Petrolia has been described as "a river valley town with Norman Rockwell flavor." Petrolia is from the Pacific Ocean at the north end of the section of beach protected by the King Range National Conservation Area and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park; the Punta Gorda Light location is about 3 miles down the coast from Mattole Beach parking. The Mattole River is home to a variety of California wildlife, including river otters, steelhead trout, more than 250 bird species, and a threatened salmon that was the subject of a book about the community's attempts over two decades to preserve the Mattole salmon. It is one of the few remaining areas with virgin old-growth stands of Douglas-fir.