| Sonoma County is blessed
with nearly 60 miles of coastline, with
beaches and trails from which to enjoy spectacular
sunsets, tide pools, and wildlife including
seals, sea lions, sharks, whales, seagulls,
osprey, egrets, owls, and hawks.
Tiny villages dot the farmlands and the
coast along Highway 1. Many have little
more than a general store, an antique shop
or gift boutique and a restaurant serving
up fresh seafood. Bicyclists and Sunday
drivers love the back roads of the Sonoma
Coast as they wind through the gently rolling
hills and along the coastline. With pastoral
scenery of Sonoma’s dairies and sheep
ranches, streams and creeks feeding into
the Pacific ocean and rocky outcroppings
and craggy coastal bluffs, the Sonoma Coast
is a coastal paradise.
The many state parks and beaches of the
Sonoma Coast are enjoyed by hikers, surfers
and beachcombers all year long. Please visit
Sonoma’s beaches carefully; the surf
and currents are unpredictable. Come enjoy
the whale migrations during December and
January as the gray whales pass by on their
way toward Baja and Mexico to calf, and
then in March and April they head back north.
Housing
Much of the coastline and thousands of acres
of ranches have been preserved for future
generations through a combination of federal,
state and local regulations, parks, and
agricultural and conservation easements.
This preservation of the Sonoma Coast lands
means that inventory of housing in this
region is in short supply compared to the
demand. Many people purchase second homes
to vacation in this area.
Weather
Late summer and fall typically have the
best weather along the Sonoma Coast. During
the spring and early summer, there may be
fog in the morning which typically clears
by mid day. Winter can be foggy, windy and
cool, particularly in the mornings. The
rainy season along the Sonoma Coast is concentrated
between December and February.
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here for current weather conditions
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BODEGA:
A small town just inland of Bodega Bay,
Bodega is ideal for strolling and enjoying
unique shops set against the backdrop of
the open rolling grasslands.
BODEGA BAY:
Home to about 1,000 people, Bodega Bay activities
include the colorful Fisherman’s Festival
in April marking the opening of the Salmon
fishing season. There is an unofficial Clam
Chowder Cookoff where the town’s restaurants
compete for the honor of serving the best
chowder. Beginning around Thanksgiving,
take advantage of the opportunity to buy
fresh-caught live crabs and lobsters right
off fishing boats at the docks.
The area was discovered by the Spanish
sailor Don Juan Francisco de la Bodega y
Quadra Mollineda and a group of explorers
toward the end of the 1700’s. The
area became famous for the location of the
Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds".
GUALALA:
At the northern end of the Sonoma Coast
lies the tiny town of Gualala where the
pounding of the surf permeates the town’s
ambiance. Pronounced wa-LA-la, the town
is named after the native American Indian’s
phrase for “where the water flows
down”; meaning where the Gualala River
meets the ocean.
JENNER:
Jenner is located along the estuary where
the Russian River flows into the Pacific
Ocean, along Highway 1. This small town
has a handful of dining options, a charming
shop or two and cozy, romantic lodging.
Jenner is a remote get-a-way, within an
hour and a half north of San Francisco and
offers surfing, hiking, beachcombing at
Goat Rock State Beach, exploring the tide
pools of Shell Beach, visiting with the
seals and otters or enjoying sunsets.
SALMON CREEK:
Just north of Bodega Bay lies the tiny burg
of Salmon Creek, so named because the creek
which originates in Occidental meets the
ocean here. Efforts to restore the originally
flourishing salmon spawning habitat are
ongoing and have met with some success.
Visit this area of the coast between February
and March for the Salmon Creek ArtWalk,
featuring nearly a dozen open studios of
working artists.
SEA RANCH:
The Sea Ranch was conceived some 40 years
ago as a luxurious retreat on the northern
Sonoma coast, and has dedicated more than
half its land to permanent, commonly owned
open space. Facilities include 75 miles
of hiking trails and 40 miles of roads for
bicycling, in addition to tennis, heated
swimming pools, horse boarding facilities,
a private airplane landing strip, and the
Sea Ranch Golf Links. In addition to sales
of existing homes, all of which have been
constructed to meet the look and feel of
the overall development, there are still
building sites available. The services of
a realtor are very helpful to people seeking
to build or buy in order to help with the
design and permit processes unique to the
Sea Ranch development.
TIMBER COVE:
Around 3 miles north of Fort Ross lies the
remote enclave of Timber Cove with its redwood
and glass style homes and retreats characterized
by great rooms with open beam ceilings and
rock fireplaces with walls of glass overlooking
the rugged coastline and nearby redwood
forests.
TWO ROCK:
Inland from Bodega and west of Petaluma
lies a tiny burg with a general store and
an Italian restaurant named after two enormous
rock outcroppings rising like sentinels
out of the pastures grazed by dairy cattle
and sheep.
SONOMA COAST STATE BEACH:
Along Highway 1 lies a series of beaches
collectively known as Sonoma Coast State
Beach, running about 17 miles between Bodega
Head and Jenner and offering about a dozen
different beaches to experience. Come explore
this special section of the Sonoma Coast!
FORT ROSS:
A dozen miles north of Jenner, the Fort
Ross state park provides a living history
lesson about the Sonoma coast via a carefully
reconstructed Russian fort and museum.
KRUSE RHODODENDRON STATE RESERVE:
This state reserve is located about 20 miles
north of Jenner next to Salt Point State
Park. The “rhodies” typically
bloom in May, but the park is open most
of the year for visitors to explore the
5 miles of trails showcasing rhododendrons,
huckleberries, ferns, streams, second growth
redwoods, firs and to a lesser extent tan
oak. The 300 plus acre reserve was donated
to the state back in the 1930s by the Kruse
family.
SALT POINT STATE PARK:
Salt Point State Park comprises some 6,000
acres from the rocky coast, rolling grass-covered
hills and lush forests. There are about
20 miles of hiking trails in Salt Point
State Park in addition to miles of coastline
where visitors may fish, dive, camp, horseback
ride or simply hang out at the beach. Within
Salt Point lies Gerstle Cove Marine Reserve,
an underwater park where divers can explore
marine life, all of which is protected.
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