Highway One in Northern California
One of the best things about living in the California is the weekend driving. My family grew up with the Sunday Drive, where we all piled into the back of the Mercury station wagon after church and drove somewhere. If we didn’t fight too much we would get an ice cream.
A wonderful day for a big family like mine or just you and your dog, is a drive north from San Francisco along the misty Highway 1 coast. A favorite destination of ours is Sonoma Coast State Beach, which you can reach from the town of Stinson heading north on Highway 1 or if you drive west from Highway 101 and Sebastopol. Did you know that Sonoma Coast State Beach is actually many beaches rolled together along thirteen miles of coastline stretching from the Russian River to Bodega Bay?
California Wildlife and Shorebirds
When we head north from San Francisco we like to stop along the way since the journey is as beautiful as the destination. Depending on the time of year you might want to stop for oysters at Nick’s Cove in Tomales Bay or a great family style lunch at the Union Hotel Restaurant in Occidental.
Sonoma Coast State Beach is made up of alternating sandy beaches and rocky shoreline. Even on the warmest days, we always wear sneakers because of the terrain and cold. This area of California is postcard material so bring your camera. Bring your kids too because once you find a stretch that appeals to you, there are tons of places to dig in the sand or fish around in tidal pools.
Sand dollars always worth finding!
The only word of warning is that the beaches which make up Sonoma Coast State Beach: Blind Beach and Schoolhouse Beach, Arched Rock, Goat Rock and Bodega Head to name a few, can be easily overlooked. Most of these beaches aren’t visible from Highway 1. The beaches are tucked away in rocky coves, and hidden by tall bluffs. I can’t tell you how many times I thought we were here when we were probably at some other stretch of the coast. But like I said at the start, this is a great destination but it’s the journey that matters.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/
Photos by Sharon Castellanos
Related: Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
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2 Responses
not only the Sonoma coast state beach, the california as a whole is a must watch and visit place. especially its rv parks and campgrounds.
Thanks for that Sharon, I’ve never ventured North of Frisco yet but next trip I will use this post as a guide. Always wanted to try the wine out up there anyway.