Bear Valley Visitor Center
Bear Valley Visitor Center
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Bear Valley Visitor Center and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
15 within 3 miles
Attractions
15 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
62 reviews
Excellent
36
Very good
20
Average
4
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Revathi
San Ramon, CA353 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
The main visitor center in the park gives information about the roads, trails, and history. Inside, you can see exhibits showing the different ecosystems and cultural heritage. With plenty of parking and nearby trails, it's a good spot to take a break, and I liked the quick walk to the replica of a native village.
Written November 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dennis L
San Francisco355 contributions
Jan 2022
This is a minor national site, but its visitor center was improved from our last visit. Friendly park staff, inviting, good display of environment. Sadly, the small theatre was closed for covid, even though all were masked.
Written January 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ItchyFeet
Camarillo, CA11,800 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
Nice visitor center with huge parking lots and across the street from the Earthquake trail which was very interesting and an easy walk.
The VC has good info on the park both on the placards outside and inside.
The VC has good info on the park both on the placards outside and inside.
Written July 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen P
Grants Pass, OR50 contributions
Nov 2019
Lots of parking and nearby trails make the Visitor Center a good place to stop for a bit. I enjoyed the short walk to the replica of a native village. The VC had a great selection of books and gifts too. The road from Muir Woods NM to Point Reyes was hilly and windy and fun to drive!
Written November 19, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kgv2828
San Francisco, CA2,106 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
The Bear Valley Visitor Center is a few miles from Point Reyes and easy to get to and is a must visit to get information about the beaches and hiking trails in the area.
There is ample parking with several trail heads and is nice because one can feel safe leaving your vehicle to go hiking. The staff was very helpful even though the main visitor center was closed due to putting in a new heating system. So they set up several tables outside the center and helped answer questions patiently from all of us visitors.
There is ample parking with several trail heads and is nice because one can feel safe leaving your vehicle to go hiking. The staff was very helpful even though the main visitor center was closed due to putting in a new heating system. So they set up several tables outside the center and helped answer questions patiently from all of us visitors.
Written June 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ron Y
Corona del Mar, CA2,154 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
This is an outstanding exhibit that was designed by Danial Quan. The exhibits contain a lot of interesting information about the Coast, the Wetlands, Grasslands & Forests of Point Reyes.
Written April 24, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelerCentralFLA
Clermont, FL1,905 contributions
May 2023
We stopped at the Bear Valley Visitor Center on our visit to Point Reyes. I found the park service staff to be very helpful and they had great information to help us plan our visit. There is an area inside the visitor center with interpretive displays to explain the history, geography, and wildlife of the area. The visitor center was clean and well-maintained and had a nice but small gift shop. There are also clean restrooms at the visitor center.
I recommend you stop here to get the latest information about Point Reyes for your visit.
I recommend you stop here to get the latest information about Point Reyes for your visit.
Written June 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dawson L
Pierre, South Dakota, United States51 contributions
Nov 2019
Great place to stop and get an overview of the park and the area. Small, but just right for a quick stop.
Written November 21, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kate I
Custer, SD328 contributions
Jul 2019 • Friends
All facilities in the beach area are HORRIBLY in disrepair. Benches/Fences/modern and historic buildings decaying from lack of proper sealing from the salty elements. Very sad to see what was so beautiful falling into disrepair.
Written July 29, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Edith V
Davis, CA19 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
The visitor center is fine, as others have said, and the free map is invaluable. For those who either want a good forest walk without more driving, or who want a graded, if not always paved, trail without roots and rocks, the Bear Valley trail is a short sunny walk from the back of the parking lot. For a main trail, it can be surprisingly quiet earlier in the morning and spring birds may be heard against the stream background music. Big old California Bay trees scent the air. There's a bench in the meadow up the hill that gives the feeling of reaching a destination, if not the mountaintop.
Written May 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi,
We're planning to visit Point Reyes in the first week of March. I'm wondering about the weather and trail conditions at that time of year. If you have experience hiking around that time of the year, we would appreciate pointers/tips.
Thank you.
Written January 7, 2018
The raining season lightens by March. Because daylight savings don't begin until 3/11/18, some trails may or may not be available. I would check their websites. Good luck.
Written January 7, 2018
Showing results 1-1 of 1
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing