Cantus Cove

Located below a blufftop residential neighborhood, Cantus Cove is a small rock-and-sand beach in the town of Caspar. The beach has brown sand and the shoreline around the beach is rocky. If you are looking for a beach with unrestricted recreational access, we recommend heading to the nearby Caspar Headlands State Beach.

There are many attractions near Cantus Cove. Kelley House Museum has interesting historical exhibits that highlight the rich history of Mendocino County and northern California. Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park has hiking and biking trails that you can use to explore the state park’s vibrant landscape and interesting fauna. In addition, the state park is a major regional historical landmark - it has a lighthouse that was built in the early 20th century and has a third-order Fresnel lens made by the British glassworks company Chance Brothers. This lighthouse also has interesting exhibits. Apart from this lighthouse, there are two other buildings that you can explore - the 1st Assistant Lightkeeper’s House which has been restored to its original look from the 1930s, and the restored Blacksmith & Carpenter Shop which currently houses the Marine Sciences Exhibit that has a 240-gallon seawater aquarium and interesting exhibits on local marine life. The state park also has vacation rental homes. If you are looking for another attraction near Cantus Cove, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens has a variety of plant collections that are home to a vivid array of flora including a marine zone garden, gardens containing dahlias and magnolias, a conifer pine forest, a kitchen garden, and a camellia garden. In addition, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens are famous for having an incredible array of beautiful and sweet-smelling rhododendron flowers.

Getting to Cantus Cove is easy - the hiking trail to the blufftop overlook above the beach is located near 45350 Pacifica Drive and a free parking lot is available close by near Caspar Gardens Healing Center at 45334 Pacifica Drive. However, as the bluff sides around the beach are unstable, it is very unsafe to get down to Cantus Cove. In addition, overgrown vegetation present around Cantus Cove prevents visitors from getting a good view of the beach from the overlook.

As an interesting fact, the beach is named after a character from the internationally acclaimed children’s TV show Fraggle Rock - the beach is named after the character Cantus the Minstrel by Jerry and Susan Juhl, who previously owned the blufftop property above the beach. Susan and Jerry were both writers for Fraggle Rock and decided to name the beach as Cantus Cove in honor of the eminent puppeteer and television artist Jim Henson, who was the creator of the TV show and also portrayed Cantus on screen. 

There are many attractions near Cantus Cove. Kelley House Museum has interesting historical exhibits that highlight the rich history of Mendocino County and northern California. Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park has hiking and biking trails that you can use to explore the state park’s vibrant landscape and interesting fauna. In addition, the state park is a major regional historical landmark - it has a lighthouse that was built in the early 20th century and has a third-order Fresnel lens made by the British glassworks company Chance Brothers. This lighthouse also has interesting exhibits. Apart from this lighthouse, there are two other buildings that you can explore - the 1st Assistant Lightkeeper’s House which has been restored to its original look from the 1930s, and the restored Blacksmith & Carpenter Shop which currently houses the Marine Sciences Exhibit that has a 240-gallon seawater aquarium and interesting exhibits on local marine life. The state park also has vacation rental homes. If you are looking for another attraction near Cantus Cove, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens has a variety of plant collections that are home to a vivid array of flora including a marine zone garden, gardens containing dahlias and magnolias, a conifer pine forest, a kitchen garden, and a camellia garden. In addition, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens are famous for having an incredible array of beautiful and sweet-smelling rhododendron flowers.

If you get hungry, there are many restaurants near Cantus Cove. The upscale CAFÉ BEAUJOLAIS offers a wide array of amazing gourmet dishes. Caspar Pub House is a gastropub that serves classic British dishes including scotch eggs, fish-and-chips, and chicken tikka masala. The gastropub also hosts live music performances on Friday and Saturday nights, open mic performances on Thursdays, and a Quiz Night on Mondays.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Cantus Cove, Little River Market & Deli offers amazing sandwiches, burritos, burgers, and seafood. 

If you are looking for a hotel near Cantus Cove, there are many great nearby options. The 4-Star Blue Door Inns - Four Sister Collection is an upscale bed-and-breakfast that offers many amenities including a two-course complimentary breakfast and complimentary cookies and hot drinks. In addition, the bed-and-breakfast also organizes an afternoon wine hour. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Sea Rock Inn which offers many amenities including a garden, cliffside benches, a sauna and massage rooms, and complimentary breakfast and wine upon arrival. If you are looking for a good and affordable hotel near Cantus Cove, the modestly priced 2-Star Oceanside Inn & Suites offers many amenities including complimentary continental breakfast, complimentary afternoon snacks, and an outdoor barbecue.