Inn At Mavericks Blog
Adventures In Half Moon Bay, California
About 40 miles south of San Francisco the Half Moon Bay Jetty holds back the famous waves and tides of Pillar Point and creates a perfect stretch of the California coast for kayaking. The harbor is home to great food, fantastic outdoor sports, and of course our lovely little inn, “Inn At Mavericks”.
Catch a glimpse of the towering waves that make up this year’s world-famous Mavericks Challenge Surf Contest. This year the surfing challenge is open from November 1, 2018 – March 15, 2019.
Located a mere six minute walk away from Inn at Mavericks is Half Moon Bay Distillery. This new craft distillery is creating quite a buzz in the small coastal community of Princeton-by-the-Sea producing high quality, hand-crafted spirits made in small batches by husband and wife distillers, Caesar & Ulli Bisono.
Located just south of the lovely seaside town of Pescadero (about 35 minutes from Inn at Mavericks) stands the picturesque Pigeon Point Lighthouse. This 144 year old icon is considered to be the tallest operating lighthouse on the West Coast (115-ft.) and one of the most recognizable in the Western United States. For over 140 years the lighthouse has guided ships in and out of the harbor and has served as a major coastal California treasure that has drawn hundreds of thousand of visitors each year. Today, the lighthouse and grounds have been designated a California State Park and are considered to be a California Historical Landmark listed on the National Register of Historical Places.
Located a mere 30 minutes from Inn at Mavericks is Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve. This 4,711 open space preserve is part of MidPeninsula Regional Open Space District and is home to the Purisima Creek Canyon, Purisima Creek, towering Coastal Redwoods, beautiful ferns and wildflowers and incredible views overlooking Half Moon Bay.
Every year beginning in the fall, gray whales travel over 12,000 miles from their summer feeding grounds in Alaska down to Baja California, Mexico to breed and give birth to their young. When Spring arrives, the gray whale mothers and their calves travel back north to their feeding grounds in Alaska. This migration path occurs along the California coast making it an ideal location to see these beautiful majestic creatures. The Oceanic Society offers an incredible 3 hour whale watching cruise beginning on December 26th, when visitors will get the amazing opportunity to see whales and hear commentary from a well versed naturalist about gray whale biology as well as other valuable information on other marine wildlife and seabirds. In addition to seeing gray whales, visitors might also see California sea lions, harbor seals, and porpoises.
Located only 15 minutes north of Half Moon Bay in Moss Beach, California, is Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. This three mile stretch of Northern California Coastline is known by scientists as one of the most bio-diverse intertidal regions in the state and is home to dozens of colorful, unique sea creatures. If you visit the reserve at low tide (one foot or less), you’ll be able to see a multitude of sea-life. The reserve hosts a living community of seaweed, crabs, sea-stars, octopus, sponges, mollusks, fish, and even harbor seals.
In our short video, we explore the coastal community of Princeton-By-The-Sea. We start at the Inn at Mavericks, visit Pillar Point Harbor, and walk down the beach and let the dogs play in the waves.
