Fantastic access to lots of public beaches! We visited in June and enjoyed some time on the beach and 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. read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - River Views - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

This is a beautiful stretch of beach that runs through Jenner and the towns in either side. 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. read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

SCW and I drove over to Sonoma Coast State Beach salmon creek during a recent wine tasting trip. I wanted to see the ocean and walk along the beach so we could get some nature. I really enjoyed the area as the highway winds along the beach with many spots to pull off and enjoy the beautiful views of the ocean. Salmon creek area is nice with a parking area with restrooms available as well. There are trails that go down to the beach which depending on which you choose can be quite steep. Take your time and be rewarded by the cool fresh air coming off the water onto the beach. We took our time to wander along the water, finding shells and cool rock formations from the constant exposure to the water. There's quite a bit of driftwood on the beach which it looks like some have made into forts/ seating areas all of which are unique. Portions to the north of Salmon Creek are rocky but you'll find cool views from around each bend along the shore. I enjoyed our time on the beach exploring and watching the waves crash, the various birds in the surf and on the shore. Definitely worth the drive and taking the time to stop and enjoy nature. read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

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Stumbled upon this beach. No parking fee and very huge beach. A bit chilly yet beautiful N Cal beach. Will come again to walk along the sand for longer. read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

Wow. The Pacific Coast views here are spectacular. Just take a look at my pictures: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sonoma-coast-state-beach-salmon-creek-bodega-bay?userid=j14WgRoU_-2ZE1aw1dXrJg. Nuff said. On our way up California State Route 1 (SR1) from Bodega Bay to Guerneville, we stopped at one of the lookout points overlooking North Salmon Creek Beach and Salmon Creek State Beach. This stretch of SR1 is known as Coast Highway and Shoreline Highway. The place we stopped at was just north of the Sonoma Coast State Park - North Salmon Creek Beach parking lot. It was higher up, atop the cliffs, in a small, unpaved section, just off the road. In this spot, there's enough room for a few cars to comfortably and safely park. Our group of seven pulled up in a large Yukon SUV, next to a woman trying to have a peaceful solo lunch in her car. We visited around 12:45pm on a Saturday. The highway wasn't too busy. We lucked out because the weather was perfect. It was mostly sunny and clear, and not too windy. If you're passing through and the weather is good, it's definitely worth stopping here to take in the views and snap a couple pictures. These beaches are part of the Sonoma Coast State Park, owned by the state of California and operated by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. This is opposed to where we just came from, nearby Doran Regional Park in Bodega Bay (https://www.yelp.com/biz/doran-regional-park-bodega-bay-2), which is owned and operated by Sonoma County (Sonoma County Regional Parks). Sonoma Coast State Park runs about 17 miles, starting at Bodega Head to the south and ending a few miles north of Jenner-by-the-Sea, all in Sonoma County. read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - Truly picturesque. We were lucky to get such perfect, clear, and sunny weather during our visit to North Salmon Creek Beach. - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

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On the way home from a couple of days in Gualala, we wanted a place to eat our lunch with nice views. I also needed a bathroom. Other coastal turnouts we passed did not have bathrooms but I noticed the sign for North Salmon Creek Beach had an icon for bathrooms. We stopped and discovered that there were no picnic tables, so we ate our sandwiches in our car. The facilities had no running water and the toilets were just a big pit with a toilet seat on top. Luckily we had some water in our car to wash our hands. For future road trips I'll bring along sanitary wipes. We walked down to the beach. The beach access route near the bathrooms was a little treacherous, with a couple of stairs broken and missing. We went up the other route at the north side of the parking lot. That one was easier to take. read more

Love this beach! You can easily escape the crowded part of the beach for a more secluded walk amongst the big waves, surfers, and huts made from driftwood! read more

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ENTRY TO BODEGA BAY I am a Bay Area native. I was born in San Francisco but raised in the the East Bay. There are lots of places in the Bay Area that I haven't visited. Rarely do I visit the North Bay, which I am not familiar. When it comes to Bodega Bay the first thing that comes to mind is Alfred Hitchcock's "Birds". In fact I had never visited Bodega Bay until about four weeks ago. On a Friday two of my cousins and me went to this beach as one of my cousin's friend recommended this beach. The path to the beach is intriguing. There's a sandy trail from the parking lot that leads you to the beach. Walking through this trail you'll notice the sand dunes. As you arrive at the beach it's fairly wide and lengthy for a beach in the Bay Area. With the depth and length you have more than enough space to set up your area. The parking lot adjacent to this beach was full yet since the beach has a wide space people were spread apart. Because people were spread apart there's a serenity on this beach - the crowd noise wasn't too loud. The day my cousins and me went to this beach the weather wasn't too hot yet the sand can burn your feet. What was soothing was submerging your feet in the cold water. As this was my first time to visit Bodega Bay I'm glad this beach was my first site in town. read more

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We really loved this spot. The views, sand, rocks, drift wood. One thing we didn't really like was no dogs. Which didn't seem to really matter people seemed to ignore the signs which we thought about doing as well but there was also signs about toxic algae for dogs. Not being from this area though better to be safe. Other then that this place was grate watching surfers and families play on the beach. There was so much drift wood but the people and families made thing out of them like one family made a tater tot other made huts among other things it was really interesting to watch. The Stars are so bright at night its so pretty. read more

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Came here yesterday evening with a close Yelp friend and all I can say is just wow, what a beautiful tranquil beach! My friend and I both love photography, so we enjoyed taking lots of shots, it's really picturesque with the beautiful ocean, rocks and I enjoyed watching all the surfers on their boards gliding through the waves! It was a little chilly so I was afraid to dip my toes in the ocean lol, but I enjoyed walking along the beach and just sitting on a log burying my feet in the sand. I would love to take my daughter here next time I'm in the area, I can just imagine building sand castles with her with a little pail and shovel and burying each other's bodies in the sand! I would highly recommend coming to this gorgeous beach and staying until the sun sets like we did, you won't regret it, it's beautiful! If you have a special someone in your life this would be the perfect place to take them, just listening to the relaxing waves crash over the ocean, picking up seashells and watching the sunset go down, so romantic! I know we'll definitely be back! read more

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We had lunch in Bodega Bay, so decided to check out a beach. My group of five arrived on Thursday, February 22nd around 2:45pm. It was a freezing day, so plenty of parking in the lot. We walked down the narrow steps and voila, we were at the beach! It was cold and windy AF, so we were the only ones here. The beach was beautiful, but due to the wind, sand was blowing around everywhere. I definitely took some back with me: in my shoes, my socks, and I think even my eye! We never made it out all the way to the actual ocean part as we were only here for about 10-15 mins. I think surfers like that spot as there were some good waves out there? Pretty beach, but so so cold! read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - North Salmon Creek - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

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Easy parking. Long, expansive beach, so easy to space out. Can get windy, but a really fun and unique feature of this beach are the driftwood wind shelters people have built which serve amazingly well as cozy tents. Clean, fine, warm sand. Water is freezing per usual along the Northern coast, but my kids had a ball collecting driftwood and playing in the sand. read more

As a California native, I can safely say this is one of the best sunset spots in all of California. I love driving into one of the pullouts with my dog, relaxing, and having a beer. Even when it's crowded, the vibe of the people who frequent this spot is generally pretty good. However, dogs are not allowed on the beach itself due to sensitive Snowy Plover habitat. Please respect the signs and do not bring your dogs down to the beach. read more

If you are in the Bodega Bay area and are looking for a quite beach to have lunch or just decompress then look no further. A serene spot just off the highway with a ton of real estate and gorgeous vistas of the hills and vast ocean. read more

4 stars for Salmon Creek. 5 stars if they would of been dog friendly. It would definitely be a 5 star review from the surfers. As this is a surfing hot spot. Beaches North of Coleman are dog friendly. Years ago, Salmon Creek used to be dog friendly. Unfortunately that is no longer due to the protection of the Snowy Plover. There are 2 entrances, the north parking lot which is the main lot. And the south lot off Bean Avenue. Salmon Creek runs through this beach and flows its way out to the ocean. I often see kids wading in the shallows of the creek because is safe and there is no threat of waves. I personally wouldn't let myself or my dogs in that water because I think of all of the pasture run off. Leptospirosis is always a concern in any standing water. Which is a Zoonotic Disease that attacks the kidneys. This beach is very popular for family gatherings, picnics, volleyball and the main attraction for surfers. Out of all the coastal beaches up and down the Sonoma County coast, Salmon Creek is definitely the hot spot to catch a wave or two. There is no fee to park here. As there are no fees to park up and down the state beaches. Unless you go over to Doran. The fee is $7 because that is "Regional" not state. Just a reminder, its ALWAYS a good idea to bring a jacket, hat, ect. The weather at out Sonoma beaches is hit or miss. You can check the weather before you decide to head out. April and May tend to be out windy months. July-sept our most foggy. And December February is our most beautiful. The winter time is my favorite for a beach trip because it tends to be nicer than inland. read more

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Salmon Creek State Beach has been "my ocean beach" since I bought my home in Sonoma County in 1991 . . . and I really do love this beach. I always get excited the moment in the day when I decide spontaneously that "I'm going to the beach now!" The drive on Hwy 116 to Sebastopol then through to Bodega Hwy all the way to Hwy 1 Pacific Coast Highway is a lovely drive. The temperature usually drops considerably at this beach. Today, it was 91 degrees in Rohnert Park and 64 degrees at Salmon Creek State Beach. The skies were perfect blue, no clouds, and the wind was brisk yet nicely cool. I would always bring a sweatshirt or jacket anyways. The parking lot is usually full on weekends and peak hours, but somehow I have always managed to snag a parking spot. Thank you parking fairies. The walk down from the parking lot is a somewhat steep path on some railroad board stairs, then gravelish dirt to the beach. It should be walked slowly and carefully. As I've done many dozens of times here, I walk several miles southward along the wave borders, dodging the higher reaching waves. I so love the waves and the sound of them. When I come alone I am often lost in thought, or sometimes talk with the Spirit of the Pacific Ocean. Today, there were water fairies darting about and playing with the wind/air fairies. Hope you can at least feel them here. (Tell me if that's TMI . . . LOL!) I eventually reach "the dunes" part of the beach. It's quite a large area with many niches to recline, set-up camp, or have a little shelter from the wind. Up on top of the dunes you can even find semi-private abodes for romantic moments if that tickles your fancy. It is just heaven to fall asleep on the clean, warm sand with little reed grasses around you on the dunes facing the ocean. I imagine being there with any beautiful woman named Cassandra, Denisa, or Jessica something or another. Those ocean sand dunes sure are mounds of fantasy for me. As I fall asleep in my little sand haven, with the sound of waves breaking, and wind gently blowing the reed grasses around me, I leave this world for a short time. There are blessings upon blessings of Nature everywhere, if you only pause to take notice. When you come to Salmon Creek State Beach, calm your mind and really look . . . there is the majesty of the Pacific Ocean . . . the beauty of simple clean sand . . . . . . and, if you find yourself smiling with your heart lifted, maybe just maybe, you've been kissed by nature fairies that abound in this special place. Review 0136 read more

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Small camp ground at wrights beach but worth the drive. Camp host was very friendly and explaind the dangers of the surf and to be sure to put your stuff away at night because of racoons. Would recomend the premium sights.or the back side more room. Will return. read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

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Made a pit stop while passing thru at around 10 AM. The restrooms were just cleaned. Perfect timing. Wished we could've spent more time here. The view is spectacular! If you plan on traveling up Highway 1, it's a perfect spot to grab some fresh air and reset. read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

Salmon Creek Beach is located off of Pacific Coast Highway just north of downtown Bodega. What sets this creek apart from others in the area is that Salmon Creek heads into the ocean at this point. It is a great spectacle to behold. This beach is popular among families who want to spend a day at the beach. The creek is great for people who want to wade in the water without the peril of the ocean. It is also a popular location for surfers. The beach itself is split into two separate parts - North and South which are divided by Salmon Creek. Dogs are NOT allowed at this beach - consider yourself warned!! There is free parking, and public restrooms (glorified port-a-lets). The walk from the North Beach parking lot to the water is a bit steep. The walk on the South Beach is a lot more walker friendly. I love heading to the beach when at the ocean without dogs. It is a great one to stop at along this string of beaches!! read more

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Stunning coastline and this one has a creek with shallow water to have fun in. Enjoy! Remember to pick up your trash and other's trash if you have time. read more

Great picnic spot!!! This ain't SO CAL folks! Bring your jackets, hats scarfs etc. bring a thermos of coffee, hot coco, apple cider etc. Get your self some hot chowder, or our world famous San Francisco CIOPPINO!!! If you don't know what cioppino is, you'd better ask somebody, because you don't know what you've been missing... its the best thing since (whatever your favorite thing is) anyhow... Back to Salmon Creek, if you go to the north end, especially during late summer, early fall you can watch some great surfing especially if you go before 10am while the breaks are still clean. Pack it in, pack it out... only take photos, and memories!!! read more

*We drove up the coast from Bodega Bay (not impressed) to Sonoma Coast State Park, where the Russian River meets the Pacific. I'm not sure where the official State Beach begins on thie route, so I'll review the places we stopped here. We intended to stop for the Schoolhouse Beach tidepools, but the area was closed. We ended up visiting the next beach north, Portuguese Beach. The rocks and beach here were kind of ordinary, but the flowers on the bluff were unbelievably beautiful. You had to walk to the far end, then up to the top of the beach to appreciate it, and nobody else did while we were there, but do make the effort if you get a chance. I'm guessing the time of year would make a huge difference, but midway through June this was the place to be. Before we left, we asked a couple of rangers (conservation officers?) where we could find tidepools and they sent us up the road to Shell Beach. We had a good time climbing around on the rocks, but if there are fantastic tidepools there, we missed them. We did see the biggest anemone of the trip here, but that's about it. As with Portuguese beach, the beach was just okay. read more

The most fun time ever! We visited this beach in January and it was gorgeous. My daughter says it is the best Beach of all time. If you visit bodega bay we highly recommend this beach :) read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - The perfect beach! - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

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Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Luckily it wasn't very windy or cold when we came. The views are amazing and there's plenty of parking. You can just drive for hours along the highway and enjoy the water. Great day trip and lots of food options close by. read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

This beach is wonderful quiet gem of Bodega Bay. If you're driving off the main strip, you might not see it. Parking is free. read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - Panorama of beach. - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

I loved this beach! RIght off the freeway. We stayed at Bodega Dunes campground and this was one of the first stops we made and ended up hanging out for a few hours. The beach is clean, if you're like me then you carry a trash bag and clean up a bit on the walk back. The creek area was beautiful and the waves were much calmer than where the creek meets the ocean. Safe for the kids, you still need to watch them the creek has a pretty strong current and gets deep in the center. This isn't a resort beach; it's the type of beach where you cast your woes away forever. read more

I love this beach. The access is fairly easy, although some older folks or the really unfit might not agree. The sand is soft and the waves are rolling. You can have a picnic, set up some volleyball, build a driftwood shelter, or be like me and dig your toes in the sand and zone out watching the waves. read more

This is my favorite beach to go to! Although, I wish the parking lot was bigger! It sucks driving out here and not being able to park! But other than that, very clean, great views, very calm and relaxing place to just chill:) Plus if your a big kid like me and like to play around, the sand dunes are fun to jump off of! read more

Bring a sweater! Layer up! It's really cold, but which part of the northern pacific isn't cold? There's tons of space for family activities such as volleyball, kickball, football. No tidepools. Lots of surfers :) Parking: not a lot of parking space in the lot, about 15-20 spaces. Free!!! Restrooms: one stall for men, one stall for women. Weather: beach was foggy or partly cloudy. Location: 10-15 minutes away from bodega bay. Quite a walk down into the beach... Mildly steep. read more

nice place to chill on a weekday. very few people and plenty of spaces to park yourself. away from people. the shallow watery areas are goood kids to play in. read more

Sonoma Coast State Beach - salmon creek-summer - Beaches Near Me - Bodega Bay, California

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I just visited North Salmon Creek beach for the first time with my kids age 2,4 and 14. We had a great time. The little guys played in the calm water where the creek flows into the ocean and the older one played in the crashing waves. I think we may have lucked out with the weather because it was not windy or very cold (I did keep my fleece on the whole time but I expect that on the Northern CA coast. The trail we took down from the parking lot was very steep but if you follow the path north from the north end of the parking lot there's an easier way. The seagulls are pretty aggressive about food and will steal anything not guarded. read more