Highlights: Trinidad Head, Patricks Point State Park, picturesque rugged coastline
Campground: Site 38; grass and gravel pull through with unique and nice separate and private picnic Full hookup; Verizon and AT&T worked well; Cable TV unusable for us – requires user to install a free cable box to the coax coming into the trailer - ours is behind the blu-ray player and not worth the effort.
Welcome to California gas prices
Trinidad Head
Five Miles south of the CG is the town of Trinidad, CA. Trinidad is a special place, perched on a bluff above the Pacific. It has a state beach on its west side, a small bay on its south side and a neck of land between them that connects to an almost round headland rising to a peak of 358' above the Pacific. A wonderful hiking trail leaves a parking area at the neck and circumnavigates the head giving views of the state beach and the tiny Trinidad Harbor and California's northernmost pier.
Lookouts along the trail provide excellent views of some of the prettiest coastlinie of California, with the possibility of spotting gray whales migrating between Alaska and the Baja. You may also see seals and sea lions.
The town of Trinidad overlooks Trinidad State Beach
The trail around Trinidad Head
That's about the entire town of Trinidad
Trinidad Harbor Pier from Trinidad Neck
(for a neat photo of the pier and more info on this part of the coast visit this site: https://www.visitcalifornia.com/attraction/trinidad-pier)
For a little trail info and map go to this link:
https://www.outdoorproject.com/united-states/california/trinidad-head-loop
The town itself is a satisfying look back to a simpler time, a working man's town with a couple restaurants and shops. This looks like a great place to live a quiet life. With the ocean views and redwood forests nearby a nature lovers dream, or the perfect spot for artist or writer.
We had a great lunch at the Trinidad Bay Eatery and Gallery, home to tourists and locals alike.
I had to pretty much pull the truck into the restaurant to keep the rear end out fo the road.
Patricks Point State Park
This is almost across the street from the campground. It provides a few hiking trails onto the headlands overlooking the rocky coast. As we were not far from Oregon it is not surprising that from here north the California coast is pretty nice.
The trail leads almost to the top of this rocky head
Seals on the rocks below
We watched this baby seal try over and over to get up to mama. We hoped the tide would help. Mama didn't seem concerned.
Moonstone Beach
Parking next to beach. Nice beach walk with a shallow cave at the north end of the beach.
The Larrupin Cafe was an unexpected gem of a restaurant on Patricks Point Drive, which runs parallel to coastal highway 101. This was one of our rare dress-up nights on the road.
Had to try an almost-local wine
Along Patricks Point Drive there are a few glimpses of the coast
A short drive away from the coast into the hills:
