San Francisco - Alison Bing [220]
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SLEEPING
Point Reyes has many small inns and B&Bs, from simple to luxe. The Point Reyes Lodging Association ( 800-539-1872, 415-663-1872; www.ptreyes.com) has a good list.
Motel Inverness ( 866-453-3839, 415-236-1967; www.motelinverness.com; 12718 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Inverness; r $100-150; ) This upmarket motel has wonderful service and spiffy rooms with good beds. Alas, it was built backwards: rooms face the parking lot, but behind there’s gorgeous wetlands. No matter – enjoy the view from the lovely main room, with its roaring fire and board games.
Point Reyes Hostel ( 415-663-8811; www.norcalhostels.org/reyes; off Limantour Rd; dm from $22) The only lodging in the park lies in a secluded valley surrounded by hiking trails, 2 miles from the ocean – and it’s green-certified. The one private room (from $64) is reserved for families traveling with a child under six.
Point Reyes has four campgrounds ( 415-663-8054; campsites $15) with pit toilets, untreated water and picnic tables (no fires). Permits are required; reserve at Bear Valley Visitors Center or by telephone three months ahead. Reaching the campgrounds requires a 2- to 6-mile hike. One word: wildcat.
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THE ROAD SOUTH
The coastal road south of San Francisco is lined with craggy beaches, windswept coastal plains, grassy prairies and small towns straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Passengers are the lucky ones – heading south they get unobstructed views of the crashing surf. Drivers will be hard-pressed to keep their eyes on the double-yellow line.
Leave time to stop at vista points, and you may spot whales breaching offshore, windsurfers skimming waves like giant mosquitoes, flocks of shorebirds and the occasional nude sunbather. Half Moon Bay is an easy day trip from the city, but most beauty shots lie further south along the San Mateo Coast. Santa Cruz is good for a day trip or a quick overnight.
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TRANSPORTATION: THE ROAD SOUTH
Distance from San Francisco Half Moon Bay 28 miles; Santa Cruz 70 miles
Direction South
Travel time 40 minutes to Half Moon Bay, 1½ hours to Santa Cruz
Car Take Hwy 1 south. The slow route: take Great Highway along Ocean Beach and keep heading south until it merges with Hwy 1. The faster option: take I-280 to the Hwy 1/Pacifica exit.
Bus SamTrans runs regular buses as far as Half Moon Bay during commute hours, with reduced schedules on weekends. Greyhound ( 831-423-1800) runs daily buses to Santa Cruz.
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SAN FRANCISCO TO HALF MOON BAY
Head south on the coast and within 20 minutes the city feels far away. The urban landscape disappears behind hills, and suddenly you’re on a lonely highway taking the great American road trip. The beauty shots begin south of not-so-pretty Pacifica as you approach infamous Devil’s Slide, an unstable cliff zone that, after winter storms, often slides into the Pacific, taking the road with it. At this writing, a long-overdue tunnel bypass was under construction. If you’re heading out in a big winter storm to see the Pacific roil and churn, first verify road conditions by calling 511.
State beaches line the coast; most charge $5 for parking. Lovely Gray Whale Cove State Beach is the most popular clothing-optional strand; bring a sweater. To get there, follow the steps that lead down from the parking lot, which is on the inland side. Montara State Beach is a half-mile south and the local favorite for pristine sand. Its Point Montara Lighthouse, once a fog station in 1875, is now a popular lighthouse hostel. South of the lighthouse, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve ( 650-363-4020; www.fitzgeraldreserve.org) at Moss Beach has exquisite tidepools. The website has links to a tide guide, telling the best times to peer down at anemones and coralline algae.
At Pillar Point Harbor, there’s a kinda