Reach the Pinnacle
Hike in to a hidden beach on Bodega Bay
The thing about hidden beaches is you’ve usually got to do a little legwork to find them! In this case, the legwork is a lovely 0.5-mile hike to a gorgeous beach on Bodega Bay. The Pinnacle Gulch Coastal Access Trail is found in the quiet Bodega Harbour golf course community.
There’s a small parking area, and you’ll cross the street to the trailhead, descending wide wooden stairs first, before leveling off to a dirt trail down a gulch surrounded by coastal shrub and cypress. The beach at low tide is a quarter-mile in length, with soft sands, driftwood, and sea-castles that soak in late-day sunlight.
Tide pools make fun explorations, and strolls here can be peaceful and quiet—not many people frequent this beach. Swimmers take dips; just use caution and remember the Pacific can be fickle. Towards sunset the shore takes on a periwinkle glow. Return the way you came. Bodega booyeah!
The trailhead is across from a small parking area in the Bodega Harbour golf course community at the southern entrance to Bodega Bay off Hwy. 1 (map) Dog-friendly! (Photo cameo by our very own fur-pal, Hank, dignified dog and office goofball.)
