The two small towns near the Marin Coast service
the needs of visitors who come each year to Pt. Reyes
National Seashore. With a population of 55, tiny
Olema is a mere shadow of its former larger and
more feisty self when the weekly steamer brought people
and freight from San Francisco, and the bi-weekly stage
ran to San Raphael. In the 1860s and 70s, Olema had six
bars, two hotels, and a lusty and sometimes dangerous
population. The cowboys from local ranches are
well-behaved these days.
Pt. Reyes Station is a johnny-come-lately town
-- founded in 1875. It was a stopping point on the
narrow-gauge railway which wound its way through West
Marin to Sausalito. At that time, the station was alone
in the middle of a large pasture. The railway is gone but
the village remains with a decided "old-west" atmosphere.
The "Feed Barn" store is a main street landmark and the
Old Western Saloon maintains the ambience.
Because of its location close to the Pt. Reyes
National Seashore, there are several good places to stay
in and near Olema. The best of these is Pt. Reyes
Seashore Lodge, 10021 Costal Highway, a big country
lodge built in a turn-of-the-century style with large
rooms and suites, some with whirlpools & fireplaces.
Free breakfast is provided. The lodge is next to a Pt.
Reyes trail at Olema Creek.
Roundstone Farm, 9940 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
is a bed and breakfast home set in a working horse ranch.
There are four comfortable rooms and full breakfast is
served . The Olema Inn is an old hotel, built in
1876, offering distinctive period rooms and a fine
restaurant.
Fernando's Hideaway in Pt. Reyes Station is a
B&B , which has three rooms in a house and cottage
with fireplaces & hot tub. Holly Tree Inn,
aldo in Pt. Reyes Station, has five rooms with full
breakfast in a Swedish atmosphere in 19 wooded acres with
antique furnishings and gardens. There's a private
cottage in the woods. Thirty-Nine Cypress has 3
rooms, one with shared bath ($$).
To reserve at six B and B inns in the area,
call 415-485-2649.