Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
3
Stinson Beach
US 101 N to Highway 1, continue to
Stinson Beach.
Tel
Stinson Beach Park
868-0942.
@
Golden Gate Transit bus
10, then West Marin Stage 61.
Open
7am-one hour after sunset daily.
exhibits. At 2pm every day
except Monday, the big cats
are fed at the Lion House.
Nearby is the Children's Zoo,
where animals can be petted.
2
Point Reyes
National Seashore
US Highway 1 to Olema; once past
town follow signs for Point Reyes
National Seashore.
@
Golden Gate
Transit buses 10, 80, 101 to San Rafael
Center, then West Marin Stage 68.
Point Reyes peninsula is wild
and windswept, and a haven
for wildlife, including a herd of
tule elk. There are cattle and
dairy ranches, and three small
towns: Olema, Point Reyes
Station, and Inverness.
The peninsula is due
west of the San Andreas
Fault, which caused
the 1906 earthquake
(see pp20-21)
.
A displaced fence
on the Earthquake
Trail near Bear Valley
Visitor Center shows
how the Fault caused
the peninsula to move
a full 20 ft (6 m) north
of the mainland.
In 1579 the British
explorer Sir Francis
Drake is said to have
landed in Drake's
Bay
(see pp26-7)
,
named the land Nova
Albion, and claimed
it for England.
The Visitor Center has tide
tables and trail maps. From
December to mid-March,
whales can be seen offshore.
Since the early days of the
20th century this has been
a popular vacation spot; the
first visitors came on ferries
from San Francisco and were
met by horse-drawn carriages.
Stinson remains the preferred
swimming beach for the whole
area. It is a stretch of soft
white sand, where surfers
mingle with swimmers and
sunbathers. The village nearby
has good bookstores, a few
restaurants, and a small
grocery store.
Orangutan in the San Francisco
Zoological Gardens
1
San Francisco
Zoo
Sloat Blvd and 45th Ave.
Tel
753-7080.
@
18, 23.
v
L.
Open
10am-5pm
daily (to 4pm Nov-Mar).
&
(free first
Wed of every month for SF residents.)
∑
sfzoo.org
San Francisco Zoo is at the far
southwest corner of the city,
between the Pacific Ocean and
Lake Merced. The complex
houses more than 1,000 species
of birds and mammals, among
which 30 are considered to be
endangered, including snow
leopards, a Bengal tiger, and a
jaguar. At the innovative Primate
Discovery Center there are 15
different species of primates,
including monkeys, langurs,
and macaques.
One of the zoo's highlights is
the Koala Crossing, which is
designed like an Australian out-
back station. Otter River features
cascading waterfalls and a live
fish feeder for North American
river otters. Gorilla World is one
of the world's largest naturalistic
Giant redwoods in Muir Woods
4
Muir Woods
and Beach
US 101 N, exit for Highway 1; then
either turn onto Panoramic Highway
and follow signs to Muir Woods, or
stay on Highway 1 to Muir Beach
turnoff. No public transportation.
Tel
Gray Line Tours 401-1860.
Nestling at the foot of Mount
Tamalpais is Muir Woods
National Monument, one of the
few remaining stands of first-
growth coast redwoods.
These giant trees (the oldest is
at least 1,000 years old) once
covered the coastal area of
California. The woods were
named in honor of John Muir,
a 19th-century naturalist who
was one of the first to persuade
Dairy farm at picturesque Point Reyes
