From January through March, you can often see elephant seals at the at the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center located at Drake Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. Before you go, you should definitely check out the tips on viewing these amazing sea mammals. We got to see a lot of pups and a few bull males on our visit.

Tomales Bay State Park flanks both sides of the eponymous bay. My family and I visited Heart's Desire Beach on our recent trip to Point Reyes National Seashore, which is on the western side of the bay. This was a GREAT trip for us! We grabbed a bag of oysters from the Tomales Bay Oyster Company before heading out, and we got to the beach early. Our early departure was mostly because of the internal clock of our one-year old, but it really worked in our favor because this park got crowded after about noon.

In the morning, however, it was relatively calm in terms of the human population and it was incredibly calm in terms of the water conditions. The beach is protected from the wind and the water is shallow, so the conditions are perfect for swimming and wading. It's a great place to picnic as a family!

"North Beach" on the map of Point Reyes National Seashore is actually the north parking lot to access the Great Beach (also called Point Reyes Beach), an incredible expanse of over 11 miles of undeveloped shoreline.

Chimney Rock is a popular destination in Point Reyes National Seashore. It's best to go see it in the spring, when it is covered in wildflowers; however, this easy in-and-out hike (2 miles roundtrip) is fun year round. I went on a summer day that was split between fog and sunlight. There was a dense fog rolling in, hitting closer to the historic lighthouse, while the sun was still breaking through and lighting up the white sandstone cliffs of Drakes Beach. The light made for really dramatic photos of an already dramatic landscape! To top it all off, I was treated to the sight of a few elephant seals even though it was not the season for them. I definitely want to come back to this wonderful spot!

My family and I had a great time at the far north end of Point Reyes National Seashore! Click "read more" to see maps, trail descriptions, and more photos after the jump.

Rancho Corral de Tierra is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which is managed by the National Parks Service. This 4,000-acre parcel of land is the newest acquisition to the GGNRA, and it features both stunning vistas of the San Mateo County coast and prominent views of Montara Mountain, which dramatically rises 2,000 feet in just over 1 mile.

The National Park Service explains the name of the park on its website: Historically known as "Rancho Corral de Tierra Palomares" (Earthen Corral), the property encompasses the majority of the 1839 Mexican Land Grant to Francisco Guerrero y Palomares where he built the first adobe on the San Mateo Coast at Denniston Creek.

I have been putting off visiting this park for a while now, mostly because it's not precisely clear from the NPS website or the GGNRA website (link here) about where you can park to access the trails of the park. Because the park is so new, the trails, signage, and parking are all poorly communicated. I found a nice write-up about a hike on the POST website (link here), and decided to give that a try--I ended up rerouting when I arrived at the parking spot that POST recommends, and I chose to access the park instead from Coral Reef Rd. in El Granada. It was actually quite easy! I just drove to the end of the road, and there was parking near the sign making the end of the county maintenance.

I am kicking myself now that I waited so long to visit this park. This was one of the best hikes I have been on in a very long time! See a map of my trip and loads more photos after the jump.

Doran Regional Park is one of the first parks that you will encounter if you head into Bodega Bay on Highway from the south. It's a great place to stop to see the boats coming in and out of Bodega Bay, or you can scope out the birds on the Bird Walk Coastal Access Trail. Then, to scope out the other side of "Bodega Head," get back on Highway 1 for just a bit and take a left onto Bay Flat Road and follow it to the end of Westshore Road, where you can access Campbell Cove, a part of the Sonoma Coast State Park.

Another post that's really a throw-back to an earlier trip. This was a trip to Lovers Point Park, in Pacific Grove (a neighborhood in Monterey) in April of 2015. The ice plants were blooming in abundance on that trip, and it was just gorgeous to stroll along the waterfront and admire the bright pink.

Man, this park never disappoints! This was another wonderful trip to one of my favorite parks.

Natural Bridges State Park is mostly a beach park in the city of Santa Cruz; however, in November is a spectacular place to view migrating monarch butterflies!

From the state park's website:

The park's Monarch Grove provides a temporary home for thousands of Monarchs. In 2016, 8,000 Monarch Butterflies overwintered at Natural Bridges. From late fall into winter, the Monarchs form a "city in the trees." The area's mild seaside climate and eucalyptus grove provide a safe place for monarchs to roost until spring... The Monarch Grove has been declared a Natural Preserve, thus protecting these butterflies and their winter habitat from human encroachment or harm. This is the only State Monarch Preserve in California.