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Salt Point State Park
17 reviews
Jenner, CA
Category: Parks
Salt Point/Gerstle Cove
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
3 reviews for Salt Point/Gerstle Cove
Windy but beautiful. My boyfriend and I went camping here during the summer. There are hidden hiking trails to the coast, making one venture through the woods, and find themselves in a golden field of tall grasses.
It gets windy in the afternoon so setting up a tent during this time is a challenge. The wind cools off come evening, and all the campfires from different camping sites can be seen in a distance.
The bathroom facilities are clean. The campground accessories: picnic table, fire pits, and bear box are in good order.
If you camp here, don't forget to visit Fort Ross (a 15 minute drive south).
Gerstle Cove provided one of the more scenic car camping experiences. Within a short mile walk, you find cliffs over looking the ocean and glistening kelp. We found a small space protected from the wind and enjoyed the view for a few hours. We then took a nice walk/hike and met a fisherman that gave us sashimi and visited the visitor center.
There were a few downfalls to the park, and despite these downfalls, the amazing view and friendly park rangers help it earn 4 stars. We were not prepared for the wind. The campers next to us packed up and left. Normally, you can't review weather, but in speaking with the lady at the little store, she said that it was always like that. There camp spots aren't particularly covered and you can easily see your neighbors. The third downfall is that there aren't showers. Normally, I can go a weekend without showering, but I needed to be somewhere at home b a certain time and didn't make it home in time to show and get on my way. It would have saved time.
We left San Francisco on Saturday morning and it took only 2 1/2 hours, our friends however, left on Friday afternoon and it took over 3 hours.
I loved Gerstle Cove. The first time we went tidepooling and were just feet away from sea lions. It's slippery, but so much fun.
The second time I went camping at Gerstle Cove itself with some friends. There are bathrooms, and you can have a camping stove and bring wood for firerings. It was super crowded, I think we had the overflow campground because I really don't remember a firepit.
It was a quick walk down to the shore, but when we got there, we realized you can't bring dogs to the water. This was after I was climbing around on the rocks with Seamas, my trusty standard schnauzer mix. I promptly got out of the tidepools, as it makes sense there are no dogs allowed, and trekked back up to the campsite. So my first time was much better than my second time.
If you go for tidepooling, leave really early in the morning and go through Bodega Bay. Pick up some coffee and some early morning chowder. Skip bringing your K9.
There is also a rhododendron park to hike around there, which would be amazing in the blooming season.
