Destination: Point Arena-Stornetta coastal preserve

POINT ARENA - The ragged skirt of land at the edge of Point Arena, where the continent gives way to the Pacific Ocean, feels justly impermanent, so visible is its ongoing evolution and attrition.

Deep gashes in the rock face, rounded wave-hollowed caves, fissures and sinkholes in an expanse of bluff top undermined by underground tunnels testify to the natural forces that continue to carve up the coast.

Chunks of earth already cleaved away from the mainland litter the offshore waters: sea stacks and sculpted rock chimneys, a 5-acre island called Sea Lion Rocks, low, striated marine terraces that extend out into the surf.

They are vestiges of a landscape forever in a state of transformation, with dramatic results so spectacular that visitors from around the world are drawn to this quiet corner of Mendocino County to experience it.

Jonna Hildebrand recalled visiting recently with travelers from England as they took in their breathtaking surroundings.

“They said it was the most beautiful part of the West Coast they'd seen, and they were amazed that it was free,” said Hildebrand, a planning and environmental coordinator with the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the property.

A growing number of nature lovers have made the trek since March 2014, when President Barack Obama designated Point Arena-Stornetta's 1,665 coastal acres part of the California Coastal National Monument, with locals documenting a rise in tourism.

Although it is unclear how many people visit this remote and weathered stretch of coastline each year, the nonprofit Point Arena Lighthouse adjacent to the monument has seen a 60 percent increase in admissions, said Mark Hancock, its executive director.

Rising tax receipts demonstrate significantly increased tourism, as well, with hotel tax revenue on track to increase 15 percent over 2014-15 and sales tax up more than 20 percent over the same period, City Manager Richard Shoemaker said.

National and even global travel coverage of the “unbelievable coastline” are partly to thank.

“Probably any night you could go into the 215 (a local pub) and hear foreign accents,” Shoemaker said. “I haven't been in a local restaurant for dinner without speaking with someone from very far away, either Midwest, East Coast or Europe.”

A recent mid-week visit saw dozens of couples and families coming and going from the land, including visitors from Austria, Germany, Florida and Southern California.

Gebhard Greber, of Bregenz, Austria, was on his third visit last week, and said he was repeatedly lured there by “the wild coast, the natural beauty.” “It's quite different to Europe,” he said.

Some visitors bring chairs and set them at the edge of the bluffs so they can meditate on the waves below amid the calls of seabirds and the whoosh of an onshore wind.

The longtime rangeland now called the Point Arena-Stornetta Unit of the California Coastal National Monument already was off-limits to development and open to the public for a decade when it was made part of the national monument, a 1,100-mile expanse of more than 20,000 rocks, exposed reefs, sea stacks and other offshore features.

It is the first and only part of the monument that's on land, though federal legislation introduced by California lawmakers last year seeks to add up to six additional “gateway” properties to what's otherwise an offshore monument.

The proposed additions include Trinidad Head, the Lost Coast Headlands and Lighthouse Ranch on the Eel River Delta, all in Humboldt County; the Cotoni-Coast Dairies, north of Santa Cruz; Piedras Blancas, near San Luis Obispo; and several small islands and rocks off Laguna Beach called the Orange County Rocks, which were left out of the original monument designation because they had been reserved for lighthouses that were never built.

Much of what makes the Point Arena-Stornetta Unit of the monument unique is its location adjacent to the San Andreas Fault, which skirts the shoreline from San Francisco north along the boundary of two tectonic plates before passing out to the ocean just north of the Point Arena promontory.

Point Arena, jutting into the ocean as it does, lies west of the fault line on geologic block that has shifted north some 300 miles over the Earth's lifetime, creating uplifted marine terraces and low-density, erosive sedimentary rock that distinguish it from other areas of the North Coast, Sonoma County geologist Tom Williams said.

It's a unique and “very unusual area” that is receding quickly because of intense erosion and sinkholes that are undermining the edge of the land, he said.

Located on Highway 1 between Elk and Gualala and south of Highway 128, Point Arena has long been a kind of forgotten corner along the well-explored Sonoma and Mendocino coasts, thanks to its remote location between the east-west highways that would connect visitors to Highway 101.

But a key feature of the new monument property, once visitors are in the region, is its easy access from Highway 1, with trailheads located right behind Point Arena City Hall and a little more than a mile down Lighthouse Road, adjacent to quaint and picturesque Point Arena Lighthouse.

The roughly 3½-mile Discovery trails follow the coastline between those two points, while other trails criss-cross the land at several intervals, connecting visitors with the mouth of the Garcia River and rugged areas north of the lighthouse.

Visitors can enjoy as much or as little of the property as they have time and ability to do so.

The trails are relatively flat and easy-going, as well, though there's a creek crossing about 1.2 miles south of the main Discovery Trail access. Descending to the lower rock terraces also requires limited fitness.

Many visitors choose to stop at one of three pullout parking areas just south of the lighthouse to view the sweeping ocean scene from there.

Harbor seals and abundant seabirds are among the wildlife likely to make an appearance here.

Many people don't range too far from their cars, though the views improve only a short distance onto the bluff trail, where pronounced folds in the coastline allow for shifting vistas both of the ocean and of the land - its layered textures, sea caves and natural bridges.

“In a fairly short length of time you an get some pretty spectacular views looking north and south,” Hildebrand said.

Long-term management plans for the Point Arena unit are still in development, so besides trailhead portable toilets, there are few amenities so far.

But while there's interest in more trails - perhaps for cyclists or equestrians, and especially for disabled access - the land is not considered a target for significant improvement beyond that which would be required for light-impact recreation such as hiking, photography, wildlife viewing and the like.

The main goal is to preserve the characteristics that make it special, BLM Field Manager Amanda James said.

The property includes 2 miles of Garcia River frontage; habitat for myriad flora and fauna; and a blowhole that funnels up winds from the incoming tide far below, located just more than a mile south of the lighthouse.

“What we love is, even though it's part of the national monument, it's not heavily touristed,” said Joan Kramer, who recently enjoyed an annual pilgrimage with family and friends from Los Angeles.

“And you can lean over and look into the blowhole. It doesn't feel lawyered.

“I mean, it's gorgeous, and it's peaceful,” she said, “and most of the time we just sit and look at the rock and engage with the wildlife.”

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com.