I was driving down the coast and I NEEDED to make a phone call and I was under the gun. I soon…read morerealized that my cell battery had died. Oh dear, oh dear, what to do? This stretch of Highway 1 was country. I was at a loss as to what to. Then I noticed the Point Arena Fire Station and thought, why not, they are there to help people. I drive in, didn't see anyone in the fire house to I went to the back building and called out. Two fireman responded immediately and I informed them of my situation. They sprung into action and helped me out right away. It took a few steps and the call was underway. They were happy to help. Soon after, a conversation ensued. It turned out to be a "visit" at the station. They are absolutely the nicest guys and most helpful. We were talking about my travels and they told me about the City of 10,000 Buddhas; how cool is that. They offered to take me on a ride/tour of Point Reyes, with one of their vintage trucks. I wish I could have but I was on a time line. I even left with parting gifts;stickers, bracelets, magnets, coloring books, pencils and a story book on how to prevent fires by Smokey the Bear. I just had to start the review process because they absolutely deserve commendations and good press.

One of NorCals best kept secrets is the quaint town of Point Arena, home of Arena Cove! The…read moreabsolute most picturesque, gentle, calm and natural water views you'll ever see! Arena Cove is home to a pizza parlor and coffee shop as well as a fishing pier and if you come at low tide, the most amazing tide pools with fish, sea urchin, sea star fish, crab and countless water plants. Beautiful hiking on the shoreline and the best sunsets! I love visiting when I need a time out from the hustle and bustle of life; a quick trip is always humbling and helps me to refocus on the finer things in life... like nature!!!

I hate it when people Yelp landmarks instead of businesses. Just a personal pet peeve of mine…read more There's an exception to every rule, and I happen to be exceptional, so based on three exceptions to the rule I believe a review of Point Arena Cove is worthy of Yelp. First, this is an obscure little town and it needs Yelp reviews to encourage people to stop and experience all it has to offer. Second, this cove is not visible from Hwy 1 so you might drive right past it. Third, there are hours associated with the pier (open for boat launches from 7am to 4pm), so it's like a business. I'm not an expert on coves, but I've seen quite a few in my day. I think I'm a pretty good judge of cove character. La Jolla Cove, in San Diego was my favorite. Until I visited Point Arena Cove. There is so much going on here. I visited on a Saturday morning and ended up having great conversations with the very warm locals. A few showed me the abalone they had just hauled in (the Fish Police were right there to make sure every one was legal) and another showed me pictures of an albatross that visits the cove (very rare!) surfing with surfers. There are dogs galore (please leash them on the pier) and nice owners to go with them. This is a working cove, but people also go to talk and drink coffee. The cove is the best place to capture the local flavor of Point Arena. You absolutely must visit it.

Incredible, magnificent part of the California Coast. Do not miss this amazing place! Very easily…read morewalkable.

In 2005 title to the Stornetta Ranch, which meets the Pacific Ocean, was transferred to the Bureau…read moreof Land Management to ensure its long-term protection & provide accessibility to the public. This translates into expanding the California Coastal National Monument to 1665 acres, with 12 coastal miles of undeveloped federal- & state-managed public land. A vast open space to hike & enjoy the rugged cliffs, & view the sea rocks, islands, blowholes, dunes, tide pools, & waves during daylight hours. Public privileges like nowhere I know of. Locals said it's never crowded. Tourists wouldn't necessarily know about it unless they studied up on the purpose & meaning of "Point Arena ~ Stornetta Unit of the California Coastal National Monument." If you google it, there is a dozen interesting articles tracing the history & significance.

The point arena lighthouse is very impressive and it's history is very interesting. This is…read moreactually the 3rd lighthouse on the premises. It is well worth the $5 extra fee to climb to the top. The views from the top of the lighthouse are inspiring and very beautiful. Very polite staff and a nice gift shop as well.

A wonderful place to spend time! We stayed at the lodging…read morehere for 3 days last year. Highly recommend that as well! After closing the entire place is yours! You can chill with the lighthouse cat or explore with flashlights under the moon. During our stay we went to the top of the lighthouse many times.. it's a quite few steps but worth it! The gift shop is also cool! We went home with a shirt and a magnet. Although the need for this lighthouse is no longer, it still works and is magnificent as is the whole park! Complete with rocky cliffs and a labyrinth by the sea.

Pier Review While…read moreplanning our visit to Pt Arena we had heard/read that the pier/harbor area was a "must visit." We actually planned to make it our first stop here at Pt Arena, as we'd Yelped a coffee shop here at the Pier that had amazing reviews but upon our arrival we were saddened that it had closed down and all that greeted us was a small pack of "fisherman" that were all on their 3rd Coors® Light by 0800... o_0 The Good: *Nice views of the ocean and some nearby cliffs. *Waters are calm enough for kayaking, surfing and diving. *I'm guessing you can charter a boat to go kill some fish. *There's a family of sea otters that lives here. Saw them too late to take a pic, tho... :( The Meh: *Most of the shops at the Pier have closed and, judging by the lack of activity, the rest will most likely follow suit. *This place has def seen better days, as all the surrounding buildings are not only mostly empty but in pretty bad shape. The Ugly: *On two separate visits this place was completely dead. Curious onlookers would stop-by have a peek and then bounce after a few minutes. I know because we decided to kill 1.5hrs there while we waited for our tour at the local animal preserve. *Quite frankly, this place is just plain boooring. Normally at a pier I'd have a blast doing street photography but after 30min here I wanted to hang myself out of depression. TLDR: Probably OK if you're going to out fishing or some other nonsense, but for the rest of us that just want to have a gander this place is a hard pass.

Unfortunately most of the existing businesses were closed at or near the pier when we went. We were…read morethere for sunset though and the views didn't disappoint! While we were there, we played in the area, climbed the trees and the hill nearby. Tranquil and fun with the family.

What a great community library, it's a popular place. Many "friends of the library" that help out,…read morevolunteers make this place friendly and happy. There is a group of backpacks to Check Out!! Why?? They have a whole experience inside, hiking, Memory backpacks, cooking, GF (gluten-free) cooking for kids! What a Great Idea. We are here on Saturday Festival day in December- the library is having a big book sale, and a Craft table to make gingerbread houses and ornaments- color the pages and glue them together. What a great library!

The library's own Website says it will be open today, Tuesday, from 10 am to 6 pm. No, that is a…read morelie. They do not ensure correctness. The librarians do not care about the public. The official holiday was Monday. They took the same holiday yesterday that everyone else got, but the narcissists want their own holiday, so took another day off with no regard or respect for the public. Please hire better and more respectful librarians, not these totally lazy, self-centered narcissists. No other library in California closed down and took off all day Tuesday. If you want to take three day holidays no matter what then find another job. The public has rights.

Cute small post office in a cute small town, this was particularly useful for sending off my Point…read moreArena lighthouse post cards. It is located on the hill as you pass through the small Point Arena downtown area. I did not spot a mailbox or a mail slot outside but the lobby was open and I was able to use the one inside. [Review 17643 overall - 433 in California - 1164 of 2022.]

Picture yourself on the third day of a road trip, and having just stopped by a lighthouse to write…read moresome postcards, and you come across a Post Office. Of course you stop. Not only is this Post Office everything you would imagine from a picturesque small town, it probably already already featured in story written about it by at least a dozen novelists. Good, friendly service, and just a real hometown feel to it. So lets say you've mailed your postcards from the road to loved ones across the country then you hop back in the car. Transaction done, right? Wrong! Wrong because you've left your pencil case (for lack of a better term) behind but you don't realize it until you're outside San Francisco and you really can't go back. So you call. And guess what, they have your pencil case that holds all your pencils and that one super special pen that you "don't leave home without." How do they get it back to you? Well using their very own US Postal Service, of course. So that was my experience. The experience of a post-card writing nerd who left some pencils behind and had them mailed back to my home.

quick & clean ;) came in to get a replacement card. first time in Ukiah, super cute townread more

Good service. Smart and helpful guy at the help desk. But…read morethe security is creepy and bizarre. Seriously weird for a public service office.

Good walk to get out there from the parking lot all the way out to the light station…read more instructions- you're supposed to leave your car in the first parking lot, don't drive it all the way to the lighthouse because that road has a pedestrians only sign. lighthouse itself is very clean and well maintained, compared to others ive seen along the california coast. very much cared for. interesting free museum inside that building. you cant go up but you can look around the first floor

During weekends, the Cabrillo Light Station does full-on tours of the lighthouse all funded by…read morevolunteers. It entails walking about a flatish half mile (one way) on a paved road to the lighthouse, ending in panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, a couple of picnic tables, and even some cabins to rent, if staying a couple of days to unwind is part of the plan! On a Sunday morning after a canoe paddle down the Big River, we did the half-mile trek to the lighthouse. It was fairly busy, with 3 or 4 groups ahead of us. On the tour, volunteer guides on each of the four levels explain the need for the lighthouse, its inner workings, and how innovation and technology changed it over the years. There are four levels to climb: after the first flight with two handrails, there is only one handrail up the steps, making it a great core workout in addition to a historic and informational experience! After (or before) the tour, wander around the museum/gift shop, where there is a souvenir for every lighthouse aficionado to buy sprinkled with more historic information and pictures not only of the lighthouse, but also of the surrounding environment and wildlife. If lighthouses are your jam, the weekend is a great time to go with the tour, museum/gift shop, and even a place to stay if you want! Convenient to downtown Mendocino, after the tour, the charming downtown is a great place to grab a bite and do some shopping! Young and old alike, this is a great experience!