California State Parks sums up Salt Point in a list: rocky promontories, panoramic views, kelp-dotted coves, pounding surf, open grasslands, forested hills, prairies and pygmy forests. The park has more than 20 miles of hiking trails, over six miles of rugged coastline and an underwater park.

Where the name comes from

According to Wikipedia, the park covers about 6,000 acres and is named for salt crystals that form in cracks along the rocky shore. The Kashaya Pomo collected salt here for many years, scraping it off the rocks with abalone chisels.

Sandstone that built San Francisco

The shoreline is sedimentary sandstone, and wave action carves it into honeycomb-like hollows called tafoni. Wikipedia says that in 1853 Samuel Duncan and Joshua Hendy built a sawmill above Salt Point, then leased land to a San Francisco company that quarried the sandstone for streets and buildings in San Francisco and for Mare Island. Drill holes are still visible at Gerstle Cove, along with the eyebolts once used to anchor cargo ships.

From shore to pygmy forest

Moving inland, the terraces change from brush and grassland to Douglas fir, then bishop pine and second-growth redwood. At about 550 feet there is a pygmy forest with Mendocino cypress, bishop pine and manzanita, and at about 1,000 feet a large open prairie, Wikipedia says.

On and under the water

The park sits beside Gerstle Cove State Marine Reserve and other marine protected areas, and Wikipedia notes it featured the first underwater preserves in California. State Parks lists skin and scuba diving, fishing, picnicking, horseback riding and camping among the activities. Gray whales pass between December and April. Abalone can no longer be harvested because of a long-term closure.

Before you go

  • Dress in layers: State Parks warns that even summer days can be cool, with fog and ocean wind.
  • Check notices: The park is listed as open with some restrictions on services, and recent prescribed burns have been scheduled near Seaview Road.
  • No drones: State Parks units in the Sonoma-Mendocino Coast District ban launching, landing or flying drones.
  • Camping: Gerstle Cove has a campground, and reservations go through ReserveCalifornia.

Salt Point pairs well with nearby Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve and Fort Ross.