A Coastal Ramble: Guerneville to Bodega Bay and Back

One of my favorite road trips around Sonoma County is a coastal loop starting and ending in the Russian River community of Guerneville and tracing a short stretch of one of California’s most

Sunset from River's End in Jenner

stunning coastal areas. Without stops you can make this trip in about two hours, but I recommend stopping for lunch in Jenner if you’re heading out in the late morning, or for dinner in Bodega Bay if venturing out in the late afternoon (a better bet if you make this drive in summer, when it stays light longer, so you can enjoy the ocean views).

From Guerneville, meander along Hwy. 116 alongside the Russian River for about 15 miles before you reach the tiny village of Jenner, at the mouth of the river – this home to a handful of inns and restaurants. If you’re looking for stellar lunch ideas, drop by River’s End, which is justly acclaimed for its sophisticated Asian- and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine – the duck confit salad served over warm spinach with beluga lentils and bing-cherry vinaigrette is notable.

From here, drive south along Hwy. 1 – the 13 miles to Bodega Bay fringes the windswept shoreline, starting with Goat Rock Beach (part of Sonoma Coast State Beach), where a colony of seals holds court much of the year. This coastal stretch is ideal for beachcombing and hiking, but a bit rough for swimming and typically too cool and windy to attract many sunbathers.

You may recognize Bodega Bay from the eerie Alfred Hitchcock thriller, The Birds – much of the movie was filmed here, and this fishing village of about 1,400 retains its tranquil, undeveloped vibe. Not surprisingly, it’s an excellent place for bird-watching. Depending on the time of year, you’ll be inundated – but probably not fatally attacked – by plovers, killdeer, willets, curlews, and many varieties of seagull.

Bodega Bay - photo by George Rose

If you’re feeling peckish (sorry…couldn’t resist), drop by the beautifully situated Duck Club Restaurant for dinner – it’s part of the elegant Bodega Bay Lodge and Spa. Typical from the menu of seasonal, farm-to-table victuals: Dungeness crab cakes with cuke-fennel-tomato salad and whole grain mustard, and sourdough-crusted local halibut with minted-legume ragout and English pea puree. You can finish off with selections from the cheese menu – or a pretty-damn-amazing hazelnut-pear financier (sponge cake) with J Pear Liqueur (produced by J Vineyard and Winery in the Russian River Valley) mascarpone and fleur de sel caramel sauce.

Given my complete inability to return by the exactly the same route I set out on, from Bodega Bay I favor cutting inland along Bodega Highway for about 5 miles, past rolling meadows and bald hillsides. Then turn left on the twisting and turning Bohemian Highway, and drive about 11 miles through a dense canopy of forest (passing through the funky village of Occidental) to Monte Rio, where a right turn back onto Hwy. 116 leads you back to Guerneville.