Last weekend was our first time visiting Davenport, CA...it’s a town in Santa Cruz County, alongside California’s coastal Highway 1 about 45 minutes from San Francisco. Some of the things you can expect to find at this must see stop include green hills covered in wildflowers and beaches bordered by sandstone cliffs.
How to get there - Take the PCH south from San Francisco and you will reach Davenport in about 45 minutes. There is plenty of street parking. However, be careful as certain locations have a very high drop-off between the paved road and the shoulder and you will scrape the underside of your car. Even SUVs had trouble negotiating these areas.
What to pack - I’d recommend wearing several layers of clothing, as with most parts of the northern California coast it can be cold and windy. But make sure the pack a sunscreen as the cold weather did not stop me from getting sunburned!
What to see:
Shark Fin Cove
Davenport Crack
Davenport pier
Our first stop was Shark Fin Cove. It was pretty early and we were able to park easily, avoid crowds and snap some beautiful shots of Shark Fin from a distance. Then we went down to the beach and walked there for a while. The way down is a bit steep, but it doesn’t even compare to the way down to the Davenport pier. Honestly I didn’t know how steep it was down to the pier, until we got there. You start at the top of the cliff and work your way down a steep and rocky path down to the beach. You will probably need to use your hands a lot and there is a rope as well to hold onto for more stability. I really wanted to check out the swing between the crumbling remains of the old pier, so we still did it and I’m glad we did. It looks a lot harder and more intimidating, than it actually is. We were able to get down and up without any trouble, without even using the rope. On our way back we stopped at Shark Fin Cove again to check it out before sunset.
*Some of my favorite shots from this trip:
