Glen Camp

I am not really sure why there is the excitement for this camp ground. Somewhere I read that it is a campground with absolutely no reason for existing or something of that nature. I guess if you can’t get a site anywhere else in the park, it works as a base camp for day hikes. There is nothing really special about it.
Park at the Visitor Center and check in. Easy. Move car up to the trail head… Start walking.
The first 4.5 miles is essentially a gravel road with a gentle incline following a creek with running water. There are restrooms about 2 miles from the trail head but no water. The last 1.3 miles the trail goes single track and is a little more difficult as it gets a little steeper. Still in the easyish range. Although the most difficult part, it is very scenic. Not so much sweeping vistas but lots of cool plant life.
Some notes:
–The restrooms are noticeable throughout the grounds. Not only can you see them, but you can smell them.
–There are trash/​recycling cans
–Some of the sites are VERY close together-​like 20 feet or so. Site 4 is the worst (short of 10. the group site)
–Sites 5 and 6 are the most secluded. I didn’t see them up close. They might be the best but of the ones I saw, site 1 is the best. It is also the only one I saw that had trees suitable for a hammock.
–There is running water but it doesn’t taste very good. I think I’d filter it if I were to return just for flavor reasons.
Some notes not the fault of the park:
–There are a lot of horses. I don’t know why horse people don’t clean up after their animals. It is not uncommon to have horse manure in your camp. Furthermore there is a constant flow of horse manure on the trail. If I was walking my dog, I’d be expected to clean it up. Not so with horse people I guess…
–People were LOUD! Like you could hear the conversations of people all the way across the park loud. There was also some sort of youth or church group that thought yelling from sunup to sundown was appropriate camp ground behavior.

Point Reyes national seashore is a day hikers and beachcombers paradise, with nearly all of its scenic treasures accessible from a drive-​in trailhead or beach parking area. If you have the time and money, you can B&B it in style at Osprey Peak and enjoy oysters and wine at Saltwater in Inverness while hiking during the day.
But there’s more to Point Reyes than meets the eye. There’s also the wilderness.
The wilderness?
The Phillip Burton Wilderness, actually. And wilderness areas are special — the most protected areas within the National Parks and National Forests in the US with the strictest rules regarding land use and recreation. You traverse the wilderness area on many hikes, but there are only 4 places (and about 50 sites) where you can overnight.
Of the four, Glen Camp is to my mind the most secluded and therefore also the most «wildernessy» of the bunch. Wildcat and Coast camps are beach sites, extremely pretty but very popular and rather unprotected from the elements. Sky is closest to the road and the Bear Valley visitor center, which makes it good for folks w/​kids or tons of gear. It has sheltering trees but isn’t as deep into the woods as Glen and further away from some of the scenic wonders: the lakes and Alamere falls and wildflower-​covered ridges.
And of the sites in Glen Camp, 005 and 006 are the most secluded, located up a hillside and under gorgeous tree canopies. Importantly, the toilets and water pump are out of sight up here, so you’ll feel more in the woods than on the flat (and dusty) section below. It’s not as OutThere! as Montana’s Bob Marshall wilderness, but it’s secluded and fun and full of forest sounds and sensations, which is all you really need, unless grizzly scat, snowmelt, and sage grouse are what you’re after.
From Glen Camp, you are perfectly positioned for a half-​day loop hike to Wildcat Beach and back, using part of the epically scenic Lakes trail and getting a full-​on forest meets the sea experience: the best Point Reyes wilderness experience you’ll find. Lots of microclimates and intimate as well as expansive views.
Remember that you’ll be one of 50 – 100 people around, probably less, once the evening sets in. Because you can’t camp anywhere but the four designated spaces. And Glen gets fewer reservation requests than Wildcat or Coast.
On the return to Bear Valley, don’t take the shortest route to your car. Instead, set out on the Coast Trail to Arch Rock, then return to Bear Valley. You’ll be rewarded with wonderful coastal views and — if you get an early start — you’ll have the trails to yourself. Solitude is part of what Point Reyes’ wilderness experience is all about. Glen Camp gives you a convenient base from which to explore the inner recesses during times of the day when the masses are still asleep or on the road. That’s what makes it so special.

No sweeping vistas or sounds of the ocean at Glen Camp, which is probably why you can actually book a weekend stay here less than three months in advance. What it lacks in the attractions of Coast and Wildcat camps, it more than makes up for in being an awesome campground.
You basically have two choices here: Get one of the campsites that is close to the bathrooms and potable water, or get one of the campsites that’s in the forest up the hill. With the former, you get convenience at the cost of privacy (that is, unless your’re staying on any day other than Sat/​Sun, in which case, the whole campground will probably be deserted); with the latter, you trade longer walks for forested seclusion and some pretty epic trees.
Note that the Point Reyes NPS website has handily numbered aerial views of the campground, and the reservation site has a photo of each campsite. You’ll probably find that, like me, you’ll only learn which site suits you the best once you’re actually there. This means you’ll have to come back to Glen Camp a second time, and, once you’ve actually been there, that won’t seem like a bad thing at all.

I can only guess that Glen Camp is not as popular because
1 — it’s not on the coast (like Coast or Wildcat)
2 — it’s still a long hike (try Sky instead)
3 — there’s not even a view (try Sky instead)
Which is a shame because the site itself is very charming. It’s nestled into the hill with half the sites in an open area with shrubs/​trees and half of them further up the hill. Avoid sites #2 and #10 since people will need to walk right through the site to get to those in the back. Sites #11 and #12 get the morning sun. Sites #1 and #2 are in the trees/​shade all the time.
The varied terrain makes the sites seem more secluded (except the two sites in the middle). Though you can see people they’re all at the periphery of the camp so you’re not on top of each other. Though they say each site can take 6 people most will not fit 6 tents unless they’re side by side.
You can’t see the water (it’s a 2 mile hike down to the beach) but you can still hear the waves crashing all night.
Biking here along Stewart Trail is a gradual 3.5 mile ascent followed by a steeper descent into camp. Reverse that going out. Doable with mountain bike gears. Getting in is easy. Getting out is as difficult as biking to Sky Camp but further.

Animals I saw while at Glen Camp:
— a wee baby fox
— deer
— hawks
— a mole rat
— yellow birds
— quails
— some nasty vulture looking bird with a disgusting, melted, pink-​bubblegum face.
insert squeals of delight here
My childish wildlife enthusiasm aside, the weather was perfect when I went here last weekend i.e. hot and a bit muggy (though that made for perfect conditions for mosquitos). Glen isn’t the most popular camp-​site because of it’s proximity from the beach and various viewpoints, but I appreciated having to work for my outdoor rewards. Definitely going again!

AWESOME.
Hiked a 5 mile night hike to arrive around 3am with 7 people. We had two sites and it was great. Clean bathrooms, and running water which we purified and cleaned. This place is tucked deep away and its really nice. We hiked in from the south and then used bear valley trail to leave towards the coast.

2011-​03-​30 Weds, Night #1 of 4:
Hiked in from Bear Valley to Glenn Camp; 5 miles. This is a nice camp set within a wooded valley. There are sites in the meadow and tucked into the hillsides. We had #5 that was nicely shaded and overlooked the meadow. Each site, as all camps here in Point Reyes have a food locker, picnic table and BBQ pit. Also clean vault toilets and drinking water from the tap. Alot of conveniences for a backpacking trip. We had a great night here! There were only 2 other sites occupied. In the middle of the night we were awoken by cats fighting down in the meadow; probably bobcats.

Glen Camp is clearly the least loved of all the Point Reyes camp-​sites, and I have no idea why. It’s in a great location, the Glen trail is a beautiful hike, many (but not all I admit) of the sites are tucked away in beautiful secluded corners.
As well, because Glen Camp is the least popular camp-​site, it has been almost reclaimed by the wildlife. Upon arrival, I had to evict a full family of deer from where I intended to pitch my tent. It took a rather surprising amount of effort; they were very clearly not used to people coming in and telling them where they can eat.
Maybe I shouldn’t be reviewing Glen Camp; last time I as there I had the entire camp grounds to myself. I don’t know if I want to share.