Point of Contemplation

Guiding mariners around the craggy cliffs of the Pacific since 1872, Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero has been preserved by the California State Park system. Also very much alive in the area: tide pools! Venture an easy 100 yards north of the Point's popular hostel and take the marked staircase down to the beach. You'll come to the Pigeon Point tide pools, teeming with sea life at low tide and extending for miles. Wildlife lovers are greeted by rocky reefs vibrant with some of the most diverse plant and animal life on the Central Coast, including a colorful array of starfish, crabs, mussels, abalone, sea anemones, sea urchins, and occasionally octopus. Brown pelicans fly overhead, and lazy Pacific harbor seals lounge in the distance. If you're lucky, you might spot dolphins further out, and this is also a great place for spying gray whales during migration seasons.