Bodega Bay

Bodega Bay is an ocean-front town of 900 people (2020) in Sonoma County in California. It was the location for the filming of much of Alfred Hitchcock's horror film The Birds. Because Bodega Bay is on the Pacific Ocean, day-time temperatures are significantly cooler than the rest of Sonoma County. On a day when the high is in Santa Rosa, the high for Bodega Bay is likely to be around ; if the high for Santa Rosa is, it's going to be chilly in Bodega Bay. So dress appropriately, and don't be surprised if on a very hot summer weekend in Sonoma County, a lot of people (and cars) have headed for the most accessible beaches, in Bodega Bay and north to Jenner.

Get in
Bodega Bay is accessible by car by way of U.S. Highway 1 along the California coast. It is on the Pacific Ocean approximately north of San Francisco and  west of Santa Rosa.

Get around
There is no public transportation in Bodega Bay, and Highway 1 — the primary road for the town, running parallel to the Pacific Ocean — is poorly suited for bicycles. You pretty much need a car to get around, as well as to get to the town.

See
Bodega Bay isn't "scenic" in the sense of being able to stroll through a small downtown - it has no downtown, with commercial buildings strung out along Highway 1 (which lacks sidewalks). So not really a "seeing" type of town.

Do
Perhaps the single best reason to visit Bodega Bay is to hike a trail or spend time on a beach. The water is cold all twelve months of the year; if you're going to spend any time in it, you'll want to wear a wetsuit.

The public beaches and hiking trails, beginning south of the town, and going north, include:


 * Doran Regional Park
 * Bodega Head - a good place for whale-watching, with a pleasant loop trail (Bodega Head Trail)
 * Salmon Creek
 * Seven small beaches - Miwok Beach to Gleason Beach
 * Duncan's Landing
 * Wright's Beach (the portion of the Kortum Trail from Wright's Beach to Shell Beach is 1.25 miles)
 * Shell Beach (the portion of the Kortum Trail from Shell Beach to Blind Beach to is 2.5 miles) (also, from Shell Beach, the Pomo Canyon Trail goes inland)
 * Blind Beach
 * Goat Rock Beach - dogs not allowed

All of the above, except Doran Regional Park, are part of the Sonoma Coast State Park.

Other than beaches and hikes, there is a variety of things to do in Bodega Bay: