Sunday, october 5, 2025 | 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm
RSVP in September 2025
“Piper on the Ridge is one of my favorite events. It is truly a unique West Marin experience. What could be better than enjoying the company of good friends and food while listening to evocative tunes played by a bagpiper? Point Reyes reminds me of the wild landscapes of Scotland, which I have visited several times. To top that off, we watch as the sun slowly sets to the west as a full Harvest Moon rises in the other direction.”
Each year, we invite our community to join us on Point Reyes National Seashore’s Inverness Ridge to watch the setting sun over the Pacific Ocean and the rise of the full Harvest Moon while listening to the sounds of Scottish bagpipes with piper Dan McNear.
This is a great way to come together and usher in the changing season in one of the many places we love in coastal Marin.
Tradition is to Pay the Piper, where proceeds benefit our grassroots nonprofit mission to protect and sustain the unique lands, waters, and biodiversity of West Marin. Donations can be made online when you RSVP or at the event.
This is a public event; no membership is required, but we invite you to join our member circle or renew your support. Learn more here.
This event is pending a permit from the National Park Service and may be canceled due to weather or fire danger closures or government shutdowns.
Event ORIGINS
Piper on the Ridge is a West Marin tradition celebrating the changing seasons and Harvest Moon. The event started in the late 70s when a group of locals (instigated by Kate Munger) began walking up to the ridge to watch the setting sun and moonrise and to enjoy good food, wine, and company. The original piper, Matt Burgin, moved away to the East Bay, and Dan McNear took over in about 1980. Eventually, this group got busy with other pursuits and handed the event off to the EAC in the early 90s to run and use as a fundraiser.
event guidance
Please read carefully
This event is outdoors and requires a .2-mile hike uphill to the event site. You will walk back in the dark, so don't forget a headlamp or flashlight.
No dogs, smoking, or fires are allowed per park regulations.
No restrooms are available.
Bring a blanket, picnic dinner, and a thermos with your favorite hot beverage. Wear warm layers including a beanie as it can be windy, and bring a raincoat as the fog/mist may slip over us.
Registered attendees can check in at the trailhead so we can account and ensure the majority of our guests have arrived. Please do not bring unregistered guests. This event is by permit only and has a cap.
Keep wildlife wild, and pack out what you pack in. No trash left behind for the critters!
Carpooling is encouraged based on your comfort.
The Piper Team
A huge thank you to our EAC members for helping us host this annual event! Meet the team below.
Image: SF Chronicle
Dan McNear is the PIPER! He comes from a long-line of Scottish ancestry, including his great great grandfather who landed in Petaluma in the 1850s. He has been in involved in the event for nearly 40 years.
"POTR was originally started by a group of locals, instigated by Kate Munger, around 1977-78 to celebrate the changing of the seasons and to enjoy good food, wine, and company. The original piper, Matt Burgin, moved away to the east bay and I took over in about 1980. Eventually, Kate got busy with other pursuits and handed the event off to the EAC to run and use as a fundraiser." - Dan McNear
Mia Monroe is a former EAC board member, and has acted as the event’s master of ceremonies for 20+ years! She blesses us each year with seasonal highlights, a poem, or a game, and collects donations to Pay the Piper!
Mia is a retired National Park Service Ranger. She started as a national park ranger in 1978, starting at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, before she moved to Muir Woods National Monument in 1982, and then as a Marin Liaison. She has introduced countless Bay Area residents and visitors to the wonders of a rich and unique natural ecosystem just minutes from San Francisco.
“Piper on the Ridge brings together so much of what EAC is all about: the campaigns for healthy bay/ocean/estero, the parklands stretched out literally all around us, and a gathering of friendly locals, activists and members coming together to celebrate the seasons together! .....I hummm the stirring bagpipe melodies for weeks afterwards, and I am proud that this tradition continues to flourish, and be part of our yearly calendar.”
