Point Reyes Seashore Memorial Day Commemorative

Historic Life-Saving Service Cemetery

May 26, 2023, 10 a.m. 

G Ranch Historic Life-Saving Service Cemetery
Free
nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/ 

On Friday, May 26, 2023, Point Reyes National Seashore and the U.S. Coast Guard honor the sacrifice of the surfmen who served to protect America's coast as a part of the United States Life-Saving Service. Visitors are invited to join the National Park Service and the United States Coast Guard at 10 am for a 10- to 15-minute-long ceremony at the Historic Life-Saving Service Cemetery located at G Ranch.

National Park Service and the U.S. Coast Guard are holding services at the Historic Life-Saving Service Cemetery graveyard.  The small cemetery contains the graves of five surfmen who died serving their country as part of the lifesaving crew that operated on the Point Reyes Headlands. Over the course of 78 years, crews saved over 240 lives while participating in an estimated 100 rescues in cold Pacific Ocean waters.

As part of Memorial Day events across the country, participants are asked at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 29, 2023, to pause and remember America's fallen wherever you are.

The cemetery overlooks Drakes Estero just off Sir Francis Drake near the decommissioned Coast Guard facility (CAMSPAC) in the northern district of Point Reyes. A small parking area is located on the Coast Guard access road and the cemetery is a short walk from the paved access road. Parking near the cemetery is limited -- participants may need to park their vehicle on the shoulder of the CAMSPAC access road.

Recommended: Wear comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. To visit the gravesite, follow the Directions from the Bear Valley Visitor Center to the Historic Life-Saving Service Cemetery available on nps.gov