Point Reyes National Seashore

Permit Information

NPS Special Use Permit required for every wedding or outdoor ceremony, regardless of group size. Submit NPS Form 10 930 to pore_special_park_uses@nps.gov with the $50 non refundable application fee paid through Pay.gov. Initial review takes 4 to 15 business days and the permit itself can take several months to write after approval, so apply as early as possible. Additional cost recovery may be billed for any ranger monitoring required. Call 415 464 5100 for current site availability.

Planning Your Day at Point Reyes National Seashore

One-Spot Day

Point Reyes is sprawling and the headline spots sit far apart. The Lighthouse is 45 minutes drive from the visitor center on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The Cypress Tree Tunnel is on a side spur off the same road. Pair them with sunrise vows at the Cypress Tree Tunnel (before tour buses arrive at 9am) and a late afternoon portrait session at the Lighthouse for the windswept golden hour frame. Lodging clusters in Point Reyes Station and Inverness with a half hour drive to either ceremony spot.

Ceremony + Portraits Split

NPS Special Use Permit required for every wedding and outdoor ceremony at Point Reyes regardless of group size. Submit Form 10 930 to pore_special_park_uses@nps.gov with the $50 non refundable application fee paid through Pay.gov. Initial review takes 4 to 15 business days but the actual permit can take several months to write after approval, so apply at least 90 days before the date and ideally 6 months out. Cost recovery may be billed if a ranger has to monitor the event. Call 415 464 5100 for current site availability and any seasonal closures.

A Note on Light

Point Reyes is the foggiest place in the lower 48 on summer mornings. Marine layer rolls in from May through August and erases the entire headland until 11am or later, then often re forms by 4pm. Fall (September through November) brings the cleanest skies, warmest light, and lowest fog probability. Spring brings wildflowers across the bluffs but rapidly changing conditions. Winter is whale watching season (January through April) but the Lighthouse Road closes weekends to a shuttle service, which restricts ceremony access on the most photogenic stretch.

Ceremony Spots at Point Reyes National Seashore

• Point Reyes Lighthouse — Historic lighthouse perched on a dramatic windswept headland with crashing waves and whale watching in winter
• Cypress Tree Tunnel — Tunnel of Monterey cypress trees lining the road to a historic radio station, one of the most photographed spots in Marin County