Sonoma Coast State Park
- meems
- Jan 20, 2017
- 4 min read
On New Year's Eve, I drove 2.5 hours with my cousin and friend for a coastal hike at the Sonoma Coast State Park in Jenner, CA. There are many options when hiking at the state park but we planned an 8 mile round trip hike starting at Wright's Beach, through Shell Beach, and then all the way to Blind Beach/Goat's Rock and back. Pictured below is the map I used to decide which routes to go. Link here.
We began our hike at Wright's Beach so I navigated to the "Wright's Beach Parking". Driving here from Sacramento, I realized that if there was a really big storm, the roads are easily flooded so keep that in mind.
The sign entrance to Wright's Beach Campground. There is a small lot you can park at for free right by the trailhead but because we were the first ones here, we weren't sure if you could park there since there aren't any signs or parking spaces. We drove down to the campground site and paid for the day parking here for $8.
After turning left and going down the hill, you will approach this ranger station. You will self-register and pay here.
The parking area next to the campground.
From the parking area, we hiked up a little slope to the front where we paid and used the restroom before our hike. The bathrooms were stocked with toilet paper and clean.
Bathrooms.
We hiked up the ramp that we took to go down in our car but right next to the bathroom is a trail that we could have walked on which would have been the easier route. Pictured below is the little trail from the parking area/bathrooms.
I spy the trailhead.
This is the view pretty much the entire way of the hike!
Kortum Trail.
Pre-hike selfie.
This part of the trail is paved, easily accessible, and easy.
As you hike this trail, you will come across these wooden walkways which makes it a good hike rain or shine.
For the most part of our hike, the trails are easily located/navigated. If you're unclear, you will pretty much find your way through no matter what route you take.
We loved our view.
There were many beaches along our hike.
As you can see, the beginning of our hike had sun and I got warm enough to take out my outer jacket. It was pretty windy to begin with so I definitely recommend layering up. Some gloves for my hands would have been nice too. Keep in mind that the entire hike has no shade.
Clouds rolling in.
After a short hike, we made it to Shell Beach. For those that just want to hike to Shell Beach, there is a parking lot here that is free. We continued our trek from Shell Beach to Blind Beach.
So after Shell Beach, we hiked for a while to try to find Blind Beach. We never made it to Blind Beach because the trails just seemed to disappear! Or it gets really muddy and we just decided that we weren't going to keep going on. I looked on our map and it was EXTREMELY close to Blind Beach but we just never found the trail to get there. We also didn't have any service for the entire hike.
Some pictures of our hiking conditions trying to get to Blind Beach.
Muddy mess.
On our way back to Shell Beach, the view was just serene.
Finally made it back to Shell Beach. You descend down to the beach through the stairs.
When you get down to the beach, you will notice that this isn't a beach that families and kids can just hang out at. The tide is extremely high and comes all the way up to the steps. The space is also very limited. This is a beautiful spot for pictures and a quick stop but can be very dangerous. I recommend stopping at one of the other beach spots if you were looking for somewhere to chill.
The three of us sat on the steps and this rock to enjoy our lunch.
SO beautiful, I didn't want to leave. The waves just calmed me.
The little beach area where water came all the way up.
Us three :)
My happy place.
THAT VIEW.
Back to the trailhead we go.
On our way back, we stopped at one of the beaches that were more friendly for people to hang out at.
Us post hike, 7.5 miles later.
Since we never made it to Blind Beach and Goat's Rock, we decided to drive there.
Goats on the mountain!
Pictured below is Goat's Rock.
Post hike thoughts:
This hike is an easy hike and just beautiful. I would say that this hike is family and kid friendly. Especially since you can choose the routes that best suits you and your hiking level. Because of the walkways and trails, I would say a good portion of this hike is rain friendly. Towards the Blind Beach side, not so much, but the beginning, definitely. I recommend sunscreen and layering up. I could imagine this hike being extremely painful in the summer because of the lack of shade. All in all, this was the perfect hike to end 2016 with.
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