Springtime in the North Bay means the weather can change from sunshine to rain clouds day by day – or even hour by hour, as we’ve seen this week. So this time of year, whenever I spot sunshine I say, “Let’s go play!”

One recent sunny day that desire to play led to a trip to Shell Beach, which is part of the Sonoma Coast State Beach. As a part-time Sonoma County resident, getting to this gorgeous beach is easy to do. The drive from Fountain Grove (North Santa Rosa) takes you down River Road through Guerneville towards Bridgehaven and then about five minutes along Highway 1.

Once you arrive, there is a great walk between Shell Beach and Goat Rock (okay, okay, the names aren’t pretty, but the views are). As the walk covers some marshy-areas, there is a convenient boardwalk covering some of the trail. It’s just such a fun place to go. My understanding is that in addition to the views there is sometimes entertainment on the one huge rock between the two beaches where you can often see folks bouldering.

Now this was our third attempt at Shell Beach. The thing is, we have never really “conquered” this walk/hike. The reason: lack of preparation and bad timing. The first time we went was November, 2008. Believe it or not, the sun was out and it was a gorgeous fall day. But right before we arrived the fog and cold hit – we weren’t dressed for it so we walked a little bit and then went back and enjoyed the fabulous views from the parking lot. No love lost really as it was a fun and pretty drive.

We next tried in, I believe, spring of 2009. Better prepared with heavy fleeces we thought we would end up walking longer – turned out we needed hats, too, as our ears froze in the wind. So we drove over to Goat Rock and spent a couple hours watching the waves while sitting under a cliff which kept the wind off of us.

That brings us to this sunny Sunday. The views were gorgeous. We had our thick fleeces, we had our hats. He had his hiking shoes. I had my run around town, thin, tennis shoes. It turns out that while it was sunny and beautiful, one morning of sun does not completely dry the world of the previous weeks rain. If only I had worn hiking boots, too. We did end up walking for about 20 minutes before turning around, and the views were worth the cold, wet feet. But somehow, someway, we shall conquer Shell Beach. But that will be another post.


Click the map for a larger view

Do you have a favorite hike in Sonoma County?


Posted by:Jennifer Masterson