The Tides Inn

EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY
The Tides Inn of Shelter Cove is Northern California's own little piece of paradise. We are on the ocean; every room with an unbelievably beautiful ocean view. You can sit outside and watch the whales go by. Sometimes you can catch a glimpse of the moms and their babies. We have a family of sea otters right outside your door. They’re pretty fast little guys but once in a while it appears they are playing just for you. The tide pools below are choke-full of sea life. We had one family of guests that said they saw 53 sea stars in just one trip.

We face South in this little Cove paradise so you have a very good view of beautiful sunrises and even more beautiful sunsets. This is a great place to storm-watch. If you walk (or drive) down the road less than a mile from our door, you will see the waves hitting with tremendous power – sometimes splashing on the decks of the residents. During a storm it is not unusual to see the waves above some of the houses.

If paragliding is your thing, we have some of the most gorgeous, easily accessed hills around. You can soar for as long as you like. We hear the air-currents are just right.

We are just a short walk from the day-use airstrip. If you make a reservation with us and are planning to fly in to the Cove, if the weather prohibits landing here, you will not be charged for your cancellation. You can walk to the Inn and borrow a vehicle to go back to the airstrip to pick-up your luggage. Usually, you can borrow a vehicle from us to make short trips around Shelter Cove.

Bring your clubs, because we have a golf links course that has amazing views of the ocean. This is an honor system course run by the utility district of Shelter Cove. If you forget your clubs, the surf shop near-by has club rentals and everything else you’d need to play a round or two.

The Cape Mendocino lighthouse originally stood at Cape Mendocino, the most western point in California. This point is one of the most dangerous coastlines in California. The Coast Guard took over operation in 1939. The first Fresnel lens (installed in 1868) was sent to the fairgrounds for display in Ferndale and was replaced with automated light in 1951. In late 1998, a group of volunteers from Shelter Cove, dedicated to re-locating the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse from its original home of 130 years, disassembled it and transported the components down the coast. A Coast Guard helicopter took the lantern-room in one piece to its current location. In June 1999 a new foundation was laid in Mal Coombs Park in Shelter Cove. It is now in its final stages of restoration.

Hiking in the King Range is from extreme to serene. There are many hiking trails to different points of interest. Hike to the Tide pools or Black Sands Beach. Take the Bear Creek Nature Trail and look for steelhead and salmon in the creek (no fishing, please). You can see evidence of the 2003 Honeydew fire while trekking the Lightning Trail to King Peak. You might see elk if you travel the Hidden Valley/Chinquapin Trail Loop. We have information for all of these hikes and more in every room.

There are not too many other places on earth where sea and mountains meet as dramatically as on the Lost Coast. Right here, there are places where a narrow strip of sand is the only separation from the ocean and the steep and dense forest of the coastal range. The highest mountain in the area (4086 feet), Kings Peak is only three miles from the beach. You can hike deserted shorelines and beautiful mountain vistas in the same day. Geologists consider the terrain too unstable for highway construction, so you can do all of this without crossing a road or seeing an RV. The King Range Conservation Area is a 25-mile stretch of beach that allows hikers and campers a completely isolated coastal adventure; ancient redwood forests, lush fern undergrowth, and flower-spackled meadows are all in walking distance.

During fishing season – which is just about all year round - you can fish from the shore right outside of your room, launch your own boat at the marina, or hire a charter for a half or full day. There are salmon, perch, cod, abalone, crab – just to name a few. The ocean is so full of fish that all you have to do is put your line in the water. Bring your wet-suit and snorkel and get your limit of abalone every day.

We are 23 miles from The Avenue of the Giants. This is a 32-mile stretch of two-lane road right in the middle of the Giant Redwoods. The world’s tallest living tree, the 370-foot Stratosphere Giant, has lost its title. THREE contenders have been discovered in Redwood National Park. All of these trees are Giant Redwoods. The tallest (and now the tallest of record), Hyperion, is 378.1 feet. The next tallest, Helios, stands 376.3 feet; the third tallest, Icarus, reaches 371.2 feet. Officials decline to pinpoint the exact locations of these huge trees. Hyperion, after its official measuring will replace Stratosphere Giant in the Guinness Book of World Records. These newly-found trees are not far from an area that was clear-cut. It is amazing that they were not a part of this cut.

Ferndale, a Victorian Village, is located a little over an hour from The Tides Inn. This is a “don’t miss” adventure in history, museums, theatre, mills, Victorian architecture, and shopping.

If all this is not enough reason to join us at The Tides Inn, how about wineries, shopping, gaming, biking, and dining?

This area is a photographer’s paradise. Everywhere you look, you’ll see the framing of an amazing photograph. So bring your camera and binoculars and join us at The Tides Inn, Shelter Cove’s newest Inn.