Wikipedia says Doran Regional Park sits on the sand spit that separates Bodega Harbor from Bodega Bay, just south of the town of Bodega Bay. Sonoma County Regional Parks says it has a wide, 2-mile stretch of beach. Because the beach faces south, its waves are typically calmer than elsewhere on the Sonoma Coast.

Things to do

The county lists walking, picnicking, birdwatching, fishing, kayaking, body boarding and kite surfing. A boat launch reaches both the bay and the harbor. The rock jetty at the west end is popular for rock fishing and looking at sea life. Wikipedia notes that sea lions can sometimes be heard barking offshore.

The shoreline walk from the jetty to the rocks near Pinnacle Gulch is about 2 miles one way. A 1.3-mile trail runs through the grassy dunes to an accessible boardwalk with benches. Horses are allowed on a 1-mile stretch at the east end, and the short Cheney Creek Trail crosses the marsh to the Birdwalk Coastal Access Trail.

Camping

The park has more than 120 campsites for tents, trailers and RVs, open year-round. They are spread across the Shell, Gull and Cove areas along the harbor and the Jetty and Miwok areas on the bay side. Reservations are required and open six months ahead. There are no electrical hookups, but there is potable water and there are restrooms with coin-operated showers. Leashed dogs are allowed.

History

The county says Bodega Bay has been home to Coast Miwok and Pomo peoples for thousands of years. The first recorded European contact was by Spanish explorer Juan Francisco de la Bodega in 1775. Rancher William Doran owned the land in the 1940s when the federal government took part of it for a harbor for rescue operations. Wikipedia adds that the jetties at the harbor mouth were built then with locally quarried rock. The land later passed to the county, and the beach became Sonoma County's first regional park in 1967.

Before you go

The park is open from 7 a.m. to sunset, and parking is $8 or free for members. The entrance closes when the lots fill on summer weekends and holidays. Western snowy plovers, a threatened species, nest on the beach, so the county asks visitors to keep dogs leashed and stay out of fenced areas. Free Freedom Trax wheelchair attachments are available Fridays through Sundays until Nov. 15. Nearby Bodega Head is a top whale-watching spot.