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Introduction to Salt Point State Park
Salt Point State ParkLocated on the Sonoma Coast, the main scenery is the sandstone terrain along the coast. If you take the Salt Point Trail here, you can see the magnificent coastal scenery and intertidal zone. Below sea level is the Salt Point State Marine Conservation Area, one of the first protected underwater parks in California, where you can see abalone if you come here to dive. The inland portion of the trail includes redwood forests, adding up to a total of about 20 miles of hiking trails.
Salt Point State Park is a short drive north of San Francisco, about two and a half hours, but driving on CA-1 is a pleasure in itself. At least you'll pass by the previously introduced Salt Point State Park, which is located in the center of San Francisco.Bodega bay. If you go all the way to CA-1, you can also go through thePoint ReyesThe drive was not too long as I was able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the California coast.
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Woodside campsite
Camping Environment
- Camp Comfort: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Camp Space: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Facility Cleanliness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Location Convenience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Salt Point State Park is very suitable for camping, there are two main campgrounds, Gerstle Cove Campground is on the coast with only 30 campsites, and Woodside Campground is on the east side of CA-1 with more sites in the woods. Woodside Campground is on the east side of CA-1 and has more sites in the woods. Even by California State Park standards, the campgrounds here are pretty good, with plenty of space and clean facilities.
Woodside is in the woods, and there are many trails up the hill, so it's a good place to start if you want to go hiking, but it's not as easy to go towards the ocean. After setting up our tent, we wanted to take the trail next to the campsite to the beach trail, but after a short walk, we realized that the trail behind us was blocked by a fallen tree, so we had to give up, and it seemed that this part of the trail was not properly maintained.
Gerstle Cove
The Gerstle Cove area on the beach is the highlight of Salt Point State Park. Although we couldn't make it the night before, we drove here the next morning. There is a small visitor center on the beach. The triangular shape of the building is quite cute. You can park your car at the parking lot of Salt Point Trail. First of all, go back to the parking lot and walk towards the visitor center, which is situated on the cliffs behind. The small bay below is the Marine reserve, and the intertidal area below is rich in ecology.
Salt point trail
Now that we have come to Salt point state park, how can we not take a walk on the Salt point trail, which runs along the coast to the north and is 1.2 miles long, the first 0.5 mile is a paved asphalt trail, which leads to Stump beach, if you don't finish the whole trail, there is a fork in the asphalt trail. If you don't finish the whole walk, there is a fork in the road after crossing the asphalt path, which can lead you back to the parking lot.
Salt point trail has a beautiful sea view. The sea water is a deep blue color, and although it was the end of June when I came here, there were still flowers blooming along the roadside. I couldn't help but to take photos along the trail.
The sandstone geology is not to be missed. A large area of sandstone along the coast has been eroded to form a number of beehive-shaped holes, called Tafoni, which is a very special geological feature.
Stump Beach
Stump beach can be reached from Salt point trail, but we drove here. It's a small beach with a calm bay, so we had a quick picnic here. Although the path from the parking lot to the beach is short, it is actually quite challenging, you need to climb down a steep rocky trail. Although this is a sandy beach, the beach is mostly rocks and the water is shallow.
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