The park headquarters is at Bear Valley, half a mile west of Olema, the hamlet that is Point Reyes' unofficial gateway. Subsequent preservation efforts were successful, and today free-ranging tule elk can be seen in such wilderness areas as the Tomales Point grasslands. The mammals were on the brink of extinction in the 1870s before a conservation-minded rancher had the foresight to protect a surviving herd on his ranch near Bakersfield. Point Reyes also is a protected haven for tule elk, one of two subspecies of elk native to California. The approximately 80 resident wildlife species range from diminutive (the California tortoiseshell butterfly) to impressively large (the northern elephant seal). Nearly 450 species of birds have been spotted within Point Reyes. Inland are rolling hills, lush meadows and Inverness Ridge, cloaked with towering stands of Douglas fir.

Grass-tufted dunes line the wild coastal beaches some are wide open while others are more secluded, edging tucked-away coves backed by rocky cliffs. The Point Reyes peninsula is a well-defined geological area that was created by a rift zone of the San Andreas Fault a portion of the peninsula lies below sea level, forming Tomales Bay. The national seashore's 71,000 acres are along and west of SR 1. This protected reserve has it all: ocean waves crashing against rocky headlands mile after mile of wide, sandy beaches open grasslands and brush-covered hillsides freshwater lakes and saltwater estuaries dense woodlands aromatic with the scent of pine.

About Point Reyes National SeashoreJust 22 miles north of San Francisco in Marin County, Point Reyes National Seashore is noted not only for a wealth of scenic vistas but for its remarkable biological diversity.

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