Salt Point State Park

Salt Point is one of our favorite local parks.   Its an hour+ drive, but its totally worth it!  Its on the Northwest Coast of Sonoma County, and and it includes coastal areas of rocky beaches and several campgrounds and hiking trails.   We've camped here many times, and we love to drive up to spend the day hiking and tidepooling.



We decided to go here on New Year's Eve because there was a surf advisory and the waves were going to be particularly strong and big.  Salt Point, with its craggy coasts can put on a really great show with crashing waves!   We also wanted to witness the final sunset of 2020 over the ocean that has provided us with so much mental support throughout the year.

Salt Point is not only incredibly beautiful, but there is so much wildlife to see!   The harbor seals are always resting on the rocks just outside of human reach.  There are plenty of birds, deer and many sea creatures in the tide pools.  Its a place that inspires much wonder!   

There is a large day-use parking lot with bathrooms.  It leads you onto coastal trails going North or South.  We typically go North and the trail weaves along the the coast to Stump Beach and beyond.  If you go South, you continue along the coast to other beaches and hiking trails that head into the campgrounds.  There is also a visitors center (I'm not sure if its open right now).  It also tends to be pretty windy here, so come prepared with layers and a warm hat.

We love to simply take the walk North and climb around on the rocks, watch the waves and seals and explore the tide pools.  My girls found a spot where they wanted to stay, and Jason and I walked further to our favorite spot, which is always magical with a great combination of crashing waves, seals and tide pools that host lots of pretty sea life and plants.  On this day, it was all about crashing waves.  They were so big that we were screaming with delight as the waves were crashing... so were others.  It was highly entertaining.  Some of the waves would cause crashes that were 20+ feet high.  It was a pretty mellow visit, where did a little bit of walking but mostly sat and observed the power of the waves and the beauty of the coastal nature... all the way to sunset.  Here are some photos:












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