Once known as Greenwood, this tiny former logging town was renamed Elk by the postal service when someone realized there was another town in California called Greenwood. For such a small community (population 250), it sure has a booming tourist trade: six inns, four restaurants, and one authentic Irish pub. Its close proximity to the big tourist town of Mendocino, a mere 30-minute drive up the coast, is one reason for its popularity. Elk’s paramount appeal, however, is its dramatic shoreline; the series of immense sea stacks here creates one of the most awesome seascapes on the California coast.