80. Bear Valley, Arch Rock, and Kelham Beach

Length:	8.2 miles round trip
Hiking time:	4 hours
High point:	400 feet
Total elevation gain:	500 feet
Difficulty:	easy
Season:	year-round
Water:	seasonally available from creeks (purify first); best to bring your own
Maps:	USGS 7.5' Inverness, USGS 7.5' Double Point
Information:	Point Reyes National Seashore

This journey, suitable for the whole family, stays shaded along Bear Valley and Coast Creeks most of the way and then leads to Arch Rock on a coastal bluff, where you'll admire views of the Pacific Ocean before strolling on a gorgeous beach.

From Highway 1 in Point Reyes (14 miles north of Stinson Beach), turn west onto Bear Valley Road, drive 0.5 mile, then turn left into the Bear Valley Visitor Center parking lot.

Pick up Bear Valley Trail, a dirt road, by walking south past the Morgan Horse Ranch. The 1.6-mile, 200-foot-elevation climb to Divide Meadow travels under the shade of Douglas fir and alder and follows Bear Valley Creek. Divide Meadow supports an assortment of tall annual grasses that dry up by early summer.

Once past the meadow, the native tree habitat expands. Look for alder, California laurel, buckeye, coast live oak, willow, and Douglas fir. Now follow Coast Creek on its gradual descent to the Pacific Ocean. Continue on the wide Bear Valley Trail past all signed trail junctions, watching for five-finger fern, chain fern, sword fern, thimbleberry, stinging nettle, poison hemlock, cow parsnip, and thistle.

At 3.7 miles you break out of the shaded, riparian habitat and into an open chaparral section where coyote brush dominates along with young Douglas fir. Gather the first view of the sea 0.1 mile farther, quickly followed by a signed trail junction, where you go right for 0.3 mile to prominent Arch Rock.

Set aside a lot of time for Arch Rock, where you'll enjoy splendid views of beach and ocean, enhanced by rock outcrops that host a variety of seabirds. Take the spur trail from Arch Rock down to spectacular Kelham Beach, strollable as long as it's not high tide.

For an excellent backpacking trip, take Coastal Trail (retrace your steps 200 yards from Arch Rock and bear right at the signed trail junction) 3.5 miles southeast to Wildcat Beach (see Hike 81, Pelican Lake and Wildcat Beach). This side trip allows continuous views of the ocean from high chaparral-clad bluffs.