California Coastal Access Guide, Seventh Edition. California Coastal Commission
offshore
▪ Tafoni, a honeycomb-like sandstone formation, is prominent at Gerstle Cove
OCEAN COVE: Hwy. One, 5 mi. N. of Fort Ross. Privately owned bluff and beach with a boat ramp and campground. Some 100 RV or tent campsites are on the ocean bluff or in the forest; firepits, picnic tables, hot showers, and chemical toilets. Reservations taken for group campsites. Pay camping and day-use fees at the grocery store. Closed in winter. Call: 707-847-3422.
▪ Fishing
▪ Diving
Sonoma County
Stillwater Cove to Russian Gulch
STILLWATER COVE REGIONAL PARK: Hwy. One, 4 mi. N. of Fort Ross. Day use and camping inland of Hwy. One; an unpaved trail leads to the beach. Campsites are in the forest, including a hike or bike site. Some sites improved for disabled access. Coin-operated showers for use by campers, electrical outlets, and a dump station; no RV hookups. For camping reservations, call: 707-565-2267. For park information, call: 707-847-3245.
▪ A pull-out one-quarter mile north of the Stillwater Cove Regional Park entrance adjoins an unimproved park area. A path leads along the bluff edge, with views of the coves below.
▪ Kayak launch at the cove
▪ Half-mile trail leads to the historic Fort Ross schoolhouse, built around 1885
TIMBER COVE CAMPGROUND: 1 mi. N. of Fort Ross. Privately operated campground and beach access point. Kayak launch spot; bait and tackle. Call: 707-847-3278.
▪ Nearby Timber Cove Inn is the site of a Beniamino Bufano statue, Peace
WINDERMERE POINT: Off Hwy. One, .1 mi. W. of Fort Ross Store. Gravel parking and blufftop views. Part of Fort Ross State Historic Park.
FORT ROSS STATE HISTORIC PARK: Hwy. One, 11 mi. N. of Jenner. More than 3,000 acres of coastal bluff, beaches, and forest, along with the settlement site of native peoples and 19th-century Russian traders. Fort Ross State Historic Park includes the Russian fort and several other reconstructed structures. The Rotchev House, built in 1836, is original construction. The visitor center contains exhibits on local history and a bookstore with a collection on Russian history; call: 707-847-3437.
Day-use beach access is near the fort in the coves where Ross Colony workers built ships and ranchers once shipped out bulk cargo using a 180-foot-long chute from the blufftop. Inland of Hwy. One, Fort Ross Rd. climbs 1,400 feet up the ridge, past the old Russian orchard of apple, plum, and pear trees and the Stanley S. Spyra Memorial Redwood Grove. For park hours and information, call: 707-847-3286.
▪ Picnic sites are near the visitor center, in the fort, and next to the historic Call Ranch House
FORT ROSS REEF CAMPGROUND AND BEACH: Hwy. One, 10 mi. N. of Jenner. Campground entrance is 1.6 miles south of the main entrance to Fort Ross State Historic Park. Primitive campsites with tables, stoves, and food lockers; drinking water available. No reservations taken. Large RVs not advisable, due to limited turning space. Separate day-use parking area; trail to rocky beach.
VISTA TRAIL: Hwy. One, 4.5 mi. N. of Jenner. High-elevation views from a paved loop trail. Picnic area.
RUSSIAN GULCH: Hwy. One, 3 mi. N. of Jenner. Cove beach bounded by cliffs, reached by a short trail. Call: 707-875-3483.
Sonoma County
Russian River and Willow Creek
JENNER HEADLANDS PRESERVE: E. side of Hwy. One, N. of Jenner. Open space managed by the Wildlands Conservancy. Access only by docent-led hikes; call: 707-328-8539 or 707-696-3263. Construction of California Coastal Trail segment and parking facilities anticipated by late 2014.
NORTH JENNER BEACHES: W. side of Hwy. One, N. of Jenner. Sonoma Coast State Park includes the coast from Russian Gulch to the Russian River. Pull-outs at Hwy. One milepost 23.17 and 23.82 lead to unimproved trails across the bluff, but no safe beach access. Pull-outs farther south provide access down a low bluff to a river-mouth beach.
JENNER VISITOR CENTER: Hwy. One at mouth of Russian River. Volunteer-run center with displays about the Sonoma coast and a bookshop. Open most days, 10 AM–4 PM. For information, call: 707-865-9757.
▪ Small-boat launch area
▪ Picnic tables
VISTA POINTS: Hwy. One, Jenner to Bridgehaven. Pull-outs along Hwy. One offer views of the Russian River estuary and Penny Island.
▪ Ospreys nest in the tops of trees along the river banks and can be seen fishing at the river mouth
DUNCANS MILLS CAMPING CLUB: Hwy. 116, Duncans Mills. Private, membership-only campground on the north bank of the Russian River. Public day use of the river beach allowed; fee charged. Park outside the campground and walk in. Call: 707-865-3181.
CASINI RANCH FAMILY CAMPGROUND: Moscow Rd., .75 mi. E. of Hwy. 116, Duncans Mills. Privately operated facility offers camping and river beach access on the south side of the Russian River. Picnic tables and restrooms are at the beach. Campground includes tent sites and RV sites with hookups. General store, playground, and recreation hall. Call: 1-800-451-8400.
WILLOW CREEK: Willow Creek Rd., off Hwy. One. Turn east off Hwy. One just south of the Russian River bridge to reach the Willow Creek area of Sonoma Coast State Park. Willow Creek and Pomo Canyon environmental campgrounds are open seasonally, first-come, first-served; for current status, call: 707-875-3483. Willow Creek campground is on Willow Creek Rd. near a rocky river beach, one-half mile east of Hwy. One. Pomo Canyon campsites are two miles farther along Willow Creek Rd. in a redwood grove. At Pomo Canyon, campers must carry gear from the parking area, about one-quarter mile. One campsite near the parking area is wheelchair accessible. Picnic tables and fire rings; running water nearby.
▪ Three-mile-long trail from Pomo Canyon Campground over the hills to Shell Beach
▪ Upper Willow Creek watershed is open to hikers on a permit basis through the nonprofit LandPaths; for event line, call: 707-524-9318
Sonoma County
Sonoma Coast State Park
GOAT ROCK: Goat Rock Rd., off Hwy. One. Part of Sonoma Coast State Park. Two parking lots are at the end of Goat Rock Rd., one at Goat Rock and another at the mouth of the Russian River.