lighthouse beckons visitors to this isolated seaside promontory to get a glimpse of California’s nautical history and take in divine Pacific vistas. The lighthouse no longer operates—it’s been replaced by an automated light on the cliffs below—but it’s a fine place to snuggle up to your travel companion while you gaze wistfully out to sea. The breeze rarely ceases here, even on relatively balmy days. Forty-mile-per-hour winds are common, so dress appropriately.
From the parking lot, a short uphill walk leads to the Lighthouse Visitor Center and an observation deck where you can look down at jagged rock outcrops dotted with hundreds of seabirds—including a massive colony of common murres—crashing Pacific waves, and a remarkable 308-step staircase descending to the lighthouse. More than 30,000 gray whales pass by this spot on their annual migration from Alaska to Mexico, so stop at the visitor center to check the whiteboard for “Today’s Whale Count.” From December to April, it’s usually in the hundreds. Then walk down the stairs to explore the venerable lighthouse buildings. They are perched atop a rocky pinnacle, the Pacific’s gleaming surface spreading to the horizon, the tumultuous sea directly below.
Insider tip: The stairs to the lighthouse are open only 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Friday–Monday but the visitor center and observation deck are open seven days a week. On weekends and holidays from January to mid-April, the Park Service operates a mandatory shuttle bus to the lighthouse.
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Wildlife Watching at Point Reyes
Wildlife Watching at Point Reyes
Get up close to some of Point Reyes’ bountiful wildlife
In Point Reyes, deer and tule elk roam the grasslands, sea lions and seals bask on the beaches, songbirds flit through the coastal chaparral, herons and egrets feast in the marshes, and gray whales cruise near the shoreline. It’s almost impossible not to see wild creatures on a visit here, but to maximize your chances, sign up for a small-group tour with Point Reyes Safaris, led by a professional photographer and naturalist. Or set out on your own to one of these wildlife-rich spots:
Tule elk at Tomales Point
Majestic tule elk—a subspecies of elk found only in California—roam throughout the peninsula. The 500-pound elk were once common, but by the 1870s they were nearly hunted out of existence. Today Point Reyes’ reestablished herd numbers more than 500 animals. When the bull elks are in their “rut” (typically July through September), you may hear the males bugling or sparring with a raucous clash of 40-pound antlers. Year-round, tule elk graze near the road leading to Pierce Point Ranch. If you don’t spot them from your car, try hiking the Tomales Point Trail.
Elephant seals at Chimney Rock
From December to March, more than 1,000 elephant seals take over the beaches and give birth to pups at Chimney Rock. Easily identified by their massive, blubbery size—male elephant seals can grow longer than 18 feet and weigh more than two tons—the seals recline on the beaches, brawl with their neighbors, and make awkward, jerking movements as they scooch from sand to sea and back. To see them, park at the Chimney Rock Trailhead, then walk down the paved road to the Elephant Seal Overlook. By late spring, the show is mostly over—although smaller numbers of seals can be seen in almost every month of the year.
Birding at Abbotts Lagoon
You can spot birds everywhere at Point Reyes, but for sheer diversity and easy viewing, head to the brackish waters of Abbotts Lagoon and its neighboring freshwater ponds. Follow the trail along its edge and you can easily spot western grebes, pie-billed grebes, coots, black-shouldered kites, and Caspian terns. The autumn migration season is the best time to build up your birder’s life list, but you’ll find interesting sightings here year-round.
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