Staying Fit
Mother Nature does some of her best work along California’s popular Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) between Los Angeles and San Francisco. However, head north from the latter’s Golden Gate Bridge, and you’ll discover more of a secret: all the splendor that the highway delivers beyond the Bay Area. The road trip’s driving distance is short — just 172 miles from the bridge to Fort Bragg — but you’ll find pinch-me views, interesting pit stops and endless natural treasures on your journey (not to mention exciting whale-watching, primarily between November and April). It also offers the perfect opportunity to unplug: Cellphone service will be spotty on your journey.
Muir Woods National Monument
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Day 1: San Francisco to Stinson Beach (35 miles)
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From San Francisco, make your way to Highway 1 via Highway 101, a thoroughfare that includes the Golden Gate Bridge. After crossing the storied bridge, continue north for 6 miles to the Stinson Beach/Mill Valley exit, where you’ll connect to Highway 1. Follow the two-lane road as it ascends through residential neighborhoods, eventually giving way to rolling coastal hills. About 4 miles up the scenic highway, make a slight detour and go east on Panoramic Highway to your first stop: Muir Woods National Monument (you must book parking in advance). Here, an easy stroll or longer hike takes you through groves of ancient redwood trees 600 to 800 years old.
Return to Highway 1 and continue for 4 zigzagging miles to Stinson Beach, a popular weekend destination for sunseekers who come to sink their toes into the gently curving crescent of white sand. Grab lunch at the Parkside Café (good choices: clam chowder, crab cakes and seafood stew), or sidle up to its snack bar for decadent soft-serve ice cream and milkshakes made with half-and-half. Spend the afternoon strolling the wide beach, watching surfers or napping in the sunshine. If you’re lucky, a fog-free sunset will cap off your day. When you’ve had enough beach time, hit the road for charming Bolinas, just 6 miles away.
Where to stay: At Smiley’s in Bolinas, you’ll find six well-appointed and comfortable hotel rooms up a leafy path behind its saloon, established in 1851 and rumored to be the oldest continually operating saloon on the West Coast. Dine on Mexican cantina fare and listen to live music on weekends.
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Bodega Bay
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Day 2: Bolinas to Bodega Bay (45 miles)
You could cover today’s driving distance in less than two hours, but this leg is about exploring on two legs, as well, not just four wheels — and deserves your unhurried attention. Fuel up for an active morning with coffee and made-from-scratch pastries at Bovine Bakery, a favorite local haunt in the small town of Point Reyes Station, 14 miles north of Bolinas. Then head to Point Reyes National Seashore for some hiking on its 150 miles of trails offering unrivaled California scenery (rugged cliffs, pastoral settings and wildlife). Its 9.7-mile out-and-back Tomales Point Trail runs along the ridge of a narrow peninsula, with 360-degree land and sea views. Keep your eyes open for tule elk, a subspecies of elk found only in California. For something shorter but no less spectacular, opt for the 1.7-mile Chimney Rock Trail, an easy out-and-back hike with impressive sea views. While on the trail, stop at the Elephant Seal Overlook, popular especially during pupping season, December–March — the prime time for spotting California gray whales, too, as they make their annual migration from Alaska to Baja, Mexico.
As you continue on, you’ll be skirting 15-mile-long Tomales Bay, known for its abundant oysters. On weekends, the Boat Oyster Bar at the beloved Hog Island Oyster Farm in Marshall serves tasty raw and barbecued oysters; fill up on the bivalves on outdoor tables (book in advance) with bay views. Eighteen miles farther up the road, you’ll pass through the hamlet of Bodega; here, an old schoolhouse, now a private residence, may look familiar since it had a cameo in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Another 6 miles and you’re in the harbor-hugging town of Bodega Bay, where you’ll want to saunter along its 1-mile-long Bird Walk Coastal Access Trail for some good birdwatching. The trail wraps around two freshwater ponds and overlooks marshland, a setting that attracts waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds year round. You can also do your watching from the back deck of Sonoma Coast Vineyard’s tasting room, sipping pinot or chardonnay. Or grab lunch in town at Spud Point Crab Company, known for its fantastic clam chowder and fresh-off-the-boat crab.
Where to stay: From the 86-room Inn at the Tides, walk to restaurants and shops. For dinner, take in unbeatable sunset views from its Tides Wharf Restaurant and feast on seafood dishes, such as Dungeness crab cocktail and zesty cioppino.
