Elephant Seal Overlook - Point Reyes National Seashore

When you travel the end of the Point Reyes Headlands to visit the Point Reyes Lighthouse, you want to make sure to take a little extra time to head out to Elephant Seal Overlook.  Drakes Bay on the south side of Point Reyes National Seashore Headlands provides a protected area for the Northern Elephant Seal to raise their young.  The first breeding pair came to the area in 1981, and the population of these animals has been growing ever since.  The largest number of seals can be found here from December until March, which is the birthing season, and then into the spring, the females and juveniles will be on the beach for molting. We visited in June, and there were still many elephant seals on the beach, but not like in February when there can be up to 600 animals on this section of beach.

The Elephant Seal Overlook trial is a short half-mile round trip trail that takes you out to a viewpoint where you can watch these animals interact with each other.  The trail is flat and easy to walk, so it is good for all levels of hikers.  AllTrails Map

As you approach the overlook on the trail, you will start to hear the Elephant Seals vocalizing.  The guttural sounds of males can be heard more than a mile away at times, and there is a cacophony of sounds from the females interacting with the pups.  As we stood on the overlook, we could watch the elephant seals "wrestle" in the water, playing and building strength so that they could assert their dominance in the future. This is a great place to have a pair of binoculars to see the seals interacting with each other and to understand just how big they are.

An added plus along the Elephant Seal Overlook trail area the wildflowers.  There are a wide variety of different wildflowers along the trail to enjoy.  Take a picture of the interpretive sign in the parking lot before heading out on the trail so that you can identify them as you are walking along the trail.

Elephant Seal Overlook is worth the time to explore.  Be sure to check the park service website if you go between New Year's and Easter for information about getting out to the headlands.  On weekends and holidays there, you may have to take a shuttle out to the trailhead because of the many visitors that come to see the pups.

In the Bear Valley Visitor Center, you can get a sense of just how big the Nothern Elephant Seal is and learn more about the animal and their life on the Point Reyes Headlands.