Love this beach and always enjoy coming out here for a day trip. There is an entry fee, but it's…read moreworth it for how clean, spacious, and relaxing it is. There's plenty of parking, which makes it super convenient, and it never feels too hectic even when it's busy. It's such a nice spot to just unwind, walk along the beach, and enjoy the peaceful views. They also have camping spots available, I camped here a long time ago and remember having a great experience. Whether you're planning to camp or just want a relaxing day by the water, this is one of my favorite places to visit in Bodega Bay. Definitely worth checking out :)

It's June and COLD at the beach. We don't mind. I like this beach because of the close parking and…read morethe availability of bathrooms. It's an easy (long) walk from end to end if you want some physical activity. Great spot for kites. I took a nap and woke up to this bird carefully approaching our blanket spread probably hoping for a sleepy person not guarding the snacks. Not today birds!

Incredible views of the coastline that I enjoyed every step of the way. Would be a great place to…read moretake out of town family or friends to show off California's natural beauty and to walk your dog too to the Blind Beach side. Goat Rock side no dogs allowed because the seals always wean their pups on the beach, but the dog friendly side is so spacious and a nice long stretch of beach with iconic rock arches out in the water that you will never forget. In my opinion, one of the most beautiful places in all of California and if it is low tide, there will be many starfish visible on the rock formations on shore lower section which is normally submerged! If you get a good sunset, this place cannot be beat for photos overlooking the water with those rock formations. It could make anyone with a cell phone camera take photos that look like a professional landscape photographer took them.

Spectacular views! My favorite spot in Bodega Bay is Bodega Head to see majestic ocean views and…read morehike along the bluffs. If you're lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of migrating whales! We enjoy getting chowder and sipping it while watching the waves. It is such a tranquil sight away from the hustle and bustle of life. Today was a beautiful sunny day at Bodega Head but even if it's raining, I love coming here to enjoy the views. Come prepared for some windy conditions just in case. The parking lot will get full on the weekends, especially during spring when you have a better chance of seeing whales. Several picnic tables available with friendly seabirds checking out what you're eating. Restrooms are next to the parking lot.

This is a serene getaway into nature. You can feel more oxygen in the air and it's significantly…read morecooler. I've always loved Redwoods and feel like walking through redwood forests is very meditative. The hike isn't too long, maybe a half hour or so unless you are someone that stops a lot. I like a shorter hike because it frees up times to do other things but it's not really a destination to itself, more just if you are doing stuff around Occidental, I wouldn't come out of my way for it. The road is pretty windy and narrow. Be careful especially if you have a bigger car like an SUV.

I had never heard of this grove of redwoods even when I was growing up in the area. It is located…read morea couple miles west of the town of Occidental. We were afraid we would lose cell service but luckily it worked the entire way so we were guided by Waze. The road is quite narrow and windy so best to take it slow in case you run across other cars or bicyclists. There are residences along this road too so another reason to take a slow pace. The parking lot is small but we fortunately got a spot as we waited for the other members of our party to arrive. It had been raining all weekend so perhaps there were not as many visitors as normal. We noticed several friendly dogs on leash as we walked along the well-kept trails. The redwoods are truly majestic and there are many picture perfect spots along the path. We took some beautiful photos of the redwoods with fern in the foreground. It's a nice and easy trail and a peaceful spot to have a picnic. I think they must have controlled burns here because in certain areas, there were redwoods that had blackened trunks. Some of these trees are over 1,000 years old. Take Coleman Valley Road to Fitzpatrick Lane. There is a small parking lot and I've read not to park on the side of the road if the parking lot is full as they do give out tickets.

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.

Such a gorgeous place! Plenty of parking, decent bathrooms,…read moreand even recycle trash bins. We rented a camper van for the weekend, and parked it for the day at Bodega Head. We enjoyed hiking the loop trail, and managed to get back inside the van before the afternoons winds picked wayyyyy up! It was a beautiful day, and we truly enjoyed our time here.

What is this dream place! Nature and ocean and plants and flowers! The contrast of the colors of…read morethe plants is wowwww! Vibrant. Stuff of your hiking dreams. So romantic Trails are clearly marked and wide enough No borders to keep you from falling off, omg be safe. That's what made it even more amazing after going hiking in Carmel although that was amazing too but had the borders so this was a way more natural setting In January the whales already made their way to Baja Mexico, didn't stop people with binoculars looking for Them but you might not find any. Stopped to chat with the whale organization volunteers at the parking lot and they have a lot to share! Happy hiking

So the wife booked this place. For a campground that's full, there were a lot of open spots. Weird…read more I guess online reservations are taking the spots even though they're not showing up. We had slots 27 and 29. One row from the water. We were just a short walk to the bathroom. Bathrooms were fine. I did not use the showers because I forgot the quarters. We had water hook up for slot 29. Remember not all spots have water. Also this place is not full hook ups. So be prepared. They do have a dumping station but that cost $7 bucks. Not bad plus they have a water hose for cleaning at the dump station. As for the stay, I really enjoyed our spot. The water when it receded, was safe enough for my kids to play and look for sea life. Easy to find a red rock crab or monkey face eel. Also plenty of baby crabs under the rocks. The views were amazing. The girls went out on hikes while I was out crabbing. Fun times for sure. They do have a generator rule. You can run them from 8am to 8pm. I might have ran mine past the time because it was windy and cold and I was not about to make my kids suffer. I did have a quiet generator which helped keep me out of trouble. Would I come back? You betcha. Everyone I talked to were nice.

My husband and I stayed here for our dating anniversary and wanted to keep our camping trip local…read moreto the Bay Area. We had seen plenty of mixed reviews but decided to give it a try. After our experience, we'd probably return for car camping or an RV rather than tent camping. *Pros 1. Easy Check-In/Check-Out: A ranger greets you and provides a paper with your campsite number and checkout date. Keep it visible on your vehicle. On our last day, we just left the site after cleaning up. Check-In time starts at 2:00 pm, and Check-Out is at 12 noon. 2. Great Camp Host: The older gentleman running the site was friendly, funny, and helpful. We enjoyed chatting with him. 3. Right By the Bay: You're just steps from the water, with a short walk to the boat launch, picnic areas, and benches. 4. Beautiful Weather: We had mostly sunny, brisk weather, with some fog rolling in--which we loved. 5. Basic Campsite Amenities: Sites include a picnic table, fire ring, and parking area. Some sites also have water spigots. There is a dump portion for RV's, and recycling and garbage cans. We were also under a nice big tree for shade, but there was a lot of poop on our car hahaha. 6. Great Food Closeby: You're near several local spots, including Pelican Plaza Market and Rocker Oysterfeller's. The Peli Deli from Pelican Plaza Market is a must! We had it twice. *Cons / Things to Know 7. Loose Check-In/Security: The check-in process felt pretty relaxed. People were coming and going after sunset, despite my understanding that the site closed at sunset. 8. Bathrooms and Showers Need Maintenance: The toilets were generally clean, but the bathrooms had quite a bit of bird poop. 9. Shower Info/Bring Shower Shoes: Showers have hot water, but there was literally a bird's nest above me while I showered .Showers cost $2 for 5 minutes, then $0.25 per additional minute. The camp host advised loading the next quarter before your time runs out, or you'll have to pay another $2. We ended up putting all our quarters in at once so we wouldn't forget. 10. Campsites Are Very Close Together: Our neighbors were unfortunately loud the whole day, played loud music and talked loudly, and didn't pick up after their dog. Everyone else was respectful, but this definitely affected our experience. Fellow tent campers I'd recommend getting a site closer to the water if possible. Because of our noisy neighbors, we eventually slept in our car. *Overall We had a good anniversary trip and enjoyed being so close to the Bay and local food. That said, I'd recommend this campground more for car camping or RVs than tent camping, especially if you're sensitive to noise or want more privacy between sites.

Pinnacle Gulch is our hiking spot whenever we vacation in Bodega Bay…read more This year March 2026 is our 12th year vacationing and numerous times hiking the trail. It's my favorite trail because of the flowers, trees, creek and beautiful nature. I prefer hiking during the week because it's very quiet and less people. At the end of the trail you get a nice ocean view and met by the beach and ocean. There's much ocean life on the shore such as crabs, star fish, anemone, clams, birds and many other ocean life. FYI next to Punnacle Gulch there's a couple new hiking trails but much longer called Bluff Trail & Ridge Trail. I highly suggest if you're in the area to hike these trails. 5 Stars all around

One of my favorite trails Just the best way to experience…read morenature Love it and great workout

Yesterday Andrea said she wanted to go swimming in the ocean so after coffee and other refreshments…read morewe headed 4.1 miles to the beach. Initially the $15 parking fee was a no go but after a minute decided to go in. I was all in cause I was looking forward to Andrea stripping down and diving into the surf. Well..... After getting her toes wet from the cold, cold sea she decided to scrape those plans to my disappointment and everyone else on the beach. So in the fog we did get our feet wet, enjoyed the surf, the dogs and the Dillon Beach Air Force (pelicans) performing low fly overs. The beach was packed. People and dogs everywhere. After feet in the water for a bit it seemed actually swimmable but as much as I persuaded Andrea to go in we left without me holding on to her clothes. Next time. Next time. Lots of families and BBQ's getting out of the rat race for a moment to recollect the sanity they may or may not have had at one point. Upon leaving hopefully the sand that will be everywhere will remind them of a nice time on the coast. I know we will continue to remember it.

$10 cover charge to get in. You can use credit card, lot of parking space. A physical sign before…read morethe beach tells you to keep going down the road instead of taking a right as Google maps would tell you to do those directions seem to be correct. Doesn't seem to have a shower area to shower off the sand. Fine grain sand. Not very Rocky. Bathroom has benches for easier time to get changed. Big dumpsters for throwing away stuff

We liked that we were the only ones here on a Saturday morning. We parked in the empty lot next to…read moreone car but we never saw the people in the other car. They must've gone hiking. The views are spectacular with glittering blue waters and crashing waves on cliffs. There is a steep rocky path to get down. The second half of the path is a staircase. We didn't make it down this time because I have an old dog, but we plan to go next time. The sand looked soft and it is a little alcove, so the dogs can't run too far away. Instead, we walked the little path from the parking lot around the top part. Saw some birds and also some flooding from the storms. Easy pull out off of Highway one and dog friendly. There is a trashcan at the parking lot.

gorgeous place with amazing views. It's just absolutely stunning. I love that you can climb on top…read moreon the other side and just go close enough the edges to see everything.

Fantastic location for a sunset, or a beach walk amongst all these beautiful rock formations. Water…read moreis rough on this rugged coast just like it should be. Located within Sonoma Coast State Park and just a few miles out of Bodega Bay. Be sure to bring a jacket as it's pretty windy and chilly out there, but we loved it!

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!