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Sonoma Coast State Beach - Bodega Head
Rating Details »
3799 Westshore Rd
Bodega Bay, CA 94923
(707) 875-3483
Bodega Bay, CA 94923
(707) 875-3483
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
9 reviews for Sonoma Coast State Beach - Bodega Head
One of the easiest beaches to get to from Sacramento!! It's about 2 1/2 hour away, but worth it!! There are many beach access off Shoreline Hwy. Some beaches require fees ($7.00 and more if you have a RV or camp overnight).
There are portable restrooms at some of the beaches (they may look like restrooms, but the are actually portable potties (with no flushing...yuke). Most beaches allow dogs but must be on leash. Some have picnic tables but all offer fantastic view of the pacific ocean. On clear days, you can see Point Reyes. Since it's the north coast, be prepared if you go before 1 p.m., maybe cold even in July or August. So dress in layers. Check weather first. Fog doesn't lift until later in the day...depends on the day.
There are plenty of places to grab some eats before you hit the beaches if you didn't pack your own lunch/snack.
I suggest to check the website before you go, so you don't waste your time (http://www.bodegabay.c...) or of course check yelp. Have Fun!!
I enjoyed my weekend in Bodega Bay, but I wasn't overwhelmed by this beach. I liked it fine, but in terms of the various beaches I've been to I'd put it somewhere in the middle. After the way it'd been hyped up to me I admit I was a tad disappointed.
The good: this beach is picturesque. It's got gorgeous views, so bring your camera (if you have a safe place to keep it of course). It's a really nice beach to go for a walk or run by the ocean. At least one of the beaches has a starry plover habitat, so you can see this rare bird if you come at the right season. There's also picnic tables near the beach where you can grab lunch.
Not as good: this beach is FREEZING! It was a warm day, but with the wind I was really cold in my suit. You have to come here in real clothes, which can defeat the point of the beach. The water is also way too cold and dangerous for swimming, even moreso than the sf beaches. The beach was full of huge pieces of kelp that kind of smelled bad. Finally, the fact that you have to pay for the day (unless you're camping) is a little crazy to me. I've never had to pay for a beach in CA before.
Would I return? Yes, but with adjusted expectations.
People, please be careful here, slow down on the roads and read my advice about the beaches. I live in Bodega Bay, and I get to hear the sirens, often all weekend long.
Residents here pay some of the highest property taxes in the country due to the high costs we incur supporting emergency services for our area. Most of that goes to save tourists. Sometimes, they don't make it home.
As a local surfer and a parent of grown kids, please heed this advice.
#1 NEVER turn your back on the ocean. NEVER. We have a steep shoreline at many of our state beaches, and waves that can appear out of nowhere. People drown here every year... usually they were just walking along when they got knocked down by a wave and pulled in. Some drownings happened when a kid or dog got swept in and another person went in after them. The dog almost always makes it out, the kid/s and the parent/s often do not. It is so tragic when you hear about this, especially, when you know it could have been avoided and it will no doubt happen again.
#2 NEVER, under ANY circumstances think these are beaches safe enough for your kids to play tag with the waves on. They should not even walk on these beaches without holding an adult's hand, and everyone should be walking far from the edge of the water. If you want to swim in the ocean, the ONLY place that is safe here is Doran Park, which is not visible from Hwy One. It is the beach furthest south, most people pass it on their way in. Follow the signs. It will cost you $6 for a day pass for the carload and an extra $1 to bring your leashed dog in. $6 is worth every penny, especially if you have young kids. That said, the water is COLD, and the waves at Doran are often HUGE in the fall and winter especially. Do not be fooled into thinking it is a swimming pool, even if it is flat. Hypothermia kills, and the water temp. here can send you into shock. If you want to get serious about being in the ocean here, invest in a wetsuit. The amenities at Doran (bathrooms, showers, tables, easy parking and trails) and the gradual (not steep) tideline make this the best beach for families.
#3. Please take your trash with you. That includes cigarette butts. And please pick up other people's trash too. There is no shortage of trash cans along our beaches. If everyone picked up some trash on the way out, it would go a long way toward saving some sea critter's life. Birds, fish and sea mammals are all hurt by trash - they mistake it for food, the get tangled up in it, it is really a sad and painful way for a creature to die.
#4. If you want to learn to surf, PLEASE make sure you heed the advice of local surf shops and rangers FIRST. Do not show up with a borrowed board or boogie board, and paddle out without knowing what you are doing. This is not Waikiki, Bolinas or Cowell's, which are safer places to learn to surf. Northern Light Surf Shop has a free surf report. 707.876.3110 (good for those of you that have learned what swell and tide mean to the experience you will have.) Otherwise, stop in to Northern Light Surf Shop (in Bodega) or Bodega Surf Shop (in Bodega Bay) and ask for advice. They are happy to share their stoke with beginning surfers, and they even offer lessons plus wetsuit and board rentals. No shame in being a beginner, so ASK!
Being macho does not work in the ocean, in fact, you will be labeled as a "kook" if you pretend you know what you are doing. We know what a kook looks like out here. You could get your ass handed to you, compliments of Mother Ocean if you go out to surf pretending you know everything. So be humble and ask questions. It's much better to ask than to drown! That goes for climbing around on our cliffs. People get swept off of them all the time. So don't risk it. OK, respect this place while you have fun, and remember to pick up some trash when you leave. Thank you!
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Beautiful Sonoma coastline that is awesome and breath-taking. Warning: depending on what time of year you go, it can be a bit nippy. Great trails and views.... and if you're lucky you may even see some whales.
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Today Thomas and I drove out to Bodega Bay to take some pictures with the wolf. (too bad I realized after taking 24 shots of the beautiful day, that I was shooting with BLACK AND WHITE! I'm a RETARD!)
For our little excursion we first attempted to go to Doran Park, but the line was so long that I became irritated and decided to go out Bay Flat Road to see what's new out there. It's been many years since I've been out there and I'm glad I decided to take the chance.
It was an absolutely beautiful day with clear skies (albeit high winds), the water was clear and beautiful all the way into the Bay and everyone was in a great mood; even the scary looking group of about 793,427 gangsters on a blanket at the beach were smiling and nodding in appreciation of the wolf.
Bodega Head has something for everyone. A nice, small beach; a good amount of hiking trails; rocks from which to fish and stunning views. Good parking, too.
I love Bodega Bay.
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Just beautiful! The beaches along this stretch of coast from Bodega Bay to Fort Brag are some of the most beautiful I've seen. Breathtaking sunsets, grab one when you can!
It was foggy when I went to Bodega Head but I'll still give it 5 stars just because what views I did see were really good and the hikes are easy here.
We did a 3 mi partial loop hike at Bodega Head from BA Hiker's write up:
http://www.bahiker.com...
Bodega Head Trailhead to Horseshoe Cove Overlook. If they weather was better the view would have been great so go on a nice Sunny Clear Day! We did see a herd of about 7 deers by Horseshoe Cove Overlook..that was nice.
Then did the 2nd loop Left of the Vault Toilets. Saw ocean views, Fishermen's Memorial, did a loop back to the parking lot.
Best to go: Jan-April for whale watching...also go on a Clear, Sunny Day!
At the Campbell Cove Day Use parking you can see the Hole-in-the-Head which was crazy how they wanted to build a nuclear plant here..good thing they didn't cuz of the San Andreas fault. Now it's just a big-o hole filled w/ fresh spring water that you can see from the observation deck.
Separate vault toilets available. FREE parking!
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On clear days, the views from Bodega Head are nothing less then spectacular. Highly, highly recommended if you're in the area.
A scenic rocky point that juts out into the Pacific Ocean near a quiet little fishing village and located immediately on top of the San Andreas Fault wouldn't sound like the kind of place where you'd build a nuclear power plant, now would it? Well, back in the 1950's that's just what GE started to do. They actually got so far as to purchase the land and to finish most of the grading into the hill for the plant site before they started to have second thoughts and quit. While the scarred hillside remains (although it's scarcely noticeable unless you know what to look for), it was this project that ultimately resulted in the land coming under state ownership and being open to the general public to revel in its splendor. Bodega Head is a wonderful example of the rugged beauty that typifies the northern California Coast, and yet it is readily accessible to car-bound Bay Area visitors. The park offers views from the parking area but is more rewarding to those who venture anywhere from a few hundred feet to a couple of miles on its easy trails that usually follow the edge of the precipitous bluff. Bring a windbreaker because it is perpetually windy here, and don't plan on picnicking unless you have your heart set on the less scenic harbor/bay side of the small peninsula. Also, if you do venture down to the small beach, you're well advised to stay out of the water and to keep an eye for large sleeper waves if you decide to have a look around the tide pools.
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