If you’ve got a car, good company, and some time to kill, camping in the Bay Area is just a stone’s throw away. Saturday night campsites are generally booked months in advance. Weeknights? You’ll have a better chance.
I was stuck in the Bay Area one Saturday for a Chainsmokers concert. A quick browse on recreation.gov showed a Friday night Glen Camp site at Point Reyes National Seashore. I whipped out my credit card with lightning speeds, and within seconds, a campsite nestled in the woods was mine.
Friday afternoon, a group of friends and I promptly left work around 4:30 and sped straight to Bear Valley Visitor Center to pick up our permit. We were coming in after the visitor center closed, so the rangers left our campsite tag and parking pass out in a permit box for us to collect. We changed into more camp-friendly clothing, laced up our boots and hit the trail.
It was about 4.6 moderate miles to Glen Camp with a few hundred feet of elevation gain. Night was settling around us as we arrived at our campsite around 9pm. We were one of the first ones up the next morning. Our site, 12, receives the early morning sun before any of the other sites did.
Truth be told, this trip wasn’t anything special. There aren’t great views, no insane objective to write home about. But if you’re just looking to put your boots on the dirt and sleep under the stars, Glen Camp is the spot for you.
For more backpacking at Point Reyes, check out Backpacking and Beach Bonfires.
Gear: Ultimate Direction Fastpack 45, Therm-a-Rest Ultralight Cot and Tent, Black Diamond Ultra Distance trekking poles, Alpine Start Coffee, Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy, Outdoor Research Ascendant Hoody, Mountain Hardwear Right Bank Scrambler Pants, Merrell Peak Agility Flex trail runners
