.jpg)
| Northbayhikes.com |
Sonoma Coast HikesLast Update: July 18, 2009 |
Description:The Sonoma County coast contains a long string of beaches with several trails between them. In the spring, there is a tremendous explosion of wildflowers, and in the summer, the cool ocean breezes can provide relief from the heat and from allergens. |
Loading Slideshow ... |
|
|
Note: times are approximate. Time to trailhead assumes that the starting point is near Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa. (our main carpool meeting spot).
| Picture TBD |
Directions to trailhead:From Santa Rosa: take HWY 101 north. Exit onto river road and head west towards the coast. When you reach HWY 1, turn left for about 3 miles and look for the shell beach sign on your right. This parking lot is free. |
|
|
Sometimes the coast can be windy or foggy, we recommend bringing a windbreaker and some ear coverings just in case. |
Hike and Event Itinerary (trail map, NG topo route, State map sign)
| Trail | Details | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Duration: 1:00 | First drive to the shell beach trailhead. It takes about 60 minutes from Santa Rosa. |
| Hike to Blind Beach | Duration: 1:10 Distance: 2.3m El. Gain: 225ft El. Loss: 274ft |
Heading north, the trail stays flat for the first 1.5 miles. You'll pass a couple of tall rocks and often see rock climbers. The trail will climb to the top of a small hill, then descend to the Blind beach parking lot. Cross the parking lot and head down to the beach. Along the way, you'll see many small rocks and island rising out of the ocean close to shore. At blind beach, you'll see Arched Rock. |
| Return to Shell Beach | Duration: 1:10 Distance: 2.3m El. Gain: 274ft El. Loss: 225ft |
It's the same trail in reverse. |
| Option: Hike to Wrights Beach | Duration: 2:00 Distance: 3.0m El. Gain: ~500ft El. Loss: none |
If the weather stays nice, and you'd like more of a hike, once you return to the shell beach parking lot, you can head south to Wright's beach and back (3 miles extra) or head east to Pomo canyon and back (~6m extra). Starting in the middle lets people choose the shorter or longer hikes. |
| Drive Home | Duration: 1:00 | It takes about 60 minutes to return back to Santa Rosa. |
| Total | Duration: ~2:50 (+2 hr) Distance: ~4.6m El. Gain: ~540ft El. Loss: ~540ft |
We did this hike 5/2005, met 10:30am Coddingtown, finished ~5pm back at Coddingtown. We hiked to both Blind Beach and Wrights beach, and took frequent stops for pictures of wildflowers, as well as a 30 minute break on Blind Beach for snacks and to enjoy the beach. |
| 2005, May 15 | Recent rains resulted in a large number of wildflowers. We had a great turnout - 19 people, even though the weather was foggy and grey with a few light sprinkles. Some fields of yellow flowers were so bright and saturated that they hurt to look at them for long. True to expectations, we saw many fields of wildflowers. It was a spectacular hike. We did a 2-part hike. First we hiked from shell to blind beach, had a snack, and returned. About 5 people left here, and another 5 stayed down at the beach. The remaining 9 of us hiked south to Wright's beach along the bluff, then returned along the beach as long as we could, and scrambled up a small hill to return to the trail. |
| Picture TBD | This is an easy trail, a completely flat hike along the bluffs on the coast, with the only elevation changes occurring if you wish to descend to the beach. |
Hike and Event Itinerary (trail map, NG topo route, State map sign)
| Trail | Details | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Duration: 1:00 | First drive to the shell beach trailhead. It takes about 60 minutes from Santa Rosa. |
| Hike to Wrights Beach | Duration: ~1:00 Distance: 1.5m El. Gain: ~100ft El. Loss: ~200ft |
Head south from the shell beach parking lot, and you'll descend to a small beach and bridge, cross and climb back up to the bluff and hike forward to wrights beach. You can hike along the edge of the bluff as an alternate trail. |
| Return to shell beach | Duration: ~1:00 Distance: 1.5m El. Gain: ~200ft El. Loss: ~100ft |
Return the way you came in. We prefer to hike back along wright's beach as long as possible. If the tide is high, you can scramble up a small hill to the trail just after you pass a large rock. If the tide is low, you can work your way to the next beach and rejoin the trail there. |
| Drive Home | Duration: 1:00 | It takes about 60 minutes to return back to Santa Rosa. |
| Total | Duration: ~2:00 (+2 hr) Distance: 3.0m El. Gain: ~300ft El. Loss: ~300ft |
We did this hike 5/2005, after hiking from shell beach to blind beach. |
| 2005, May 15 | See the description above |
|
|
PLEASE SUPPORT THIS SITE! We rely on donations from users to help pay the web hosting expenses and offset development time. If you enjoy this site and our events, please consider donating some money via PayPal, or volunteering some time for web site development and maintenance. Any amount (even $1) is appreciated! Thanks! |
.jpg){kind=link}
