The many sheltered rocky coves of Salt Point State Park make it ideal for undersea divers, who come to hunt the abundant abalone. Along the five miles of jagged shoreline, pines and redwoods clutch the water’s edge, covering some 6,000 acres on both sides of Hwy-1. Though parts of the park were badly burned in a 1994 fire, Salt Point is still a prime place for hiking and camping. For more information, or for a guide to the many remnants of the Pomo tribal village that stood here until the 1850s, contact the visitors center (707/847-3221).
One of the few positive effects of cutting down the native redwood forests that once covered the Northern California coast has been the emergence of giant-sized rhododendrons in their place. You’ll find the most impressive display at the Kruse Rhododendron Preserve, high above Hwy-1 at the center of Salt Point State Park, where some 350 acres of azaleas and rhododendrons, some reaching 15 feet in height, burst forth in late spring, usually peaking around the first week of May.
