Bay Area Elk

On Saturday, August 11, 2012, I went on the Yaggies hike to the northernmost tip of Point Reyes, California to check out the 450 elk that live in this northwestern corner of the Bay Area.

And I was in luck. Far from being elusive like mountain lions or the rumored Suburban Sasquatch of Southern California, I saw approximately 100 elk in three different groups spread throughout the Tomales Elk Preserve.

The Tule Elk, which became almost extinct in California due to over-hunting during the Gold Rush, looked more like reindeer than the mule deel seen throughout California. The Tule Elk bulls boasted enormous antlers. Just one antler weighs quite a bit!
Also interesting about the hike was learning a bit about Marin County's early dairy farming history. The hike starts from Pierce Point Ranch, which produced butter starting back in the late 1850s. There are still cows at nearby ranches. The land is now used exclusively for the elk preserve, but it still has over a dozen original white buildings, including a giant barn and houses.
Review of the Tomales Point Trail hike:

Pluses:

  • It has a 5-start rating on Yelp, which is even higher than the Golden Gate Park Bison!
  • There are few places you can still see elk in California, so if you want to see them, this is the place to go.
  • In the parking lot and two miles in on the trail, there were Park Rangers and volunteer wildlife guides. They had spotting scopes zoomed in on where the elk were. They were very informative and answered many questions about how the elk have made a comeback due to preservation efforts in recent years.
  • This is also one of the most visible places to see the San Andreas Fault, and view how it created Tomales Bay.

Minuses:

  • Travel time: Although it's only 60 miles from Berkeley, it took us 2 hours to drive to Pierce Point Ranch, and 1.5 hours on the return trip. There are 1-lane roads to get to Point Reyes Station, and traffic can back up on weekends.
  • Weather: Although it was sunny nearly everywhere else in the Bay Area that day, there was a thick blanket of fog covering most the coast, so we didn't see the ocean until we went down to water-level.
Overall, if you have several hours free on a weekend, this is a great day trip.

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