Northern California Coastline Adventure
- Kelly Miller
- Jun 17
- 4 min read
About an hour and a half north of San Francisco is Bodega Bay. Our camping spot was at Bodega Bay RV Park. We used this as our jumping off point to explore the beaches north of Bodega Bay. We started off by driving about an hour and a half north to Bowling Ball Beach. Our goal was to beat the tides. When you get to the google maps trailhead you will notice that there are two trailheads. Make sure to take the north one to access Bowling Ball Beach. It is about a half mile out and a half mile back to the beach. The first quarter mile is at the top of the cliff and you have to travel through a little bit of prairie that is overgrown so make sure and wear your bug spray.
The beach is dog friendly and our pups enjoyed playing in the sand and posing on top of the sandstone bowling ball shaped spheres. If you are up for the adventure, make sure to check the tide charts because the bowling balls can disappear under the surf at high tide. We came in mid-June and the beach was windy and chilly.
From here we went another couple of miles north to the little town of Point Arena. We needed to use the restroom and so we stopped in the Arena Market and Café. This is a great co-op type establishment with healthy food options. We ordered a turkey and pesto panini and it was amazing! Highly recommend popping in for a bite to eat!
Next we began our trek back south, stopping first at the Ocean View Point Overlook. Ocean View Point is located right next to the Hearn Gulch Coastal Access. We had actually been looking for the Hearn Gulch Beach when we pulled into the overlook. There are some paths which made us think that this was the way to the beach. We recommend a lot of caution as the cliffs are steep and dangerous. The views, however, are amazing and this is definitely worth a quick stop.
Once we realized our mistake we drove just slightly more south to the Hearn Gulch Coastal Access, which was actually very clearly marked, we just hadn’t gone far enough. When we got out of our truck, Jonathan ran ahead to the overlook to check things out. The actual trail down to the beach is on the northern side of the parking area. Because we were going to be walking through the overgrown weeds, we added on more bug spray before making our way to the steep trail leading down to the beach. There are caution signs but the rope was new and extremely helpful in getting down the stairs. This is a dog friendly beach and our pup had a great time running up and down in the sand.
If you come when the tides are out, there are also very cool caves tucked into the rocks on the south end of the beach. We had a great time exploring the caves and this secluded beach.
When we had originally driven up the coast, trying to beat the tides, we had noticed a cool little community called Sea Ranch. The Sea Ranch Community was developed in the 1960’s as a vision by architect Al Boeke. His desire was to create a community that preserved the area’s natural beauty. The Sea Ranch Chapel was created in 1985 and is a non-denominational place to worship. The beauty of this tiny hobbit-type house is totally worth a stop.
Just south of the chapel is the Black Point Beach Access which borders and is considered part of the Sea Ranch Community. There are beautiful overlooks and steep stairs leading to the beach.
Another 15 minutes or so south is Salt Point State Park. We stopped on the northern side of the park at the Stump Beach Trailhead. We made our way down to the beach and across to the Salt Point Trail. This trail runs along the top of the shoreline giving way to massive views of the cliffs and dramatic waves crashing along the rocks. You can also park on the south end by entering the park near the campgrounds. This part of the trail is a little less that a ½ mile of accessible trail. If you take the entire trail it is about 3.4 miles out and back. We consider the views absolutely worth the stop.
Our last stop of the day was at the Jenner Lookout Point across from Goat Rock Beach. Goat Rock State Beach is an incredibly popular beach. The Russian River dumps into the Pacific Ocean here and it is the home to seals and sea lions and we are told you can seasonally see the whales migrating.
As we have driven different parts of the California Coastline, we can attest that it is vastly different everywhere you go. We love that the state has made a mission of preserving this beauty for the enjoyment of all people.
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