Elephant Seals & Sunset - Point Reyes NS (Marin County, CA)

On 14 January 2024, my parents and I took a trip to Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, CA. I took quite a few photos of an elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) and sunset from Mt. Vision. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos!

High Resolution Photos: If you want to see high resolution photos of any of the photos you see here, use the following links. If you wish to purchase prints of any of the photos, please contact me here. To see my best Point Reyes National Seashore photos, use this link. To see my best sunset, sunrise, and night photography photos, use this link. To see my best wildlife photos, use this link. To see all of my photos from San Rafael, CA shot on this trip, use this link. To see all of my photos from Point Reyes shot this trip, use this link.

My first stop on this trip was the parking lot right across from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. My dad wanted to take photos of the bridge. 😂 It was a pretty nice day with the clouds though.

我那天的第一站就在 Richmond-San Rafael 桥对面的停车场。我把想要拍桥。😂 那天的云层是蛮漂亮的。

A scenery photo of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Richmond, and clouds. The photo was shot at the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Viewpoint in San Rafael, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 37° 56' 39" N 122° 28' 49" W

Up next, I arrive at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, CA. The following Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris) photos were shot near the GPS coordinates of 38° 01' 39" N 122° 57' 43" W. Please note that Drakes Beach is closed to everyone during mating and pupping season so you can only take photos from the parking lot.

The volunteer at Drakes Beach told us that this particular elephant seal just finished fighting another alpha male at the beach and lost. It then flopped over across the beach, and decided to nap right next to the fence. I actually brought my huge Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR (Affiliate Link), Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT Flash (Affiliate Link), and Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 USM Telephoto Lens (Affiliate Link) for wildlife photography, but didn't end up needing it. This elephant seal was so close to the fence, I just ended up using my Olympus PEN E-PL9 Mirrorless Camera (Affiliate Link) for the photos.

A photo of a wounded and sleeping elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

A photo of a wounded and sleeping elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

A photo of a wounded and sleeping elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

A photo of a wounded and sleeping elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A photo of a wounded and sleeping elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

A photo of a wounded elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) scratching himself. The photo was shot at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

A photo of a wounded and sleeping elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A photo of a wounded elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

A photo of a wounded elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

A photo of a wounded and sleeping elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

A photo of a wounded and sleeping elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

Next, we begin our drive towards Mt. Vision to see the sunset.

A photo of cows on a pasture, with mountains and clouds in the background. The photo was shot at the intersection of Sir Francis Drake Blvd and Drakes Beach Road in Point Reyes National Seashore.

一群牛在草原上的风景照片。后面还有云和山。这个照片是在 Point Reyes National Seashore 的 Sir Francis Drake Blvd 和 Drakes Beach Road 交叉路口拍的。

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 38° 02' 52" N 122° 58' 25" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

Our last destination for the day was Mt. Vision, so we can see the beautiful sunset.

我们那天最后一个点是 Mt. Vision。山上的日落很漂亮。

A sunset scenery photo of Drakes Bay, Drakes Estero, bushes, and clouds. The photo was shot on Mt. Vision Road on Mt. Vision in Point Reyes National Seashore.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 38° 05' 25" N 122° 53' 01" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

A sunset scenery photo of Drakes Bay, Drakes Estero, trees, bushes, and clouds. The photo was shot on Mt. Vision Road on Mt. Vision in Point Reyes National Seashore.

The photo was shot near the same spot as above.

A sunset scenery photo of Drakes Bay, Drakes Estero, trees, and clouds. The photo was shot on Mt. Vision Road on Mt. Vision in Point Reyes National Seashore.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 38° 05' 25" N 122° 53' 00" W

A black and white process of the photo above.

A sunset scenery photo of Drakes Bay, Drakes Estero, trees, bushes, and clouds. The photo was shot on Mt. Vision Road on Mt. Vision in Point Reyes National Seashore.

The photo was shot near the same spot as above.

A sunset scenery photo of Drakes Bay, Drakes Estero, bushes, and clouds. The photo was shot on Mt. Vision Road on Mt. Vision in Point Reyes National Seashore.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 38° 05' 24" N 122° 52' 59" W

On the last sunset photo, you'll see my father. He didn't bring a tripod that day. I brought a 2nd bigger tripod (Benro Mach3 TMA27A Tripod & Benro IB2 Ball Head - Affiliate Links) for my large Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR (Affiliate Link) which I didn't end up using, so I let him borrow it. I use a Benro SLIM Travel Tripod (Affiliate Link) for my Olympus PEN E-PL9 Mirrorless Camera (Affiliate Link) because it is much lighter and smaller than the bigger tripod. The smaller tripod doesn't play as nicely with a full-frame DSLR.

A sunset scenery photo of Mt. Vision Road (right), a photographer (right), our vehicle (right), Abbotts Lagoon (in the distance in the center), trees, bushes, and clouds. The photo was shot on Mt. Vision in Point Reyes National Seashore.

The photo was shot near the same spot as above.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Point Reyes National Seashore & Shipwreck - California

On 31 December 2021, my parents and I visited the Point Reyes Shipwreck in Inverness, CA and the Point Reyes VORTAC transmitter on top of Mt. Vision in Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, CA. I took photos with my mirrorless camera. I hope you enjoy viewing my photos.

High Resolution Photos: If you want to see high resolution photos of any of the photos you see here, use the following links. If you wish to purchase prints of any of the photos, please contact me here. To view my best Point Reyes National Seashore photos, use this link. To see all of my photos from this trip, use this link.

The first stop of my trip is the Point Reyes Shipwreck in Inverness, CA. The approximate GPS coordinates (type into Google) of the photos are 38° 05' 52" N, 122° 51' 03" W. I went to check on the shipwreck as I haven't seen it in almost 6 years. You can see my photos from 2016 here.

A close up photo of the Point Reyes Shipwreck. Photo from Inverness, CA.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A close up photo of the Point Reyes Shipwreck. Photo from Inverness, CA.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A close up photo of the Point Reyes Shipwreck. Photo from Inverness, CA.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo of the Point Reyes Shipwreck and Tomales Bay. Photo from Inverness, CA.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo of the Point Reyes Shipwreck and Tomales Bay. Photo from Inverness, CA.

A black and white process of the photo above.

A scenery photo of the Point Reyes Shipwreck and Tomales Bay. Photo from Inverness, CA.

My next stop was the top of Mt. Vision in Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, CA. I am a bit of an aviation enthusiast so I wanted to see the VOR antennas on top of the mountain. The next 2 photos are of the Point Reyes VORTAC PYE 113.7 Transmitter. You can see the antennas from Bucklin Trail. Please note that you can not enter the facility as this is an active air traffic control facility used in aviation. The approximate GPS coordinates (type into Google) of the photos are 38° 04' 49" N, 122° 52' 05" W.

A scenery photo of the Point Reyes VORTAC PYE 113.7 Transmitter antennas on top of Mt. Vision. Photo from Bucklin Trail in Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, CA.

A scenery photo of the Point Reyes VORTAC PYE 113.7 Transmitter antennas on top of Mt. Vision shot on Bucklin Trail. Photo from Bucklin Trail in Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, CA.

After I was done looking at the VOR antennas, I decided to walk along Bucklin Trail for a tiny bit and get some photos of the scenery from Mt. Vision.

A scenery photo of Drakes Estero & Drakes Bay (in the distance in the center). Photo from Bucklin Trail in Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 38° 04' 42" N 122° 52' 13" W

A scenery photo of Drakes Estero & Drakes Bay (in the distance on the right). Photo from Bucklin Trail in Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google): 38° 04' 45" N 122° 52' 07" W

A scenery photo from Bucklin Trail in Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, CA.

Photo shot near the same position as above.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.