(800) 814-2665 Questions? Call Us Now!

Point Reyes National Seashore Self Guided Driving Audio Tour

5 Reviews4.00 out of 5 stars Based on 5 reviews collected by Cool San Francisco and TripAdvisor | San Francisco, USA

Loading Options

2 to 3 hours (Approx.)
Mobile Ticket
Instant Confirmation

Overview

Experience the breathtaking majesty of northern California with this self-guided driving tour of Point Reyes National Seashore. Discover fascinating maritime history at the Point Reyes Lighthouse and the Point Reyes Lifesaving Station, then turn back the clock even further and hear true tales of the famed privateer Sir Francis Drake, who landed on these shores hundreds of years ago! Plus, take a detour up to Tomales Point for even more unforgettable ocean views!

After booking, check your email to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action, enter your unique password, and access your tour. These steps require good internet/Wi-Fi access. From there, follow the audio instructions and the route.

Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

What's Included

  • Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone
  • Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!
  • Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!
  • Foods & Drinks
See 5 moreSee 3 more

Meeting Location

Meeting point

Bear Valley Visitor Center, 1 Bear Valley Visitor Center Access Road, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956, USA

Open in Google Maps

After booking the tour, search your email for the phrase "Set up your self-guided tour now." Follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi/data. Do NOT wait until you are onsite.

End point

Lighthouse Visitor Center, 27000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Inverness, CA 94937, USA

This tour will end at the Lighthouse Visitor Center.

Start Time

Opening Hours

  • 11/30/2023 - 2/22/2026

    Monday - Sunday | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

What To Expect

Bear Valley Visitor Center

Welcome to Point Reyes National Seashore! This National Park has miles of unbelievable beach vistas, incredible stories of those who lived here, and of course… that famous Point Reyes Lighthouse way down at the tip of it all. Let’s get started!Note: This 30-mile-long tour covers the essentials of Point Reyes National Seashore in 2-3 hours.Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Tomales Point

Just ahead, we’ll have the option to detour to the remote and windswept beaches of Tomales Point, one of the most popular destinations on the peninsula. The detour takes 45 minutes round trip. You’ll also want to budget a little time for walking around and taking photos
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Drakes Estero

The Drakes Estero is coming up soon. If you’re wondering what an Estero is -- don’t worry. It’s just a fancy term for a marshy inlet. If you’d like to walk a 2.5 mile round-trip trail through the estero, there’s a trailhead just ahead. I’ll point it out. In a minute, you’ll cross coastal grasslands and enjoy a scenic footbridge stretching over the bay.
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Drakes Estero Trailhead

If you’d like to hike the Drakes Estero Trail, turn left. Otherwise, continue driving.
Read more

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cypress Tree Tunnel

Check out all of those cyprus trees ahead! That’s our next stop. The trees form a sort of tunnel. Where does it go? To the historic KPH Radio station! Uhh.. random, right? In the early 1900s, Morse code radio stations went up all up and down the United States coast. The Radio Corporation of America, or RCA, figured out where these stations should be to properly and efficiently communicate with ships at sea. One of the spots RCA chose was right here at Point Reyes! In 1929, they built the station, but they wanted to do justice to the beautiful landscape surrounding it. So they planted rows of cypress trees leading up to the new station.
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Point Reyes Beach

Coming up soon is Point Reyes Beach, boasting 11 miles of sand and fabulous ocean views. To make it even better, people often report gray whale sightings from this beach in the winter and spring!
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Drakes Beach

Coming up soon is Drakes Beach. It’s a popular beach amongst visitors here because it faces Drakes Bay. That means the winds aren’t as strong and the waves aren’t as intense as on the ocean-facing side. The beach boasts some white sandstone cliffs as a backdrop too.
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Chimney Rock Trail Head

To take a quick detour to the lifesaving station, see an overlook for elephant seals, and hike to Chimney Rock for ocean views, turn left at the fork.
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Historic Point Reyes Lifeboat Station

The first life-saving station in Point Reyes sat on a plot of ranch land very close to the point at the end of this peninsula. It began operations in 1878. The station leader was called the “keeper”; the staff were called “surfmen.” They’d patrol the beaches looking for wrecks and listening for voices through the fog. And the system worked! That first station saved people from 14 major shipwrecks over the 37 years it was there.
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Elephant Seal Overlook

Hundreds of thousands of northern elephant seals used to call the Pacific Ocean home. But then European settlers discovered they could use the seal blubber for oil. And by 1892, only around 75 individual seals were left up and down the entire coast of North America. Down from hundreds of thousands! Mexico and the US Government federally protected them in the 1920s, and thank goodness: the elephant seal population slowly boomed once again! In 1981, the first breeding pair was back at Point Reyes. And now, there are somewhere around 200,000 northern elephant seals along the Pacific Coast of the US and Mexico.
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Sea Lion Overlook

Coming up in just a moment will be Sea Lion Overlook. Here, 54 steps lead down to a coastal view you won’t soon forget… because it’s usually overflowing with sea lions! But how do we tell seals and sea lions apart? To identify one, check for ear flaps and folded-in back flippers. Sea lions use these back flippers to shuffle upright when trying to move on land. Males are about 8 feet long and females about 6 feet. Breeding season for sea lions is between May and August. During this time, the sea lions stay on the beach for as long as possible, defending their territory. This requires them to fast, and use their accumulated blubber to sustain them for months. They vie for females through calls, barks, and territorial fights with other males. For the rest of the year, sea lions roam the ocean, feeding. Females have a 12-month gestation period, usually giving birth in June or July
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

South Beach Overlook

We’re coming up on the parking lot to see the South Beach Overlook and the Point Reyes Lighthouse. This is the only parking lot for the lighthouse, so I’d recommend parking once we get there. You can park on the street too, if the lot is full, but street parking near the lighthouse gets a little congested, especially if you’re here on a weekend.
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Leaning Tree

Pretty soon, we’ll see a little tunnel of cypress trees not unlike the cypress tunnel by the radio station we saw earlier. They’re easy to spot because, as you may have noticed, there are very few trees here! If you cross under the tunnel of trees that bends toward the side of the hill and just beyond, you’ll see what people call the Leaning Tree. It’s a cypress that leans over the path, but doesn’t seem to ever fall.
Read more

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Show 11 more stops

Additional Info

  • Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
  • Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
  • Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund.

Still have questions?

We’re here to help.
Live Chat, Text, Call, or Email our friendly customer support with your questions.

Activity code: C-259648P51

Reviews

4.00
5 reviews

Average 4.00 out of 5 stars based on 5 traveler reviews collected by Cool San Francisco and partner sites such as Cool Destinations and TripAdvisor

5 stars
3
4 stars
1
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
1

Similar Tours & Activities

Russian River Weekend Wine Tasting & Gourmet Lunch

Russian River Weekend Wine Tasting & Gourmet Lunch

 8 hours  Hotel pickup offered  Free Cancellation
from
$234

2 Hours Private Sailboat Charter in San Francisco Bay
Likely to Sell Out

2 Hours Private Sailboat Charter in San Francisco Bay

 2 hours  Instant Confirmation
from
$695

The ultimate San Francisco full day custom guided tour

The ultimate San Francisco full day custom guided tour

New To The Site!
 8 hours  Hotel pickup offered
from
$211

Travelers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought

Cable Car City Tour in San Francisco

Cable Car City Tour in San Francisco

 1 to 3 hours  Free Cancellation  Instant Confirmation
from
$15

Big Bus San Francisco Hop-on Hop-off Open Top Tour

Big Bus San Francisco Hop-on Hop-off Open Top Tour

 2 hours 20 minutes  Free Cancellation  Instant Confirmation
from
$63

San Francisco CityPASS — Save 45%

San Francisco CityPASS — Save 45%

 9 days  Instant Confirmation
from
$87