An overview of coastal Sonoma County:
North of Marin County in the San Francisco Bay area, Sonoma is the heart of one of the most important wine regions in the world. The western side of Sonoma County is sparsely populated and incredibly beautiful as it borders the Pacific Ocean and includes a dramatic stretch of the legendary scenic highway, Highway 1.
If you’re coming from San Francisco to Sonoma County, whether it’s to the popular gay resort on the Russian River or further into the Healdsburg, Sonoma, and Santa Rosa wine-making areas, this scenic coastal route down Highway 1 is worth taking. through the quaint and sleepy towns of Bodega Bay and Jenner.
Resources, travel tips and weather:
For specific details, see the detailed Sonoma County Gay Guide and the Russian River Gay Guide.
Fort Ross State Park:
About 11 miles north of Jenner, Fort Ross State Historical Park is a recreated trading post established in 1812 by Russian fur hunters (Ross is an archaic name for Russia). [
For 30 years they explored the Sonoma region, mapped the river that bears their name, traded with the indigenous Yankees, Mexicans, and Pomo Indians, and hunted the native sea otter, almost to the point of extinction. In 1841 they sold their vast lands to John Sutter. The grounds consist of second-growth redwoods, plus numerous stands of Bishop pine and Douglas fir.
Salt Point State Park:
You can continue north from Fort Ross to Salt Point State Park, a 3,500 beach park with the remains of many Pomo Indian village sites, plus extensive hiking trails and a pygmy forest.
Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve:
Even more unusual than Salt Point State Park is the 317-acre Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve, which is just to the north and contains native rhododendrons, some of them 30 feet tall. Douglas fir and redwoods loom eerily over the pink-flowering shrubs, which bloom in April and May.
A scenic drive from the Kruse State Reserve to Guerneville:
To return to Guerneville, consider a winding but beautiful scenic route: From Kruse Reserve, head inland on Kruse Ranch Road, turn right onto Seaview Road, then left onto Fort Ross Road. Eventually you will pass through the forested village of Cazadero. Here turn right onto Skyline Ridge Road, which goes down several miles to Hwy. 116, near Monte Rio, and a short drive from Guerneville. Wait a good 90 minutes for this unit, especially if you go out to take photos.
Costa de Sonoma Calendar of events 2016-2017
- January-April: whale watching season along the coast.
- End of April: Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival (has gone from strength to strength since the early 1970s and is one of the best times to visit the region).
- End of July: Fort Ross Festival.
- End of August: Bodega Seafood, Art & Wine Festival (another great time to explore the coast and enjoy great seafood).
- Nov .: Festival of Arts of the Gualala Trees.
Planning a trip through the Sonoma coast:
Some sparsely populated but beautiful parts of the county lie on the coast north of San Francisco and Point Reyes National Seashore (a must stop if you’re coming through Marin County ), along the dramatic highway. 1)
Here you can drive through Bodega Bay , where Suzanne Pleshette got an unceremonious peck on Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. It remains a quiet commercial fishing village of clapboard houses and unappealing shops. Not surprisingly, it is an excellent place for bird watching. Depending on the time of year, it will be flooded, but probably not fatally attacked by plovers, deer, willets, curlews, and many varieties of gulls.
There is not much to see and do in this picturesque fishing community, but if you do pass by on the road. 1, The Duck Club Restaurant is worth stopping by for lunch or dinner (or even staying at the related Bodega Bay Lodge and Spa. From Bodega Bay you can traverse inland on Bodega Highway, past rolling meadows and Bald slopes, to the heart of the wine country, passing through the charming little town of Sebastopol and up to Santa Rosa .
Or you can continue up the coast to Jenner , with its stunning waterfront setting at the mouth of the Russian River – it’s home to a handful of inns and restaurants. The River’s End is highly recommended for dinner – the sunset views from here are incredible. For lunch at Jenner, an absolutely perfect spot for delicious Dungeness crab sandwiches, fine coffee, and tempting desserts is Cafe Aquatica, which has a sweet little terrace at the back overlooking the Russian River relatively close to where it enters the Pacific.
The 13 miles of shoreline here from Bodega Bay is lined by a series of small windswept beaches, great for beach walking, walking, and biking (along the dramatic Highway 1), but a bit bumpy. for swimming and generally too cool and windy to attract a considerable number of bathers. Harbor seals, however, love to frolic along the shoreline. Highway 1 leads even further north up the coast towards Mendocino through funky Gualala.
You can also get on the winding highway. 116, which leads through Monte Rio and to the super gay resort of Guerneville, the heart of the Russian River. In Jenner, stop to admire the waves at Goat Rock Beach, or north on the other side of the Russian River, you can stop at the Jenner Visitor Center, where you can explore the estuary formed where the river empties into the ocean. Even further north is Fort Ross State Historical Park, which tracks the area’s Russian heritage. Other things to watch out for include the gray whale migration, which can often be seen off the coast (especially from Bodega Head in Sonoma Coast State Park) from January to April; bring a pair of binoculars while driving down the road.
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