Beach

Historical structures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/liquid_sky/2829690044/

The beach flanks Fort Cronkhite, one of the few preserved examples of a World War II “mobilization post.” Today the fort’s barracks, mess halls, supply buildings and other red roof-topped structures stand upright like the pages of a pop-up history book, telling the story of the enemy that never came. Some of these buildings are now used for park services, The Headlands Institute, Headlands Visitors Center, The Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and the recently renovated Marine Mammal Center, which is a must-see if visiting with kids.

In addition to historical buildings and park services, Rodeo Beach is at the foot of numerous hiking trails, from Point Bonita to the Coastal Trail to the Miwok Trail and beyond. Trails lead hikers up and over craggy coastal hillsides smelling of sweet grasses and fog. Map out a hike first, or simply set out and see if you can spot any deer, coyote, bobcats, peregrine falcons or hawks. (Although rarely seen, do beware of mountain lions.)

Rock formations at Rodeo. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wetgraphite/373538250/

Of course if hiking’s not your thing, the beach is perfect for a little relaxation. A wide expanse of coarse not-too-sticky sand stretches from one cliff to another, and the beach and surrounding area is relatively dog-friendly. Just behind the beach, Rodeo Lagoon is a favorite spot for bird watching, hosting egrets, ducks and myriad other birds in its shallow wetlands. And just in front lie the crashing waves of the Pacific and the surfers who brave them. Watch container ships pull out of the Gate while a surfer paddles out to the next set and an egret stands on the rocks watching it all with you. RoDAYoh, RoDEEoh: I don’t care how you pronounce it–the beach at Fort Cronkhite has it all.

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

Kayaks rest on the beach, waiting to be rented

In the early 1900’s, Long Key Fishing Camp drew the rich and famous – including renowned author Zane Grey – who came for the area’s world-class bonefishing. When the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 hit, winds of 200+ miles per hours devastated the Middle Keys, bringing this glamorous era to an end.

Today Long Key State Park, site of the once-luxurious fishing resort, provides an opportunity for visitors to experience the “Real Florida” – to sunbathe on uncrowded beaches, canoe through a chain of lagoons, or hike trails in a pristine, uncrowded environment.

Three trails are located within the park. The Golden Orb Trail, named after a giant native spider that weaves an enormous, intricate web that appears to be “stitched”up the center, is a leisurely one-hour walk. The Layton Trail, located on the Gulf side of the park, takes about 20 minutes to walk. The final trail is the Long Key Lakes Canoe Trail, which covers a shallow, saltwater lagoon. Canoe and kayak rentals are available for this self-guided, one-hour paddle.

The park is also a year-round birdwatchers paradise. During the winter and spring, migratory birds are plentiful. Roseate spoonbills, snowy egrets, reddish egrets, raptors are among the species regularly spotted in the area. Long Key is listed in the Great Florida Birding Trail for the white-crowned pigeon.

Waters recede at low tide, exposing broad swaths of sand flat ocean bottom

Although the old fishing camp has long since disappeared, Long Key is as popular as ever with saltwater anglers. The park is a favorite site for bonefish, permit, and tarpon fishing.

The highlight of Long Key State Park is its 60 full-service campsites on the main beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to water and electric hookups, a dump station is available and three restrooms provide hot showers for campers. Campers who seek a more remote experience will love the primitive camping sites that front Atlantic tidal flats along the Golden Orb Trail. Each of these raised wooden platforms provide a roof and a picnic table, but are otherwise open to nature.

Primitive camp sites enjoy oceanfront views from relatively remote locations along the Golden Orb Trail

Long Key State Park officially opened in 1969. It encompasses nearly 1,000 acres and is located at mile marker 67.5 on Long Key, midway between Islamorada and Marathon in the Florida Keys.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weribel at Hole In The Donut Travels

Curry Hammock State Park sprawls across a group of islands, encompassing over 1,000 acres. This largest uninhabited parcel of land between Key Largo and Big Pine Key, which only became a state park in 1991, was named for Lamar Louise Curry, a well-loved Miami teacher whose father purchased large tracts of land in the Middle and Upper Keys.

What had been a beautiful but unused strip of the Florida Keys has been transformed into a wonderful multi-use park popular with sports enthusiasts of all kinds. It’s pristine beaches, which stretch for miles on both the Atlantic and Gulf sides of the Keys, are rarely crowded; beach-goers are almost guaranteed to have a large strip of soft white sand to themselves.

The shallow, protected waters of Curry Hammock State Park are an ideal place to kayak and canoe. The Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail passes through the park, poviding access to beautiful mangrove creek and miles of undeveloped coastline. On windy days, the oceanfront is also a popular place with windsurfers and kiteboarders.

The beach in front of the camping area is rarely crowded

For those who prefer to stay on solid land, two miles of the Overseas Heritage Trail pass through the park. This trail follows the route of the Overseas Railroad, providing foot and bicycle access to Marathon. A moderately difficult 1.5 mile trail through the hammock is also popular with hikers.

Curry Hammock Park protects large areas of mangrove swamp, rockland hammock and seagrass beds essential to the Florida Keys’ ecosystem. The rockland hammock found in at Curry Hammock contains one of the largest populations of thatch palms in the United States, and provides vital habitat for rare and endangered animals like the white-crowned pigeon, providing great opportunities for year-round birding. Shallow-water fishing is available on the ocean and bay sides of the park.

This year the 11th Annual Florida Keys Birding and Wildlife Festival will again be held at the park. Scheduled for September 23-27, 2009, the festival will feature a variety of programs, field trips, and an environmental fair.

Grab a picnic table under a shade tree, investigate the tidal pools, or examine the intricate exposed root system of mangroves at low tide

Curry Hammock offers excellent facilities. A bathhouse with hot showers is located in the campground for registered campers only. For daytime visitors a bathhouse with a cold outdoor shower is located in the day-use area. A 28-site, full-facility campground, fronting the ocean, is open from November 1 through May 31 each year. Most sites have a gravel parking area for cars and RVs, and most have an adjoining sand area for pitching a tent.

Curry Hammock State Park is located two miles northeast of Marathon, at mile marker 56.2 on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut

My first glimpse of Vernazza was from high above the town. I had been hiking through through miles of terraced mountainside vineyards on a stone and dirt path that connects the five spectacular, remote villages known as Cinque Terre, Italy. Concentrating on my feet, I negotiated a particularly narrow section that swept around the mountain. I clutched the vertical wall on my left and tried not to look at the sheer drop-off to the deep blue Adriatic Sea on my right, praying that I would not meet another hiker coming from the opposite direction. When the path finally opened up and straightened out I breathed a sigh of relief and looked up; spread out beneath me was Vernazza’s stunning harbor, with its pocket sand beach jutting into indigo water that sparkled in the crystalline, mid-afternoon sunshine.

Vernazza's spectacular harbor, seen from high above the town on the Cinque terre trail

Vernazza is my favorite of the five villages that comprise Cinque Terre (literally five lands) on the Italian Riviera. The trail leads down past stone houses painted in vibrant hues that contrast starkly with the black volcanic rocks on which they perch. In town the path widens, becoming a series of cobblestone paved lanes wide enough for a car, but built only to accommodate boats that are pulled up onto the streets during stormy weather. At the waterfront, outdoor restaurants ring a central square, leading to the small but cozy beach. Its small size is not daunting to Italians, who happily spread towels upon craggy boulders at the water’s edge when every speck of sand is occupied.

The tiny beach is a perfect place to sunbathe, grab a bite to eat, or watch the local fishing fleet arrive with the day's catch

Aside from eating, drinking, sunbathing, and swimming, Vernazza’s beach is a perfect place to watch local fishermen set out in their colorful wooden boats, or to watch an energized soccer match between teams fielded by local bars and restaurants. While the seven-mile trail between Cinque Terre’s villages can be hiked in as little as four hours, those who do so miss out on one of the most delightful beaches I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel

Mt. Rinjani Overlooking Lombok

Everyone knows about Bali, but not everyone knows about Lombok, Bali’s overshadowed sister to the east. Lombok is what Bali was a very long time ago, before the major resorts, before the insane nightlife. Lombok is now a hot spot on many a backpacker’s list and that is because of the untouched forests and deserted beaches. Rural life still dominates this island, you won’t find traffic here at all.

Lombok is prized for its fantastic snorkeling. The Three Gilis, which are small largely uninhabited islands of the northwest coast of Lombok is the place for just that. Coupled with the stunning underwater ecosystem, the natural untouched beauty of the islands itself is awe inspiring to say the least.

Overlooking the island is Mount Rinjani, the third largest volcano in Indonesia standing at roughly 12,200 feet. It makes for fantastic hiking and has been designated, along with its crater lake, as a national park since 1997.

Lets talk about the most important thing though – the beaches. The beaches on Lombok are beautiful white sands that are pure beach, meaning no one except nature takes care of them. Imagine white sands with a few washed up downed trees – basically it is exactly what untouched means. Although, there is the Oberoi Lombok, a luxurious hotel which occupies 24 acres of beach. For roughly $500 a night you can find yourself lounging on a beautifully cared for beach and take your time getting back to that beach side villa of yours.

If you decide to stay on the rustic side though, and I suggest you do, you will find that accommodations on this island will not cost you very much at all.

By Sebastien of Colliding Continents

by Barbara Ann Weibel of Hole In The Donut

Olympic National Park, occupying the majority of the northwest corner of Washington State, boasts a half dozen lovely beaches, but because of its awesome scenery and easy access few are more popular than Rialto Beach.

Stroll north along four miles of beach to Hole-In-The-Wall, while investigating tide pools along the shore

Less adventurous visitors love this beach because stunning scenery is just a few steps from the parking lot. Heartier souls hike along the water’s edge at low tide to Hole-In-The-Wall, a rocky peninsula tunneled through by centuries of wave action. In many places along the way, the beach disappears under stacks of driftwood deposited by heavy winter storms. Exposed sections are carpeted with green malachite, rose quartz, and amber agate pebbles that have ridden the swift Quillayute River down from the mountaintops, becoming smooth and polished during their descent.

Some areas of the beach are carpeted with smooth pebbles that have washed down from surrounding mountains

From the mouth of the river Rialto Beach runs north, passing mile after mile of tide pools. In addition to discovering sea anemones and starfish, lucky hikers occasionally happen upon blown glass balls used as buoys that have broken away from Japanese fishing nets. Offshore, Cake Rock, Dahdayla Island, and numerous other giant sea stacks thrust up from the churning sea. Behind the beach, Bald Eagles soar in updrafts or sit regally in windswept trees that cling to the dramatic cliffs. With all this on offer, it is easy to see why Rialto Beach is considered one of the ‘must see’ jewels of Olympic National Park.

Winter storm waves toss driftwood onto the beach like giant piles of pick-up sticks

Rialto Beach is located 20 minutes from the village of Forks and 90 miles from Port Angeles, Washington, which is considered by many to be ideally located for day trips into the park.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weibel of Hole In The Donut

Close your eyes. Think “beaches.” Quick – what comes to mind? Most people conjure up images of soft white sand beaches on Florida’s Gulf Coast or turquoise waters lapping gently against honeyed sands on an exotic Caribbean island. Few would associate the word beaches with Maine, yet this most northern of states has one of the loveliest beaches in the nation.

On the eastern shore of Mount Dessert Island, in the center of Acadia National Park, is Sand Beach. Tucked between two rocky arms and backed by virgin pine forest, this crescent cove glitters like a pink diamond surrounded by emerald chips. Over eons, shore currents have deposited tons of sand that have eroded from the surrounding granite, mixed with broken bits of shells and the skeletons of crabs, mussels, sea urchins, and other marine life. The beach is ideal for sunning but only the heartiest of souls venture into the water, because it rarely exceeds 55 degrees, even on the hottest summer days.

Crystal clear emerald waters lap gently on the pinkish-tan sands of Sand Beach

Sand Beach is also a jumping off point for two of the park’s most popular hikes. On the far end of the beach a set of granite steps at the base of the cliff leads to the trail that loops around Great Head, a rocky monolith that forms one arm of the sheltering arms of Sand Beach. From the beach parking lot, another two-mile long trail leads along the coastal cliffs, passing Thunder Hole on the way to Otter Point. Other park visitors arrive at Sand Beach before dawn to witness the sunrise from this easternmost speck of land that enjoys uninterrupted views of the north Atlantic.

Looking back on Sand Beach from the coastal cliffs trail leading to Otter Point

The only access to Sand Beach is via the Loop Road of Acadia National Park, located near the famous seaside resort town of Bar Harbor, Maine. The per car entry fee is $20 between June 23 and early October, and $10 between May 1-June 22 and early October through October 31. The entrance fee is good for one vehicle for seven days, including the date of purchase. However, if you happen to be in the area in April, the fourth Sunday of that month each year is officially Car Free Day in Acadia.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Ann Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weibel of Hole In The Donut

Early settlers called it Hog Island. But when New York developer Clinton Washburn purchased the island in 1939, he held a contest for newly married couples, offering the winners a free two-week “honeymoon” in thatched bungalows he had constructed, earning it the name Honeymoon Island.

Sea oats and cactus that carpet the dunes behind the beach glow golden in the setting sun

Today a short drive across Dunedin Causeway brings visitors to the beaches, mangrove swamps, and tidal flats that make up Honeymoon Island State Park. With its easy access to the gentle waters of the Gulf, its sugary sand, and facilities that include a snack bar, parking, pavilions, playground, picnic tables, restrooms, and showers, the island is popular with beach-goers.

Honeymoon Island is also a favorite of birders and hikers. Its position near the top of Florida’s barrier island chain makes it an important location for resting and foraging shorebirds. On any given day, the chances of seeing a giant osprey or great horned owl are excellent and the Park Service’s list of birds that have been spotted here is six pages long! Other indigenous wildlife, including mangrove tortoises, raccoons, and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, are often encountered along the 2.5 miles of nature trails that wind through one of the few remaining virgin slash pine forests in South Florida.

A spit of hard-packed sand on the northern end of the island is a favorite spot for both shorebirds and birders

Because of the way the Gulf Stream meets the island, its four miles of beaches are a virtual treasure trove of shells, and the southern end of the island is a favorite spot for fishermen, who pull flounder, snook, trout, redfish, snapper, whiting, sheepshead, pompano, Spanish mackerel, cobia, ladyfish, tarpon, and shark from the waters of Hurricane Pass. Other popular activities in the park include kayaking and surfing. Between the sand spit and nature trail, kayakers paddle the waters of Pelican Cove and surfing is usually pretty good on the north end by Bathhouse 3.

Honeymoon Island State Park is located a mile north of Dunedin, Florida. The park is open daily from 8 a.m. until sundown. The entrance fee is $5 per car for up to eight people, or $3 for a single occupant car.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Ann Weibel

by Barbara Ann Weibel of Hole In The Donut

On the windswept shores of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State lies Ruby Beach, named for the rose-colored garnet fragments found in the coarse gray sand. This rugged, often fogged-in shoreline is part of Olympic National Park, which, with its mountains, glaciers, temperate rain forests, and wilderness coasts, is one of the the nation’s most diverse parks.

Sea stacks and high cliffs add to the almost surreal beauty of Ruby Beach

Although this is not a beach for sunning, surfing, or swimming, there is no lack of stunning scenery at Ruby Beach. Mounds of bleached driftwood have been tossed carelessly on the shore like handfuls of pick-up sticks. This log bone yard derives from forests up river where floods undermine the forest, cause trees to fall, and then deliver them to the ocean. Rocky ironshore at the water’s edge plays host to tidal pools where visitors can examine a host of marine critters struggling to survive in the ebb and flow of the tides. Offshore, sea-stacks thrust up from the depths, their tops covered with the barest vegetation.

A fog bank rolls in during a late afternoon at Ruby Beach

Because Ruby Beach is off the beaten track, the crowds are never large. As you wander the shore, duck into one of the cliff caves that are the backdrop for this rugged coastline. As you crouch in a small cavern that has been hollowed out by eons of crashing waves, it is easy to imagine prehistoric inhabitants eking out a living in this isolated spot. Any time of day is a good time to visit Ruby Beach, but do stay for the sunset, when the sinking sun glints off the crushed garnets, turning the sand a lovely shade of rose.

With dozens of activities to choose from in and around the park, you could easily spend two weeks investigating Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. However all the eco-zones within the park can easily be experienced in a single day. From the coast, you can ascend nearly a mile high to Hurricane Ridge, which offers a visitor center and nature trails. From Hurricane Ridge, a three-hour drive to the west will bring you to the Hoh Rain Forest, which also has a visitor center, picnic area, and short nature trails leading through the dripping tropical forest.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Ann Weibel