Top-down aerial view of a narrow coastal point where a road, parking lot, and small buildings sit beside marshy shoreline and dark tidal water. A thin dock extends into the bay, and low tide exposes curving sandbars and wet mudflats around the peninsula.

Five Brooks Trailhead to Bass Lake

Point Reyes Station, CA

A 3-mile round-trip trail through mixed Douglas fir and bay laurel forest to a small, secluded lake surrounded by dense woodland. Bass Lake is one of only a few lakes in the Point Reyes peninsula. The still water reflects the surrounding trees, and the forest canopy creates soft, diffused light ideal for nature photography.

Photography Guide

Best Time: morning
Crowds: Quiet
Shot Types: reflectionlandscapedetail
Best Seasons: springfallwinter

Practical Tips

The Five Brooks parking lot is on Highway 1 south of Olema. The trail is moderately easy but can be muddy in winter. Mosquitoes can be heavy near the lake in summer.

Is it a good day to go?

7-day outlook

Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.

Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.

Gallery

A white two-story building sits at the end of a long wooden pier on a sheltered turquoise bay, with green rolling cliffs and pale rocky bluffs rising across the water. The overcast light softens the scene, while the dark shoreline road and grassy foreground frame the wide coastal view. Photo: Robert So / Pexels

A weathered, rust-streaked boat sits stranded in a grassy marsh beside a narrow reflective creek, with low hills and pale water stretching across the background. Soft overcast light and muted greens and browns give the scene a quiet, secluded feel. Photo: Stephen Leonardi / Pexels

A small weathered shed sits on a foggy hillside beside a paved road, with dry grass and low shrubs spreading across the slope. Soft gray morning light flattens the scene, while a dark tree branch frames the top left corner. Photo: Stephen Leonardi / Pexels

Sweeping coastal cliffs drop to a long black-sand beach, with white surf lines curling along the shoreline beneath a hazy blue sky. Green pastureland stretches inland to the right, contrasting with the deep blue ocean on the left. Photo: Stephen Leonardi / Pexels

Nearby Places

A wide waterfall pours in a silky white curtain off a rugged coastal cliff onto the beach below, with dark rock, tan bluffs, and a gray overcast sky framing the scene. A lone person in a blue jacket stands near the water’s edge, giving scale to the dramatic tidefall.

Photogenic

Bolinas, CA

Alamere Falls

A rare tidefall where Alamere Creek cascades approximately 40 feet directly onto Wildcat Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. It is one of only two tidefalls in California where a waterfall drops directly onto an ocean beach. The falls flow year-round but are most dramatic during the wet season.

afternoonwinter · spring

A sweeping view over Drakes Estero shows a white waterfront building with a long wooden pier extending into teal water, framed by steep green hills and pale sandstone bluffs. A narrow road hugs the left edge of the ridge, adding scale to the broad, pastoral coastline.

Overlooks

Point Reyes Station, CA

Inverness Ridge at Mount Vision

A 1,282-foot peak on Inverness Ridge accessible by a paved road, offering panoramic views over the pastoral landscape of Point Reyes, Drakes Estero, and the Pacific Ocean. The ridge separates the forested eastern slopes from the open grasslands to the west. On clear days, the view extends north to Tomales Bay and south to the Farallon Islands.

golden hourfall · winter

Low tide reveals a broad, rock-strewn shoreline with rounded boulders, wet seaweed, and shallow water stretching to the horizon. Warm morning light catches the stones and a few larger offshore rocks beneath a pale, cloud-streaked sky.

Hidden Gems

Bolinas, CA

Bolinas Overlook at Duxbury Reef

Duxbury Reef is the largest shale intertidal reef in North America, extending over a mile into the ocean at low tide. The Agate Beach County Park trail provides clifftop views of the reef and tide pools below. At extreme low tides, the exposed reef creates an otherworldly landscape of channels and pools.

morningwinter · spring