Double Point/Stormy Stack Rock Special Closure

Stormy Stack Rock juts out of the cold Pacific waters along the rugged northern California coastline. This rock is one of many rocky outcroppings off the California coast that have been shaped by constant wind and wave action over thousands of years.

Today, the craggy surface and crevices in the rock provide ideal habitat for nesting seabirds, while rocky shores near the water’s edge attract sea lions and seals looking for a place to rest. This small special closure was designed to protect Stormy Stack Rock from human disturbances like boat traffic since it is an important bird rookery and marine mammal haul out site. Common murres, ashy storm-petrels, pelagic cormorants, and Brandt’s cormorants are a few of the bird species that rely on this rocky outcropping. The nearby waters are teeming with baitfish, lingcod, halibut, striped bass, salmon and many species of rockfish. Gray whales may also be seen as they pass by during their long migrations from Mexico to Alaska.

For centuries, Native American Tribes in California have relied on marine and coastal resources. Many Native American Tribes in California continue to regularly harvest marine resources within their ancestral territories and maintain relationships with the coast for ongoing customary uses.

The Coast Miwok peoples were the original inhabitants of the Marin County coast, including lands adjacent to Double Point/Stormy Stack Rock Special Closure. The traditional Coast Miwok diet consists of several species of fish including halibut and rockfish, and invertebrates such as crabs, clams, mussels, abalone, and oysters. Kule Loklo, a replica Miwok village run jointly by members of the Coast Miwok and California State Parks, is located near Point Reyes National Seashore's Bear Valley Visitor Center.

The first European landing in this area occurred on June 17, 1579 on the southern side of Point Reyes, now known as Drakes Estero, by the Sir Francis Drake Expedition. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Spanish explorers reached the area and began building missions, including Mission San Rafael, located less than 20 miles east of Double Point. When larger groups of Europeans began to arrive in the 1800s, the Coast Miwok peoples were quickly displaced.

Sandwiched between the quaint beach town of Bolinas and the vast, breathtaking landscapes in Point Reyes National Seashore, Double Point/Stormy Stack Rock Special Closure lies along a stretch of coast that receives relatively little foot traffic. Highway 1 runs a few miles to the east of the shoreline, but hikers can reach the coast by taking the Palomarin Trail which winds through vegetation and passes multiple small lakes. This trail also leads to Alamere Falls, an incredible seasonal waterfall that cascades over a steep cliff and into the Pacific Ocean at the south end of Wildcat Beach, adjacent to the Double Point Headlands.

Standing near Alamere Falls, you can catch a glimpse of Stormy Stack Rock offshore, with birds swarming its rocky shores. This stretch of coast is also a popular area for whale watching, as humpback whales and gray whales can often be seen from the shore. Wildcat Campground is the closest campground to the Double Point/Stormy Stack Rock Special Closure and is located on a clifftop meadow, with direct access to Wildcat Beach.

Coordinates

A special closure is designated from the mean high tide line to a distance of 300 feet seaward of the mean lower low tide line of any shoreline of Stormy Stack Rock, located in the vicinity of 37° 56.830’ N. lat. 122° 47.140’ W. long.

California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 632(b)(49)

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