This was a cute little place to stop and take pictures at we really enjoyed the view. It is very sketchy to go down into the beach area and we almost fell a few times. There is a lot of different people around all over the place taking pictures. Overall definitely a nice rest stop. Idk if I'd go out of my way to visit though but it's cool to have come once. read more

Bowling Ball Beach - Beaches Near Me - Point Arena, California

A few miles south on Hwy 1 from Pt. Arena. Takes a few minutes to get there, park at the beach sign (heading south) AND make sure to look for the trail head to the North side on that lot. Get there 30 mins, or an hour BEFORE LOW TIDE, walk down the trail (Be Careful) and watch the tide head out- you'll see the massive Bowling Balls. Keep track of the tides, Be safe. read more

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Recommend taking a beautiful walk on this beach at low tide, preferably a minus tide, to experience natures wonders. The bowling balls are awesome, but the entire beach is abundant with geologic beauty. Sunny, Windy, Rainy... it doesn't matter. Take the walk!!! read more

Fun beach, but make sure to visit on low tide! Low tide brings out the "Bowling Ball" rocks that the beach is known for. With that said, this beach is one of the most visited locations in the area and one I'd highly recommend. Tons of room to walk around the beach as well as trailheads nearby. Parking wise, it can be hit or miss, but usually you will be able to find a spot on non busy weekends. Make sure to bring your camera for some stunning shots! read more

Not in agreement with the general reviews for the folllowing issues. 1- Remote location not easy to travel to. 2- Very limited parking and difficult to acces ( one can only park on the north to south side). 3- The (ball) can only be apppreciated a VERY low tide , low tide do not do it, limiting very much viewing time. 4- Trail to acces is not maintained and adventurous at best I do not recommend , you can try if you happen to be in the area. Note: If you accces it going throught the Navarro river redwood state park forest, the route is very scenic this is worthwhile. yvon couvrette read more

That's Ball Folks! Technically part of Schooner Gulch State Beach, Bowling Ball Beach (B³) is aptly named for its large, round concretions. B³ is located in the northern section of Schooner Gulch, as there's a cliff that separates the two halfs. While you can technically walk around this cliff, it's not advisable to do so. Just make sure you take the South Trailhead to get here; otherwise, it's pretty easy to turn around and get to where you need to be. Hint: If you get on the beach pretty quick, then you're at the wrong place. You need to schlep for a bit and hit some stairs before you arrive at B³. The Good: *Pretty great beach and the concretions are def really cool. *Concretions aside, it's a really nice stretch of beach that's perfect for picnic or whatever nonsense your heart desires. The Meh: *No Restrooms *Beach is kind of hidden with no real signage. However, just put in "Bowling Ball Beach" into your Waze® or Google® and it should get you there. *The stairs to the beach are in rough shape (esp towards the end) and not advisable to bring older folks, disabled or really young kids--unless you plan to carry them. The Ugly: *If you're really set on seeing maximum concretionage, you need to check the tide charts ahead of time or you might be SOL. We didn't get to see them all, but even seeing a few is still really neat. TLDR: Check your tide charts and prepare to be inspired. read more

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How cool is this place? There's only one other place in the world you can see these spherical concretions: half a world away in New Zealand! Make sure you go during low tide, or around there. Otherwise, you will not see the bowling balls! The hike there is easy. It's only about a quarter mile, then 20 or so stairs. The hard part is the very end from the stairs to the beach where you'll have to navigate down through some questionable driftwood. The rickety ladder that others have mentioned is no more. But don't worry. If I can do it, so can you! BBB is located on the right side of Schooner Gulch State park. If you follow Google maps, it will take you to some residential house. Either the inhabitants of that house are super annoyed with all the tourists poking around their yard for access, they're super helpful, or maybe both, but they've put a huge sign in front of the property: "*arrow pointing left* Bowling ball beach 0.3 miles". Once you get there, parking can be tough. It's side of the road parking that can only fit about 6-7 cars. Is it worth all the fuss? Absolutely. read more

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It looks like the La Nina last year may have buried most of the bowling balls depicted in older photos, or you might need to go when the tide is much below mean level to see anything. Tried this beach near the daily low tide, which was about 2-3ft, and I didn't see anything interesting. Moreover, the trail from the south side (the official Bowling Ball signed trailhead) is in really bad shape and very overgrown. To me it looks like it hasn't been maintained since before 2020. Thankfully I didn't see a ton of poison oak, but this place is definitely in the cuts. Maybe the Moat Creek / Bluff Top trail from the North is a better option? I had a much better time at the other beaches nearby, for example Bonee Gulch in the small town of Elk a few miles north. read more

My wife, our frenchie, and I took a day road trip to check out Bowling Ball Beach. Make sure to plan ahead and check the link below for low tides https://tides4fishing.com/us/california/point-arena While almost arriving to our destination, I got confused with the directions. I didn't see any sign that said Bowling Ball Beach so we got lost and past the beach accidentally. When you drive by, you will see cars parked on the side and that is where you would park for the beach. There are two trails to take. Make sure to take the north trail which will lead you to the beach. The trail is short, maybe about half a mile. Once you see the stairs below, it will lead you to the beach. Keep walking north til you see the bowling balls, you can't miss it! The scene was wonderful and great for pictures. Definitely check this place out during a one day trip or a weekend getaway. read more

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As noted on most reviews, I'd recommend taking a look at 1-website to checkout before visiting https://www.tideschart.com/United-States/California/Mendocino-County/Bowling-Ball-Beach/Weekly/ before visiting. In all honestly, we were able to view the wonderful "bowling ball" shaped rocks without a "low tide" and so I'd recommend visiting this place anyways. Pro-tip It's highly likely that you won't find network on your phone when you visit here and hence it can get a tad tricky to navigate to the beach. Note that there are 2 different trails and it's the second one that leads to the "Bowling Ball Beach". The first trail leads to the "Schooner Gulch State Beach" (We took this trail by mistake and ended up walking for ~10 minutes to end up on the wrong beach). Also, the trail that leads to the "Bowling Ball" beach can be termed as "Moderate" as it does need you to navigate through a trail of steps which may not be well suited for all accessibility levels. I'd absolutely recommend visiting this place to experience one of the many wonders of nature read more

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Check the tides and make sure to only make the trek here during low tide! You will see the parking lot from Highway one, there are two signs that say park facing south only. Once parked, go to the Northern most part of the parking lot and there will be a trail head there. Follow the path through a meadow and then down a set of stairs. Once down the stairs head north and you will slowly start to see the rock formations that look like bowling balls. When we arrived, it was considered low tide but it was still rather high. We could see part of the formations but if you came when it was really low it would be spectacular. We still enjoyed taking many photos and found a few abalone shells. read more

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Unique stop while in the area! Definitely need to check the tides as the best time to see the "bowling balls" are at low tide. This meant getting up early when we visited in August. Plenty of parking off the road. It's a mini hike to get down, which includes stairs, but would consider it fairly easy. Once you're on the beach, you'll head north and then you'll see the bowling balls. Fun to just walk around and explore! read more

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A really cool beach that doesn't see much tourist attraction. It is literally on the side of the road and not near any heavily populated areas. If you are up near Gualala, California, first why, then go see this beach. The biggest catch is to see the rocks you have to go during low tide which in Summer months can be 8-9AM, although if you get there around 11 you should still see some of the rocks the water may be coming after you. Be prepared. Also, know the area. This isn't a southern California beach so the water is cold, depending on when you arrive it can be wet, foggy, overcast, etc. I'd bring a jacket if you see its overcast. Parking is available but only facing south and only wide enough for about 8 cars to park. On the opposite side of the road facing north, there is a dirt road you can park. Once parked there are two trails that technically lead to the beach north and south. The south is the easiest and leads you to a wide-open beach with lots of driftwood and maybe some surfers, who don't like wet suits and the possibility of whale watching. The catch is you have to climb over very slippery rocks to get to where the north trail spits you out. If you go on the south trail be careful climbing over these rocks. During low tide, there are tide pools and hidden anemones. Pro tip: Try to step on sand or green algae avoid the brown. If you take the north trail it will lead you directly to the correct side of the beach. The north trail does experience some erosion and can be closed. When you get to the beach you'll have to shimmy down the rockface down to a giant patch of driftwood. Be careful. Be prepared. Wear appropriate footwear. Once on the sand, you'll see the rocks in the north but it is a bit of a trek to see them. The walk is nice and lots of room to spread out in case there are other people. Along the way, there are tide pools, rock structures, some marine wildlife, all the good stuff. Overall, it's is a great beach. There are no bathrooms, no free doggie bags, no-frills. Literally, on the side of the road. But you'll see some crazy cool geological formations and might see an anemone or to. This place isn't usually crowded.u read more

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Excellent time and a great way to spend a couple+ hours on your own or with loved ones. I was surprised at how much there was to do in this little stretch of beach. Parking is right off the road and can easily be passed by if you're not using Google maps. Worth finding and you'll most likely have this beauty of a beach to yourself. read more

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Well, we missed the Bowling Balls. Apparently you have to come in the weeee hours of the morning in order for the tide to be low enough to actually see them. If I had known that I may have put the effort into see actually getting up but no, Im really not that type of person. We did however have a lovely afternoon. It was windy as all hell. It was so windy that when the sand blasted us it was like being actually sand blasted. It stung! There is a little trail that at times seems precarious but easily manageable even if you're carrying stuff. On a clear crisp day its such beautiful landscape. We laid on a blanket and drank some beers. We explored the rocks and crevices along the shore. The beach is wide and spacious. There were quite a few other families meandering about and its big enough for everyone. It was a very fun adventurous day. read more

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The trailhead to the bowling beach is so easy to miss. Once you find the parking lot and park your car, make sure to take the trail furthest from the bridge because most people (even us) take the one that takes you to Schooner Gulch State Beach because it is well marked whereas bowling bowl beach is not marked. This was our second attempt to see the bowling bowl beach because our first attempt was not successful. On our first attempt we stopped by because we were driving by but we came at the wrong time (during high tides). We came when the tide was -0.52 ft. These bowling balls come from the cliff. This is known as "concretion." Can you believe that these concretions that look like beach balls eroded from the sandstone beds? Super cool, if I may say so. This natural wonder is something you don't want to drive past if your in the area. read more

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This is a beach worth seeing. It definitely makes you wonder. It's quite a phenomenon! Add it to your 'must see' list. Tips: 1-website to checkout before visiting https://www.tideschart.com/United-States/California/Mendocino-County/Bowling-Ball-Beach/Weekly/ 2. Lookout for the parking area by the road. Easy to miss. It's on the south bound side. 3. Go to the trail entry at the very last end of the parking spot. You will see a small sign. 4-be ready to do a hike... it's not too far, but be ready to do some minor climb over huge driftwoods towards the end of the trail. 5-just in case, wear a wind breaker, a pair of glasses and a mask in case it's really windy. You can brave it without these items on a windy day, but you might be clearing sand off your eyes and mouth before you get to where the rocks are. 6-careful walking on mossy rocks during low tide, literally 'slippery when wet'. 7-of course, take your cameras read more

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Tips: 1. Go during low tide in the morning. Please google for times. 2. Don't be discouraged by no ladder to the beach. After the steps end, there is a tire you can easily step off down onto beach. Ok for kids. Took my 2 year old no problem. 3. Wear shoes instead of sandals. There are lots of flys and kelp along the beach. Rocks are also slippery. 4. Bring a jacket. It gets cold, especially in the morning. 5. Carry expensive camera equipment in a backpack so that it's easier for you to climb down to beach. When you get there: There's a sign that says PARK FACING SOUTH. There are 2 trails. Take the trail in the north. Walk along the path until you reach wooden steps leading down to beach. Walk north along the beach until you see the bowling balls. If you go during high tide, walk north until you see 2 large wooden logs. read more

Bowling Ball Beach - Beaches Near Me - Point Arena, California

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We went there twice. The 1st time's low tide hour was 4:30 am. We couldn't make it. The next week after that, the lowest tide was 10:30 am. We made it. Although the road was narrow but it's worthy to visit this place. I noticed that there is a similar place in New Zealand. Should visit Bowling Ball Beach without paying excessive dollars. Love it. read more

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Very cool beach, the rocks are well worth seeing. As others have stated, READ the TIDESCHART and make sure to read it correctly. If you come at high tide, you will find a beautiful, sandy, wide and secluded beach but not the distinctive rocks you were looking for. We missed the midday low tide and since I had a serious case of FOMO, we actually came back in the middle of the night. That was an adventure all in itself, walking through the woods, down the stairs and over a pile of driftwood in the dark. Once our eyes had become accustomed to the low light, we did find the rocks. It was magical, being there with only my husband but we did stumble a few times on the way there and back, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. There is free parking along the highway, but it's not well marked. Take the path at the northern end of the parking strip (towards Mendocino) even though there is no signs. To reach the beach you have to descend a number of uneven stairs and climb over a large pile of driftwood accumulated at the bottom of the stairs, you really can't go around it. read more

Pretty amazing and unique beach! There's not really any signs for this beach like others but there is a small parking area right off road, where there are two hiking paths, the north one leads to Bowling Ball Beach, which ends at stairs to no where, really and you have to jump and balance along some trees to get to solid ground, nothing too difficult and it's a small walk to the Bowling Balls. Best to go at low tide. Side note, there's no bathrooms, dogs on leash only. And the south trail leads to another beach (divided by large rocks) but is very beautiful as well, path to this beach was very muddy (mid-April) but still do-able. read more

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No one's written anything about this? I'll gladly be the first then. It's fantastic. Go see it! There. I'm done. :D Okay, okay, fine, here's more. A lot more. The "bowling balls" are these odd geological formations form ball-shaped boulders that are curiously in many rows. Google this beach and see the images for yourself. It's very unusual, and I think totally cool looking. Now, I'm gonna give you the info that I wish I had when I visited. 1. How you get there: The trailhead is at the intersection of Hwy. 1 and Schooner Gulch Road on (of course) the ocean side of the Hwy 1. It's a small dirt lot with a sign that says "Please park facing south" or words to that effect. There are two trails there, one to the south that goes down to Schooner Gulch, and another north trail that goes to Bowling Ball Beach. You want the north one. 2. How you get there, part deux: After walking on a trail through tall grass and some trees, you go down some steps. And this is where it gets tricky. The last, I don't know, maybe 15 feet of descent is nearly vertical. There are steps that are tied there by cable and are very strong, but if you're not expecting it, as was the case with me while I was carrying a bunch of photography equipment, it can be a little tricky. So you go down this, and afterwards, you can either slip and slide on the smooth stones or walk on a very large log on balance beam style while you are about four feet or so over the smooth rocks. I'll pick the balance beam log every time. As you can probably guess, this is probably not a great idea for small children, the elderly, or anybody with mobility issues. Or people weighed down with lots of photographic equipment. :D 3. How you get there, part trois: I don't know why I'm numbering things like this. I don't even speak French. Anyway, after this, you walk north. For you directionally challenged, that means you take a right and walk farther away from San Francisco and toward Fort Bragg. :D The bowling ball formations are probably about 2/10ths of a mile, or maybe a five or ten minute walk along the beach. 4. Go during low tide: You cannot see the bowling ball formations during high tide. Consider checking the tides online. When I was there, low tide was early morning, and high tide was around 11:30am or noon, with another high tide again around 11:00pm. You want low tide. They're especially weird looking when it's really low tide. 5. It's easy to get your camera wet here!! Salt water is toxic to your digital camera, and around the bowling ball formations, the water can suddenly splash up high unpredictably because of the odd smooth formations. I was taking long exposure photos with my Nikon DSLR - AND I had a plastic bag around the camera, although apparently not good enough. Splaaaaaaaaash!!! I suddenly got soaked even though the wave was just as small as all the other ones, and my camera got some drops on it as well despite having a plastic bag around most of it. I immediately wiped off the camera, and kept shooting. A little while later, my camera began acting bizarrely. To make a long story short, it's hosed, and I didn't drop it or even have it get completely nailed by a wave. It was wet, sure, but in droplets. Be careful there. It's the only beach I've ever gotten my camera wet, as I'm usually quite careful. I got some lovely long exposure photos of the water looking very ethereal, gliding around the smooth stones, but they're now very expensive photos. 6. Blind intersection where you are parked: When you pull out of the dirt parking lot, be very careful. People heading south cannot see you. You should also head south for a short while and then turn around elsewhere if you wish to drive north. And in fact, I believe there's a No U-Turn" sign somewhere around there anyway. But sign or no, I would recommend not doing it. P.S. As it turns out, I made several mistakes with the camera. I should have never turned it back on, and gone immediately to the car, opened everything on the camera and turned the vents on it, then immediately gone and put it in a bag of rice or dessicant to absorb the moisture, which I did do a couple of hours later after discovering the error of my ways. That said, the camera store I spoke to on the phone said that it's most likely hosed anyway. Some people have reported some success in taking the camera completely apart and washing each part carefully with distilled water, but again, I'm finding all this out after the fact. So now you've gotten lots of information on Bowling Ball Beach and how to care for your saltwater-damaged digital camera. read more

Bowling Ball Beach - Morning at Bowling Ball Beach near Point Arena, Mendocino County. - Beaches Near Me - Point Arena, California

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What a unique place, absolutely worth it! Plan your visit during low tide. This site shows the times for low tide: https://tides4fishing.com/us/california/point-arena Check out the incredible sedimentary rock layers just north of bowling ball beach too! Dog friendly but no trash cans so be prepared to pack out anything you clean up. The closest muni trash can we found was in Point Arena - that part was not awesome... read more

Bowling Ball Beach - Beaches Near Me - Point Arena, California

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We went down there yesterday and had a blast. I was a little intimidated by the reviews of the treacherous descent to the beach but it really wasn't that bad. We made it down there with myself (7 months pregnant), my husband, our 7 yr old and 2 yr old. We brought just one bag of stuff and my husband helped carry the 2 yr old across. It was quite an adventure! My husband and daughter finished building one of the "huts" that was started with the driftwood. They had a great time. Then we walked north for like 5/10 mins like the previous reviewer wrote and got to the rocks. We came during high tide so we couldn't see as much as some of the pictures show but it was so gorgeous. Our kids had a great time and it was such a memorable part of our trip! Definitely go check out this beach and don't be afraid, it's not too hard to get down there read more

Well worth the short hike. Stairs down to the beach are much improved. The beach is awesome. Shells are few and far between, but still there if you hunt really hard. Make sure you know the tide schedule. read more

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We went based on the other reviews and it was worth it! Very unique beach. Our 3 year old had no trouble making it to the beach. Highly recommend! read more

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This is an easy trail key is to find the bowling ball beach :) 1. Go on a Low tide 2. There are two Trails take the right one. This will take you down using stairs. Walk for 0.5 miles and you can see bowling balls. This is the picture of the trail entrance (don't take the one in the left) https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8691882,-123.6535277,3a,75y,241.46h,82.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slDf_3taOrRxLiNHlJPWEDw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 P.S. If you are coming from North google maps will point you a place where it has sign parking 0.3 miles to the south. Park your car after going 0.3 miles and take the right trail. read more

Be sure you plan ahead: hit the restrooms beforehand, wear shoes, bring jackets, chk tide schedule, and be aware you will climb down a very steep path/stairs/rocky outcrop and logs. Dogs are fine, it's us two-legged not quite limber people that will have problems. Small kids will need to be handed down from the last steps onto somewhere flat, not on the loose stack of logs And if it is rainy or rained last night forget it. The beach itself is great The Bowling ball area is North of the stairs so turn right. But the walk up there is very geologically interesting. Our coastline has done a lot of bending and twisting. Also if your patient you find little sea critters and other stuff. read more

Ken L. has pretty much covered all you need to know about Bowling Ball Beach. In fact, I know I stumbled upon his blog while researching for my trip to this beach, as the story of his camera's demise, was familiar when I read his Yelp review. Here are some additional details... Location: Mile marker 11.4 or 11.5. The parking area on the west side of PCH is located here. If the area is full, cars park on the side of the road perpendicular to PCH. North trail to BBB: Some websites note the North Trail is closed due to the last 10-15 feet of the trail being washed away due to erosion. At last check, the State Parks still lists the trail as closed, yet the closed signed at the trail head is no longer there. So the log and anchoring lines that serves as a ladder for the last part of the trail to beach is either newly placed or are the remains of the Dutch Sand Ladder system. A little intimidating at first, but really a piece of cake for adults and older children. Tides and photography: Going at the lowest tide of the day is not the best idea unless you want to shoot the rocks while they are dry. I prefer anywhere from 1-2 hours before or after low tide. Shooting long exposure photography and having the water around the rocks is ideal. At high tide the rocks are covered with water. And that algae-like lettuce-like plant covering the rocks. Watch your step. People fall. If you're carrying camera gear, be careful. If the top of a bowling ball rock even has a hint of it, don't jump it. That would just be dumb. read more

A must-see place, when you're in the area. My recommendation is to google the tide in the area before you go. We went there at the lowest tide while we were there, but unfortunately, it wasn't low enough. The 'bowling ball' boulders were clearly visible, but we couldn't get close to it because the tide was still too high. Anyway, we still had fun. Now to get there. There are two trails from the parking spot (on the side of the road). Take the one at the beginning of the parking (across Schooner Gulch Rd). Its a short easy trail, but gets a little challenging as you get closer and lower to the beach. The other trail will take you to the beach as well, but to the other side of the cliff. I'm not sure if the two trails are connected in any way though. Anyway, once you get down to the beach, turn right. The bowling ball boulders are about 10-15 minutes walk. read more

An easy five stars. To say this place is hard to find is a bit of an understatement. We parked, hiked, climbed down to the beach, then turned left instead of right because the bowling balls were so far down the beach, we didn't recognize them. If you go, park at Schooner Gulch, then take the trail up the hill (away from the overpass). The bowling balls are about a quarter mile north on the beach once you descend the partially destroyed/washed out stairs. It's well worth the effort, though. Not only are there maybe fifty boulders about two feet across, there are also, amazingly, perfectly straight "lanes" next to them. The lanes are made of stone, and in the crevasses are some nice little tide pools. It's really an amazing place and a must see if you're physically fit to climb down to the beach. It's also a pretty nice beach, by the way. We found a couple of nice oyster shells on the walk back to the car, the sand is nice and soft and there probably won't be many people there. read more

Ken's directions were great. Except now, there is no rope ladder. There is simply a rope to hold on to while you descend the almost-vertical muddy hill backwards. And beware - the logs at the bottom covering the creek are slippery and unstable. That being said, my 6 year old, 9 year old and 70-year old parents all navigated it with success and it was 100% worth the effort. This beach is so beautiful and interesting! read more

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Very unique and worth the short hike. Make sure you use the north trail (starts at north end of road parking lot). Incredible views from the cliffs if you take the south trail. Great tide pools if you hit low tide. read more

What a wonderful day!!! Make sure you go kinda early as there is not a lot of parking. You basically just park on the side of the road. The walk down isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I am afraid of everything and this wasn't bad. There's a cable at the top of the ladder to hold onto as you start to climb down. Once you make the climb down you'll be amazed. The rock formations on the cliffs are amazing. There are pelicans on the beach. I even saw seagulls eating a dead octopus. It was a full day of awe. Make sure you're there for low tide so you don't miss out on the full potential the the bowling balls offer. I suggest packing a lunch and making a day of it. Don't miss this one it's breathtaking!!!! read more

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Final Verdict! Just Go! I was worried about the broken ladder/stairs lots of people talked about. I called the State Park Service only to get the wrong information (the ladder was broken and not accessible). I made up my mind to visit the beach anyway. I did it on 7/23 and 7/24 of 2018. I found nothing to worry about. Here are what I found out: (1) The ladder (became stairs after the fix) was fixed now and sits on a stack of sand bags. You can get there easily. And safely. (2) I carried about 20 lbs of photo equipment including my tripods without any problem. (3) The address of the BBB parking location is: 28200 CA-1, Point Arena, CA 95468 (The mile marker is 11.41 either direction.) (4) The trail at the north end of parking area leads to the BBB, while the trail at the south end of parking area leads to Schooner Gulch State Beach. These two beaches are separated by Galloway Creek that can be crossed only at negative tide. (5) The best tide level for photography is between 1 foot and 3.5 feet. Check the tide table for Point Arena. Google it to find the tide level. (6) You will see tons of fog in summer. I recommend fall season. The tide and colored sunset weather may coincide in fall. (7) For photography, you may need ND filter. (8) When you arrive at the parking area, DO NOT make U-turn either direction. It is very dangerous as the south bound traffic is behind uphill, so not visible. read more

Bowling Ball Beach - Bowling Ball Beach as of 7/23/2018 - Beaches Near Me - Point Arena, California

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Not easy to get to! Make sure when you go, go to the trail on the north part of the parking lot. After you get down the stairs, it's still a hike down the beach. Go low tide!! Once you're there it's amazing!! It was well worth the hike. Only 2 in the world so don't miss your chance to see it. read more

Don't miss the place. You pretty much park on the side of the street and walk down. The hike down to the beach itself was not bad and the climb down with the rope was not bad at all neither. Once down, we ran into a couple that told us the tide was too high and they had came when it was low tide but only saw about 5 bowling balls. What a bummer for us but we still enjoyed the beach and warm weather that day. read more

We're beach snobs. This one is amazing! Had it all to ourselves one sunny Sunday recently, and it was magical. Perfect for the kids!

the most amazing place- the cliffs are every bit as awesome as the bowling balls, which are so unique! someone did some extensive trail work recently, and the stairs go almost all the way to the beach now. elders and little ones were negotiating it well, with a hand by a 40's guy. just make sure you come during a "minus tide", not just "low tide". we went on a minus 1.08 tide and everything was exposed. if you walk out on the rocks, a hiking pole for balance is recommended since they are slippery. this was one of the most impressive natural formations that I've ever seen, and can't recommend it highly enough! worth planning ahead carefully for... read more

Bowling Ball Beach - the last bit of trail as of june 2018 - Beaches Near Me - Point Arena, California

I came here this past weekend during low tide (approx 630pm) to see these bowling balls boulders and I would definitely say it's nice to see but somewhat disappointing. They weren't as big as they were in the pictures I see in 7x7 articles and these photographers were in the water taking shots of it so it was hard to get photos without them in it. Also you can only park on the south side and when you do there's two trails. Take the trail that is closer to the "top" of the cars parking. We took the bottom one closer to where we parked and walked all the way down to the beach only realizing it was completely blocked off by driftwood and then we had to go back up. Found some hikers and asked them how to get the bowling ball beach and they told us but the other trail would have led us straight there with a 15 minute walk!! Anyways the ladder broke which makes it hard for anyone who's not willing to walk on some wood and rocks to go down and see it. read more

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