They have the most beautiful pebbles there. There's only one other Pebble Beach in the Bay area near 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. read more

Stunning beach . A must do for tide poolers as the density of starfish and Barnacles is more impressive 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 read more

Schoolhouse Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

Large parking area! Steep paved decent to the beach but able to see starfish, muscles, barnacles anemones and much more. Beautiful views from the parking lot if you just park there! read more

Steep access, but, with hiking poles a manageable descent. This is not a "sandy"beach, lots of pebbles. This is a great example of a Sonoma coast beach, rocky and gorgeous. Especially wonderful when the tide is coming in, lots of crashing waves. read more

I guess the first thing you should know is this beach is all pebbles! No sand. That being said it's a great beach but a bit hard to walk on compared to most. Compared to most beaches in this area it's easy to get to without a huge cliff to walk down. Also, dogs are allowed! read more

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Such a beautiful beach. Always a great place to stop relax, get some fresh ocean air.

Arrived to the beach around 5pm and stayed till 8pm to catch the sunset. The parking lot is really big and expansive! In order to enter the beach, the paved path takes you down and it declines a bit. The path is narrow once the road separates from the beach terrain. The bathrooms are close by to the parking lot and you pass it on the way to enter the beach. Features of this beach include: 1. Lots of small pebbles/rocks 2. Little sand 3. A few beautifully water carved boulders and rocks by the shore I would highly recommend bringing shoes (rather than only sandals) for those with sensitive feet. The rocks are a pain to step on barefoot. read more

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Beautiful, small beach near the entrance to the bodega bay coast. I absolutely love this quant beach. The pebbles are not as soft but it is extremely centrally located right off of the highway with high tides and a beautiful view. I would recommend going on a non busy week day! This beach definitely is perfect for a non busy day but busy would be too crowded for most. Wear flip flops as the pebbles of the beach are not soft sand. Also this is a beach with a strong current and nice winds. Great for kite flying but not good for swimming. Definitely recommend for a beautiful beach lounging spot or nice views! read more

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Such a beautiful beach. This beach doesn't have sand. It's tiny rocks only, which do get HOT! There is a bathroom near the parking lot. Those were clean. No water fountains or sinks. read more

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Beautiful beach and vantage point to watch and enjoy the ocean. Plenty of parking and a nice path down to the ocean

Why is Schoolhouse Beach my "BEST BEACH BODEGA BAY" ? Many reasons: Track with me on these... Love dogs? Because of the protection of the snowy plover, no dogs are allowed on Salmon Creek Beach or Bodega Dunes. Schoolhouse happily , is one of those safe to take muffin to.Remember Sonoma County has a Leash law though, know what I'm sayin'? Keep ankle biters off crabby folks, They might just throw poor muffin to the seagulls! Next: AT LOW TIDE; some of the best tide pooling! We have seen sun stars, octopus, sea cucumbers, sea slugs, bat stars, hermit crabs, crabs, tiny fishies etc. watch for the next minus tide and head on out! Please RESPECT the wildlife though, look, handle gently, place back gently where you got it. I hate seeing dead starfish just because curious folks didn't put it back! (do I sound like a park ranger?) Next: there is a parking lot overlooking the beach. If you don't want to get out at all, just watch the waves, listen to your tunes, it's a wonderful spot to clear your thoughts. Next:There are some nice little cove areas that make for nice private spots, wink ,wink Oh keep your clothes on junior! that's not what I Meant! Lastly: The way the beach is structured in one spot, the waves have this amazing break. I could watch their rhythm all day. FYI: steep incline to the beach may be tough for some people to negotiate. Yes to bathrooms. No to fees. Great for group activities. read more

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This beach is an excellent choice if you have small children, older folks or dogs with you. Easy convenient parking, easy access to the trail which was an easy, quick, only slightly slanted walk. Theres even a paved section you could take. They do have restrooms but they were completely locked up the entire day (we went on a busy Sunday-St Patricks Day). The beach is small pebbles, not sand which made is so much easier to walk in shoes but was a little rough on the barefeet. Lots of rocks to explore. We saw over 50 star fish. Will definitly be back to this beach again. read more

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There are so many incredible beaches close to each other as you drive by on 1 in this area. This is one of those... lovely view and not crowded. read more

Very pretty beach! Lots of parking and an easy walk down to the beach. Great views of waves crashing into the rocks. The beach area is made of tiny pebbles! I loved this because we didn't get sand all over our body and stuff. read more

Schoolhouse Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

This beach is beautiful, and kind of small. There's a great view from the parking area and restrooms available. I chose this based on reviews that it was good for elderly people and kids. It is NOT. The slope is steep, and the pebbles instead of sand make it difficult to walk on. read more

Schoolhouse is a very cool beach, tide pools that contain crabs and other crustaceans, The beach is rocky, not much sand but still easy to maneuver. Waves crashing on the rocks is an awesome sight and gives one pause of the might of nature As much as we like the beach at Schoolhouse there is another great feature there. If you catch a nice day there are a few picnic tables up alongside the parking lot and the views are simply incredible. We had some friends visiting in September and we caught one of those nice sunny days. We all agreed that our picnic could make a magazine cover, especially with that view. Best time of the year weather wise to picnic there is fall, September - October when there is less inversion and the temperature is warmer. Can't think of a better spot to picnic with family and friends. read more

Gorgeous Sonoma coastline! Several lookout points with parking lots. Pro tip: bring an extra jacket- very cold and windy. read more

Schoolhouse Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

Super cool beach. Good place to take dogs. I like that they have bathrooms and a lot of parking. Close to Bodega and Sebastopol/Santa Rosa. NOTE: you cannot have dogs North of Goat Rock or South of Marshall Gulch. Other beaches dogs are welcome but only on a leash. The little pebbles on the beach feel good on your feet and the big rocks offer some nice little coves and hiding places. It was a nice little change from the dunes which I also love. THE BATHROOMS!!! Are amazing!! They don't smell toxic, which is better than I can say for Bodega Dunes. I normally go to Bodega Dunes state beach or Salmon Creek but I enjoyed driving a little bit further along the coast. It was really beautiful. This place is also easy to find, posted right along the road. read more

Schoolhouse Beach - Really enjoyed taking our dogs here - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

This is another great beach in Bodega Bay. Spent the afternoon here after camping. What a way to get rejuvenated! Fresh ocean breeze and the relaxing sounds of waves crashing....aaaahhhhh is the only word that comes to mind to further describe the feeling of being on a nice sandy beach! Plenty of beach, plenty of views and plenty of smiles. Beach combing is great here. The trail to get to beach is a little steep. If your wearing flip flops take it slow going down the trail. No restrooms. read more

Amazing and beautiful! We spent a few hours here today, and although it was a bit foggy, we still had a wonderful time. The rocks were fun to explore with the kiddos, and the foamy waves were exciting to watch and run from. Next time we will remember our kites! read more

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Pretty cool spot. Some nice tide pools if you go left when you touchdown on the beach, however the beach is a heavy rock beach and not sand... barefooters beware!! The waves crashing against the rocks are pretty awesome too! read more

Schoolhouse Beach is probably the most peaceful and relaxing place in the World. I say this without any doubts. There is a rock that is just close enough to land that you can climb on it and sit on. And it is just far enough out in the water to where the waves come in and completely surround you by the ocean. I can sit on this rock for hours and yet stay dry. As for the tide pools... you will definitely get your fill of Starfish, hermit crabs, and regular sized crabs, coral plants, and sometimes you might find a surprise. I have seen a walrus and whale pass by while sitting on this beach. I have also seen sea gulls fly away with somebody else's popcorn and I personally lost a whole loaf of bread to the little bastards. We had to eat our sandwiches wrapped in lettuce but lesson learned! Lol. There are a lot of little pebbles on the beach which tend to irritate bare feet and get stuck in shoes. I found there is no way around this but it is well worth it. There are also sand flies that bite if you set up camp too close to dead coral and kelp washed up on shore. But all of these hazards are well worth it. There are two bathroom stalls that always tend to be unbelievably clean at this beach. The beauty, the sights, and the sounds of this beach are second to none. Enjoy if you go and dress warm no matter what the forecast says. You will not want to leave the whole day. I guarantee it. P.S. If you stay in the area I recommend the Inn at the Tides and their Roman Spa Suite. Nothing beats a Heart Shaped Jacuzzi Tub and a Fireplace in a prime location right on the Bay in this area. The surprisingly cheap price and the experience you have will blow your mind. read more

Great Relaxing Place!! Had a great time just sitting and counting the waves.. Safe for kids and dogs... Little pebble round rocks, not sandy.. A little hard on the feet so bring water shoes or sandals.. read more

Cute little beach, pup friendly. Pebbles instead of sand, fairly clean. Rocks are super sharp so I wouldn't even touch them, pants ripper and palms cut. Quick trek down to beach and they have portable restrooms near parking lot. Would reccomend! read more

I love the tide pools! Every time I go the Schoolhouse Beach I see something new! Today I saw a Seagull eating a starfish. At nearby Carmet Beach I saw a dear on the beach!!! What a wonderful day! read more

Great time at Schoolhouse Beach today... many starfish, mussels, crabs and hermit and sand crabs. To be seen!

Loved the tide pools and sunset! Plus there is quick access from parking lot to beach.

Great Beach , I appreciate it being dog friendly. I wish more beaches and access areas to the beaches in Sonoma county were . Other Than Dillion beach which is also dog friendly where dogs can run free off leash i know of no others in Sonoma County. read more

My favorite beach on the Sonoma Coast, however it is NOT in Bodega Bay, has absolutely NO sand and certainly is NOT safe I you go into the water. What it does offer are great tide pools but you need to be aware of the tides before venturing near them. The beach is all small pretty pebbles, a good amount of shells and sea glass and some really cool large rocks to picnic beside. The walk down is short and moderately steep but shouldn't be a problem if you are in any kind of shape. The only downside is no cell phone reception when you're watching idiots climb up the cliffs or venture out onto the rocks offshore and laugh as they fall or are knocked down by the waves. It takes about 10 minutes to run uphill and drive to the Salmon Creek ranger station to send for help. So far I haven't seen anyone die there but it happens and I know someday I will. So enjoy it but remember to never turn your back on the ocean and don't be a fool. read more