When you leave Santa Cruz, California, driving north to San Francisco along the Pacific Coast, one of the last signs you see says, “Next Gas 33 Miles.” (53 km). This extraordinary stretch of road — a place of grazing cattle, aromatic eucalyptus and salty sea air — runs through one of the last remaining undeveloped coasts next to a major metropolitan area in the world.
Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), a nonprofit agency dedicated to preserving the beauty, character and diversity of the San Francisco Peninsula, has played a significant role in helping keep these coastal lands wild. Since its founding, the organization has protected nearly 55,000 acres (22,260 hectares) of open space in San Mateo and Santa Clara valleys. That's equivalent to an area one and a half times the size of San Francisco.
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Development is sparse in the mountains
above the marina at Half Moon Bay. |
While the pristine beauty of the ocean and the flower-dotted hillsides are mesmerizing, there’s a whole lot to see and do along Highway 1, also known as the Cabrillo Highway. Popular activities include berry picking, elephant seal watching, lighthouse gazing, hostelling and hot-tubbing.
Twenty-seven miles (43 km) north of Santa Cruz, the 115-foot-tall (35 m) Pigeon Point Lighthouse — one of the tallest lighthouses in America — has been a beacon to mariners since 1872. Its Fresnel lens (no longer in use) weighs in at 8,000 pounds (3,629 kg) and stands 16 feet tall (4.8 m). The white brick lighthouse has been closed to the public since a section of its cornice fell off in 2001. The edifice can be seen from the grounds, however.
For an off-beat experience, stay at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel, with its open-air, under-the-stars hot tub perched on the cliff overlooking the ocean. Or explore 1,000 year-old redwood trees at nearby Butano State Park.
Continued: California's San Mateo Coast: Travel
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