Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
still stunning, though, and a duet of tinkling piano and crackling fire fills the lobby. The
quirky rooms facing the ocean have a treehouse feel, with rustic redwood details, bal-
conies, fireplaces and lofted beds. Even those who don't bunk here should wander agape
in the shadow of Benny Bufano's 93ft peace statue, a spectacular totem on the edge of the
sea. The expensive restaurant on-site is nothing to write home about and the staff grumpy
when we passed by.
Salt Point State Park
Stunning 6000-acre
Salt Point State Park
( 707-847-3321; per car $8; visitor center
10am-3pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct)
has sandstone cliffs that drop dramatically into the kelp-strewn
sea and hiking trails that crisscross windswept prairies and wooded hills, connecting
pygmy forests and coastal coves rich with tidepools. The 6-mile-wide park is bisected by
the San Andreas Fault - the rock on the east side is vastly different from that on the west.
Check out the eerily beautiful
tafonis
, honeycombed-sandstone formations, near Gerstle
Cove. For a good roadside photo op, there's a pullout at mile-marker 45, with views of de-
caying redwood shacks, grazing goats and headlands jutting out to the sea.
Though many of the day use areas have been closed off due to budget cuts, trails lead
off Hwy 1 pull-outs to views of the pristine coastline. The platform overlooking
Sentinel
Rock
is just a short stroll from the Fisk Mill Cove parking lot at the park's north end. Fur-
ther south, seals laze at
Gerstle Cove Marine Reserve
, one of California's first underwa-
ter parks. Tread lightly around tidepools and don't lift the rocks: even a glimpse of sun-
light can kill some critters. If you're here between April and June, you
must
see
Kruse
Rhododendron State Reserve
. Growing abundantly in the forest's filtered light, magnifi-
cent, pink rhododendrons reach heights of over 30ft, making them the tallest species in the
world; turn east from Hwy 1 onto Kruse Ranch Rd and follow the signs. Be sure to walk
the short Rododendron Loop Trail.
Sleeping
Woodside & Gerstle Cove Campgrounds
CAMPGROUND
(
800-444-7275;
www.reserveamerica.com
;
tent & RV sites $35;
Woodside Apr-Sep)
