San Francisco

San Francisco Day Trip To Point Reyes & Drakes Beach

Muir Beach Overlook
Written by Jeff

updated on March 18th, 2021

Taking a day trip to Point Reyes and Drakes Beach is a great way to take a break from the busy city of San Francisco! This drive will take you through the redwoods, rolling hills, and quaint small towns. We’ve put together a guide with directions to Drakes Beach and Point Reyes.

This is also a more extended day trip that can be done in conjunction with our Marin Headlands Drive. Make sure your tank is full in Marin City (it’s cheaper) and plan to have something to eat near to Stinson Beach or one of the small towns along the way.

Drakes beach directions

Beginning your day trip to Point Reyes

Take the 101 across the Golden Gate Bridge (which is a glorious drive) and head into Marin City. Take exit 445B for Highway 1, toward Mill Valley and Stintson Beach. You’ll come to an intersection (there’s a gas station on the left side of the road) where you’ll turn left to continue on Highway 1, which is also labeled as Shoreline Highway in this area.

Rental Car San Francisco Drakes Beach

Travel west all the way to Muir Beach. This is a twisty mountain drive, but it’s gorgeous and well worth the time. If you can secure a sporty convertible, this is the perfect place to enjoy it! Here you’ll enter the Muir Woods. Be warned ahead of time, this area is popular and there can be some traffic/full parking lots. We still think views and the eucalyptus trees are worth seeing, even if there are crowds. You’ll be alone soon enough.

Stinson Beach California

Lonely Planet San Francisco

Planning a vacation to San Francisco? We always bring our copy of Lonely Planet’s Guide to San Francisco. Use coupon code BOLDTOURIST10 at checkout to get 10% off your order!


Driving to Stinson Beach

Continue on Highway 1 north to Stinson Beach. Enjoy the ocean views! Depending on the weather, you’ll get fog rolling in while you drive along coastal cliffs. A very lovely drive, and the traffic eases up as you leave the Muir Woods.

Driving to Point Reyes Drakes Beach
Our rental car. Read more on renting a car in San Francisco

Driving to Point Reyes

Head further north alongside the Bolinas Lagoon and all the way to the small city of Olema.

Drakes Beach Point Reyes
Bolinas Lagoon

There are a lot of small towns with interesting shops and restaurants during this part of your trip, and makes a good pit stop for lunch.

Point Reyes CA

In Olema, turn west onto Bear Valley Road and continue north alongside Tomales Bay, into Inverness. This is a lovely town with deep Russian roots where you can take a break for a photo at the Point Reyes Shipwreck.

Point Reyes Ship Wreck

The road becomes Sir Francis Drake Blvd. and will begin to head west and inland. You will be looking for signs for the turnoff to The Lighthouse. There should be several signs along the way to point you in the right direction. The next section of your drive is surreal. If you have foggy weather, the vast rolling green hills can feel like Ireland.

Point Reyes and Drakes Beach Drive

Along the way you will drive past the KPH Radio Station (RCA / Marconi Wireless Stations) and Cypress Tree Tunnel. This iconic tree-lined street has been used for many years in photographs and movies.

Cypress Tree Tunnel Point Reyes

If it’s foggy you can expect a very eerie ambiance:

Driving Point Reyes

Eventually you’ll reach the Point Reyes National Seashore. There are about 80 miles of pristine shoreline for you to discover. We personally enjoyed Drakes Beach, but visiting The National Park’s website will give you many options to explore.

Drakes Beach California
We happened to visit on a pretty cloudy day in February, but imagine coming here during the summer!

The Point Reyes Lighthouse is operated on a schedule that appears to change every time we check the website. It can get cold and windy, year-round, so take a jacket. Plan on a couple hours for the whole experience as they often require you to park down the road and take a shuttle to the lighthouse. They have a visitors center and a small gift shop as well.

Point Reyes Light House
[Photo: Don DeBold]

To get back to San Francisco, simply turn around and head back the way you came!

You can find our Google Maps guide to this drive here. If you need to rent a car, check out our post on renting a car in San Francisco.

Leave a Comment