Sonoma Coast State Park runs for 17 miles along the Pacific from Bodega Head north past Jenner, linking a chain of beaches, headlands, and sea stacks that remain one of California’s most dramatic shorelines. Individual beaches along the park — Salmon Creek, Portuguese, Schoolhouse, Shell, Goat Rock, Wright’s, and Blind — each have their own parking, feel, and access, stitched together by Highway 1 and a footpath system along the bluffs. The Russian River meets the ocean at Goat Rock, where harbor seals haul out on the sand at the river mouth most of the year.
Dog rules here vary beach by beach, which is the most important thing to know before visiting. Snowy plover nesting closures keep dogs off several beaches entirely from March through September, and some beaches restrict dogs year-round. Salmon Creek Beach and Bodega Head generally allow leashed dogs, and the Kortum Trail between Shell Beach and Wright’s Beach is open to dogs on leash. Goat Rock, Portuguese Beach, Schoolhouse Beach, and Shell Beach carry seasonal or permanent restrictions — check the signs at each parking lot before heading down to the sand.
For dog visits, Salmon Creek Beach is the reliable choice: wide, uncrowded, with room to walk north or south depending on conditions, and a broad parking area above the dunes. Bodega Head, on the southern end of the park, combines grassland trails on a headland with tidepool access at the base of the cliffs; the loops cover about a mile and a half with steady ocean views. Wright’s Beach Campground, at the mid-point of the park, accepts leashed dogs at campsites and provides direct dune access to the beach below.
The park stretches from the village of Bodega Bay north to the mouth of the Russian River. Highway 1 runs along the entire length, and individual beach parking is well signed. Day-use fees apply at most staffed lots and can be paid at the ranger station at 3095 Coast Highway in Bodega Bay. Weather shifts quickly along this stretch of coast — pack a layer for your dog in summer, when marine fog keeps beach temperatures in the 50s even on sunny inland days.
