Park Superintendent Cicely Muldoon announces the 17th year of shuttle bus transportation beginning Friday, Dec. 26, 2014 and running through late March 2015. "Winter is a wonderful time, not only to watch the annual Pacific gray whale migration from Alaska to Mexico, but also to celebrate the recovering populations of Northern Elephant seals as they return to breed at Point Reyes."
Additionally, the Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA) will be operating a bookstore at Drakes Beach at the site of the former café. PRNSA will be selling merchandise, as well as pre-packaged snack foods and cold and hot drinks. Hours of operation are planned for Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays along with any Holidays between 10 am and 4 pm, from Dec. 26, 2014, through late March 2015. Additional programs for visitors may also take place. PRNSA is the cooperating association for National Park Service. PRNSA works in partnership with Point Reyes National Seashore and the public to preserve, restore, and maintain wildlife habitat, trails, and historic sites in our beautiful coastal park. PRNSA will be in operation as an interim operator of the café while the National Park Service solicits a new concession contract in the future.
Limited parking is available at prime viewing areas such as the Historic Lighthouse and Chimney Rock headlands. Bus service eases congestion in these areas. The shuttle transportation system was identified in the Headlands Management Plan as an important tool to protect the fragile headlands but also allow access for visitors.
Bus service runs only on weekends and federal holidays (bus service will operate on January 1 and 2) in good weather. Ticket sales open at 9:30 am at the Ken Patrick Visitor Center at Drakes Beach and close at 3 pm. Adult tickets are $7.00 per person, and Federal Interagency Senior and Access pass discounts apply to the purchase. Children 16 and under are free. Sir Francis Drake Highway is closed at South Beach junction when the buses are operating. The road closure begins at approximately 9:30 am and the road reopens at approximately 5:15 pm. For more information, please call the Bear Valley Visitor Center at 415-464-5100.
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Tags: point reyes point reyes national seashore point reyes national seashore association point reyes lighthouse drakes beach shuttle bus winter shuttle bus system elephant seal elephant seals gray whale
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
