Every time we are on the peninsula, we plan to hit Salt Creek. It’s debatable I know, but I think these are the best tide pools in the state. Let me tell you why.
1. The tide pools are easy to access from multiple entrances. We entered through outlook #4. Took the stairs down to Tongue Point and had about 30 minutes before tide started to come in. It was slow coming in today and we stayed down at the point and beach for 3 hours.
2. Sea creatures galore. Today we saw hundreds of sea urchins, anemones, hermit crabs and mussels. We also saw a few blood stars, leopard nudibranchs, and red dorit (nudibranch.) We heard someone had see an octopus and lemon nudibranchs.
3. Beach features. The rocks can be slick, so wear proper footwear but my kids and myself love being able to climb rocks to find a tidepool. You can climb down the rocks and go onto the sandy beach. There is a little island that has tide pools around it and when the tide is out, you can walk around it.
We explored the tide pools, played in the sand, splashed in the water and discovered creatures we hadn’t see before. Once we were done at the tide pools, we headed over to the playground. It’s a nice playground and great spot for lunch.
We then set off and hiked up Striped Peak with 6 kids ranging from 2 1/2-8. Towards the top is a nice bench and table with stools which is a great snack spot. Bleeding hearts and trillium are in bloom on the trail and a few other types of flowers should be coming soon. The trail switch backs up and wasn’t terrible with steepness, just long. We’ve taken other trails before but decided to go to the top today.
I recommend checking the tides before you go. Today was a -1 ft tide. And we have been with higher tides but it’s not as great. Also, a change of clothes and shoes are a plus.
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