Start from 21 curated places around Bodega Bay, CA, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Spud Point Crab Company
The crabbers and oystermen who work Bodega Harbor have been pulling up to Spud Point's takeout window since it opened. Dungeness crab sandwiches and cups of clam chowder eaten at picnic tables overlooking the boats is the Bodega Bay experience distilled. No ceremony, just supremely fresh crab.
The Tides Wharf Restaurant
Made famous as a filming location in Hitchcock's The Birds, The Tides has evolved into a serious seafood restaurant without trading on its movie-poster nostalgia. The cioppino is a generous bowl of the Sonoma Coast's finest — Dungeness, clams, mussels, prawns — and the harbor views from the dining room are hard to beat at sunset.
Trails & outdoors
Bodega Head Loop Trail
The 1.5-mile loop around Bodega Head is the quintessential Sonoma Coast walk — clifftop views of the Pacific, harbor seals on the rocks below, and some of the best winter whale-watching access in California. Short enough to do before breakfast, dramatic enough to be the highlight of a trip.
Kortum Trail
The Kortum Trail runs 4.5 miles along the bluffs of Sonoma Coast State Park between Gleason Beach and Shell Beach, passing overlooks, coves, and rock stacks. This is the longer, less-traveled coastal walk that serious hikers prefer — the bluffside views are spectacular and the trail sees a fraction of the traffic of Bodega Head.
Things to do
Bodega Bay Surf Shack
The local surf shop, kayak outfitter, and general outdoor adventure hub for Bodega Bay. Rent a kayak and paddle through the harbor to the sandbar, book a surf lesson on Doran Beach, or just pick up the local knowledge about where the swell is breaking that day. The staff are actual surfers who actually live here.
Whale Watching at Bodega Head (Self-Guided)
No boat required: Bodega Head's north-facing cliffs put you 200 feet above the Pacific at a natural funnel point where gray whales migrate close to shore. Bring binoculars, scan the water for spouts, and wait. Peak season runs January through April, but humpbacks occasionally appear in summer.
Landmarks & sights
Bodega Head
The rugged headland that caps the south end of Bodega Bay is one of Northern California's premier whale-watching vantage points — gray whales pass close to shore during their winter migration. On any clear day the views across the Pacific and back toward the Sonoma hills are extraordinary, and the wind-carved rocks support a thriving harbor seal colony below.
Doran Regional Park
A long sand spit separating Bodega Bay from the Pacific, Doran is the area's most accessible beach — calm bay water on one side for windsurfing and kayaking, open ocean on the other. The campground fills with locals on summer weekends, and the bird-watching along the shore is exceptional any time of year.