This is a small secluded beach with a pretty steep stairway down to the beach from the parking lot…read more It's a good bit of cardio climbing up and down. The parking lot has lots of spaces and it's free. The restroom is well maintained, port a potty style, no running water. Once on the beach it's a smaller area, easy walk to the water and the rocks at the end. There's a small tide pool area too. A nice relaxing beach with not many people, so can enjoy it almost to yourself. There are also many trails off the parking lot. I walked the Kortum Trail - it's a beautiful trail with stretches of wooden paths, sprawling greenery with mountains to on side and the, coast along the other. This trail leads to goat rock. It's a pretty steep incline towards the end but worth the views when you reach the top. It's a 2.3 mile round trip hike. I wish I had read a little history before I went on the hike, I later learned the large rocks you can see from the trail are named "Mammoth Rocks" it's believed the Mammoths rubbed against the rocks and created smooth polished patches 10-14 ft high. Probably end of ice age 10 to 14 thousand years ago. Great area, beautiful state beach and lots of hiking with breathtaking views of the coast.

Shell Beach is a favorite location for beach combing and tide pooling. Note that the walk down to…read morethe beach is a little steep so take your time. There are many hiking trails that start from this beach. Some are flat with gorgeous views if you want to walk and soak in the views. If you are looking for more of a challenging hike with an incline there is the Shell Beach to Pomo Canyon or the Shell Beach to Red Hill loop. You will just need to cross the road. There is a large parking lot and the parking is free. They also have bathrooms that are well kept. Whatever trail you decide you will have picturesque views of the Sonoma Coast. Enjoy this beautiful area on the Sonoma Coast. These pictures are of the Shell Beach to Red Hill hike around 10:30am, before the fog burned off for the day.

They have the most beautiful pebbles there. There's only one other Pebble Beach in the Bay area…read morenear pescadero. This place doesn't have sand it has pebbles. It's so beautiful and the rock formation is so beautiful. It's worth going to for sure.

Stunning beach . A must do for tide poolers as the density of starfish and Barnacles is more…read moreimpressive than that in other popular tide pools like Fitzgerald reserve or natural bridges . Pebbly beach as others have mentioned , having some footwear will help move faster

Fantastic access to lots of public beaches! We visited in June and enjoyed some time on the beach…read moreand driving along the well-maintained cliff roads throughout Sonoma Coast State Beach. While these beaches are not recommended as swim or surf spots due to the massive ocean swells found here, this is a gorgeous place to relax and gain free access to the Pacific Ocean. We enjoyed our time here walking about, lounging on the sand, watching the sea lion nursery, and observing the local lifeguard camp go about their training. Lots of space for any beach activities you might want to do, free parking, and clean restrooms. We saw lots of park rangers patrolling the area as well. Great beach access if you are hanging out in the Sonoma Coast area.

This is a beautiful stretch of beach that runs through Jenner and the towns in either side…read more Along the way there are several places to pull out. One is Salmon Beach. It's a beautiful beach with plenty of flat sand. There is ample parking and a bathroom Close to Bodega Bay.

Super nice beach up by bodega bay with plenty of space to roam around and find seashells and live…read moremussels! It's a bit of a decline going to the beach from the parking lot, so be weary with littles!

Portuguese Beach is definitely a must see. I visited a few years ago and was very impressed with…read moreit. It has some amazing rocks in the water and to see the water and waves hit thos tall rocks is a magical experience. It has a lot of multi colored pebbles ! That was amazing, I never saw soooo many colored pebbles and colored rocks before, it is absolutely a magical beach. The road to get there was a lot of fun as well, very curvy.

A beach near Jenner that is an easy walk from the parking lot to the beach. There are views of Goat…read moreRock, Arch Rock and home to a large population of harbor seals. Unfortunately the day I went I didn't see any. To the North is the mouth of the Russian River and to the South is Goat Rock. Not a high volume of visitors, people come and go and don't stay for an extended period of time. Nice beach to get your steps in and take in the view. There are restrooms, dogs are not allowed and parking is free.

I love Goat Rock SB! It's a little off the beaten path, straight west from Mark West in Santa Rosa…read moreabout 20 miles of mostly flat but curvy roadway & beautiful views on the way to where Russian River spills into the Pacific. Theres two nice sandy beaches, a large natural bridge out in the distance, & usually plenty of parking even on holiday weekends. Climbing Goat Rock is not allowed since theres a lot of big loose rocks on the sides but the beaches are great & normally have seals & sea lions where the river meets the ocean. You'll find walking paths on the cliffs above as you're driving in & fantastic sunrise/sunsets from the cliffs or from the beaches. Tip: stop at Korbel for a free tasting & tour.

The Sonoma Coast near Jenner was a nice stop during our trip. We weren't completely blown away, but…read moreit was still a pleasant place to visit and take in the scenery. The coastline is rugged and peaceful, and it was really cool to see the seal nursery - lots of seals lounging and playing, which was definitely the highlight. Jenner has a quiet, calm vibe, making it a good spot to get some fresh air, take photos, and enjoy a low-key coastal view. Overall, a nice experience if you're already in the area.

I solo adventured to Sonoma Coast State Park in approximately 2018. I was looking for a beach a…read morenice drive away from where I was living in the East San Francisco Bay Area and had found this site listed on the California State Parks website. I went exploring around a large rock named Goat Rock. I did not see any of the hoofed ungulates on my visit. To the south of Goat Rock, the beach was a little narrowed with occasional pieces of rounded sea glass and intact mussel shells. I picked one of the shells up and noticed a faint violet color. It was one of those light phenomena where exposure to light drains the color from the shell, meaning the next day the faint violet color was gone. Parking was limited and I was fortunate to arrived before the masses. There were not any trees for shade on the beach, though the cool of the water on my feet did provide reprieve from the warmth for my feet.

We viewed from both parking lots…read more We ended up here, our first beach stop on Highway 1 south from the Russian River and Jenner. Goat Rock State Beach is the first turnoff south of the Russian River on Highway 1. There is an upper parking lot with a steep narrow trail that heads down to Blind Beach but we continued driving on to the large lot at the base of Goat Rock. On our way out we briefly stopped at the upper parking lot. There is a trail length approximately 1/2 mile. Kortum Trail starts at the Arch View parking area to Blind Beach parking area. Watch for cars on Goat Rock Road! Because of the jagged rocks, riptides, large, powerful "sleeper" waves and strong currents swimming is not recommended. The beaches on the Sonoma Coast is not a beach for swimming. There have been many deaths because of these dangers. Just recently as January this year a father and his two kids who had recently moved to Sonoma County sadly were swept away by the rough seas. The two children were playing in the sand on water's edge when they were swept out to sea by a rogue wave. Their father drowned trying to rescue them. The waves are very treacherous. We viewed the scenery, the Arch View, Goat Rock and Goat Rock Beach from the parking lots stopping at each lower and upper lots to get different view angles. Review #2187

Blind Beach is simply beautiful, can be enjoyed from the top for views only; or can be enjoyed by…read morebeing on the beach, there are two sides to the beach and can be great for all ages. Lots of parking available all over. It has that vastness that someone like myself much enjoys to just keep looking into. I like to be next to the water without having to go far out into it & love the sound of the waves and of the birds around. After some exploration prefer to park myself at one spot and catch up on my favourite book. The downside of being at Blind beach is the amount of bugs and flies all around. We tried shifting places, including parking at the top spot; despite sitting inside the vehicle and using the bug repellent nothing worked, so we had to finally leave and still were accompanied by a few inside our vehicle right up till the end :)

Nice beach to walk, watch the waves and sunset! Natural rock formations and great picture taking…read moretoo of the ocean. If you love just getting mesmerized by the ocean, this is a great spot!

No proper trail to get to the beach, we visited the vista point to see the arched rock, it's windy…read moreand cold. We stopped for awhile to get some photos and left.

Unexpected turn to get into this parking lot. Plenty of parking…read more It's a bit of a trek through a trail amongst tall grass and in between trees, where it will then open up to the ocean! You had to earn it Pretty serene and peaceful here. Many rocks of all shapes to be found, find some good flat round ones for rock skipping on the water

Wow, this is now one of our favorite places to camp. We love that it is not a huge campground…read more It's a short walk to the lovely beach. It's cool there are bike-in sites as well- I chatted with a few cyclists who came through. Several hikes to choose from. We chose the waterfall hike which was outstanding. Did I mention there are wild bunnies to be seen? Know there is no wi-fi service (which is a good thing when camping). But for urgent matters you can receive service at the ranger station.