Sonoma Coast State Park
Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
511 acres6.6 mi of trail
Bodega Head TrailOverlook TrailSalmon Creek Beach TrailUpper Dunes Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bodega Bay
Bodega Bay has 987 acres of parks, 866 for every 1,000 residents
20 miles of mapped trail cross Bodega Bay, 2.4 per square mile of land. 32% of Bodega Bay’s land is conserved, about 1,706 acres. The biggest trail networks: Sonoma Coast State Park (6.6 mi), Doran Regional Park (3.4 mi), Estero Americano Coast Preserve (2.3 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
1,706 acres · of 8.4 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
987 ac
866 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
78%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.4 mi
2.4 mi lanes
Highest peak
253 ft
Bodega Head
Lakes & rivers
3
8 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Bodega Bay?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bodega Bay have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bodega Bay is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bodega Bay’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land866 acres of park per 1,000 residents (987 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home78% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Water is 33% of Bodega Bay’s area (4 of 13 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 21%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Sonoma Coast State Park, with 6.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Doran Regional Park
Managed by Sonoma County
181 acres3.4 mi of trail
Cheney Creek Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Estero Americano Coast Preserve
Managed by The Wildlands Conservancy
202 acres2.3 mi of trail
Bluff TrailAccess TrailShorttail Gulch Trail (County Regional Parks)
Dogs on leash
Directionsto Pinnacle Gulch ParkingWebsite ↗
Bodega Marine Reserve
Managed by University of California, Davis
312 acres0.8 mi of trail
Salmon Creek Beach Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Sonoma Coast State Park511 acres · 6.6 mi of trail · California Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsDoran Regional Park181 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · Sonoma County
DirectionsEstero Americano Coast Preserve202 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · The Wildlands Conservancy
DirectionsBodega Marine Reserve312 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · University of California, Davis
Shorttail Gulch Coastal Access Trail10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Sonoma County Regional Parks
DirectionsGreater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary1,826 acres · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
DirectionsBodega Head State Marine Reserve206 acres
DirectionsBodega Head State Marine Conservation Area45 acres
DirectionsWestside Regional Park15 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,706 conserved acres
32% of Bodega Bay’s land. Water is left out: Bodega Bay has 8.4 square miles of land and 4.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Bodega Bay’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency624 ac
State parks539 ac
Other state land292 ac
County242 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits218 ac
State fish & wildlife4 ac
State Park · 539 acState Conservation Area · 292 acAgricultural Easement · 245 acPrivate Conservation · 218 acConservation Easement · 215 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 409 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoma Coast State Park State Park | State parks | 539 | Open |
| Bodega Marine Reserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 292 | Restricted |
| Estero Americano Coast Reserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 218 | Restricted |
| Doran Park Local Park | County | 160 | Open |
| Doran Regional Park Local Park | County | 31 | Open |
| Spud Pt Marina Local Other or Unknown | County | 24 | Open |
| Westside Park Local Park | County | 14 | Open |
| Pinnacle Gulch Local Other or Unknown | County | 12 | Open |
| Bodega Bay Monarch Butterfly State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 4 | Closed |
Things to do
44 places to go in Bodega Bay
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Bodega Bay
8 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Bodega Bay
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Bodega Bay
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Bodega Bay
Horseshoe Cove OverlookIn Sonoma Coast State Park
DirectionsPlus 11 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Bodega Bay
Bodega Head253 ft elevation · In Sonoma Coast State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Bodega Bay
11 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Bodega Bay
Doran Regional Park CampgroundIn Doran Regional Park
DirectionsJetty CampgroundIn Doran Regional Park
DirectionsWestside Regional Park CampgroundIn Westside Regional Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Bodega Bay
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
11 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 0.7 miUnpaved · 10.9 mi
Bodega Head Trail1.7 mi
Bluff Trail1.6 mi
Salmon Creek Beach Trail1.2 mi
Overlook Trail0.5 mi
Pinnacle Gulch Trail (County Regional Parks)0.5 mi
Access Trail0.5 mi
Bodega Bay Coastal Prairie Trail0.3 mi
Cheney Creek Trail0.3 mi
Shorttail Gulch Trail (County Regional Parks)0.3 mi
Upper Dunes Trail0.2 mi
1 more trails
Shorttail Gulch Trail (County Regional Park)
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
3Tennis
2Basketball
1Volleyball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bodega Bay: May to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 62 | 65 | 65 | 67 | 67 | 66 | 61 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 9.0 | 8.6 | 6.1 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 4.8 | 9.4 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 67 °F). 9.4 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Bodega Bay →
Next door
Bodega Bay and its neighbors
Bodega Bay has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bodega Bay | 32% | 2.4 | 866 | 78% | A+ |
| Salmon Creek | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bodega Bay
Where can I hike in Bodega Bay?
The longest trail networks: Sonoma Coast State Park, 6.6 miles; Doran Regional Park, 3.4 miles; Estero Americano Coast Preserve, 2.3 miles; Bodega Marine Reserve, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bodega Bay is conserved land?
32% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Bodega Bay’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Sonoma Coast State Park (on leash), Doran Regional Park (on leash) and Estero Americano Coast Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bodega Bay?
2.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.4 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Bodega Bay?
9,259 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bodega Bay or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 987 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bodega Bay have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Bodega Bay neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →