13 |
BLUFF |
DISTANCE: 1.75 miles round-trip
HIKING TIME: 1 hour
SEASON: year-round
DIFFICULTY: easy
Salt Point State Park has pristine coastline, rich tide pools, and crashing surf. On Bluff Trail, you hug the shoreline as you pass ferns, rhododendrons, cypress, and bishop pines. You’ll spot pocket beaches, playful seals, and abalone divers.
Park at Fisk Mill Cove, 2.6 miles north of the park’s main entrance. Begin the hike at a marker pointing left to South Cove and right to Sentinel Rock and Fisk Mill Cove. Head for South Cove to a coastside waterfall that flows only in winter. Continue to the bluffs beyond, where the path dissipates in coastal scrub. Turn and head in the opposite direction. When you reach the marker again, continue toward Sentinel Rock and Fisk Mill Cove.
Cross three wooden footbridges, then watch for a large sandstone formation with hollowed caves. You’ll also pass a meadow protected from the wind and covered with purple Douglas iris in late April. The trail’s only ascent is the stairstepped path to the platform atop Sentinel Rock, a dramatic coastal promontory.
After descending from Sentinel Rock, follow the path to rocky Fisk Mill Cove, a popular beach for abalone diving, then make the 1.0-mile return.
From U.S. 101 in Santa Rosa, take Hwy. 116 west for 33 miles to Hwy. 1 near Jenner. Continue north on Hwy. 1 for 24 miles. Bypass the main Salt Point State Park entrance at Gerstle Cove and turn left at Fisk Mill Cove, 2.6 miles north. Park in the lot on the left. Follow the trail from the west side of the parking lot.
