By Pakar PBN 
The Northern California coast is one of my favorite places on earth, and from the San Francisco Bay Area, it’s a pretty accessible place for a weekend getaway. Among my favorite places along the coast is Bodega Bay, a beach town full of history, beautiful beaches and hikes, and great places to eat and stay. I grew up coming here because my grandmother, who moved to California late in her life, loved this city, and I view my own love for this place as a sort of legacy of affection.
Bodega Bay’s other superpower is that it’s an extremely easy weekend getaway from the Bay Area and gives you all that wild beauty of the North Shore with a shorter drive time than many other points warm coastal NorCal.
Here’s my cheat sheet for planning a weekend trip to Bodega Bay.
Bodega Bay: what to do
This might seem a bit counterintuitive to say, but my favorite thing to do in Bodega Bay is: less. It’s a great place to go a little slower and spend time outside, observing nature and reconnecting. Here are some of my favorite ways to do less while still getting something done in Bodega Bay:
Walk and hike
For an easy, beautiful and somewhat unstructured walk, head to the Bodega Head Trail, which is made up of a group of intertwining trails and trailheads, and is a fun way to experience the windswept cliff that separates Bodega Bay. of the Pacific Ocean. To me, hiking these trails feels like a low-stakes, choose-your-own-adventure hike. And if you are there when there is no fog, you will have wonderful views of the ocean and the golden hills.
Bonus: Bodega Head is a great place to watch whales from land between October and February, and again from February to April. Bring binoculars and watch out for splashes and breaches.
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I also took a morning walk along the Cheney Creek Trail, which is a short walk from the Lodge at Bodega Bay (more on that below), and early morning is a good mix of exercise locals and birds.
And although Bodega Bay is located right along Highway 1 and doesn’t have many sidewalks, you can also park in a central location like the visitors center and then spend some time walking around the city center. There are a few gift shops, restaurants, and Bodega Bay’s pink-and-white-striped Patrick’s, which has a deliciously impressive number of saltwater taffy options.
Beyond Bodega Bay, you’ll find other great hiking trails south towards Point Reyes and north towards Jenner.
Play at the beach
Bodega Bay has some of the best beaches on the coast, including Salmon Creek Beach, South Salmon Creek Beach, and North Salmon Creek Beach. All are part of the larger Sonoma Coast State Park, a 16-mile stretch of coastline that stretches from Bodega Head to Vista Trail, six miles north of the town of Jenner.
But if you’re not used to Northern California beaches, you’ll need to adjust your beach expectations. Indeed, while none of the beaches here are particularly suitable or safe for swimming, they are incredible places for swimming in the tides, picnicking, flying kites, and hanging out on the sand. Also, you should 100% bring layers because it’s probably going to get cold at some point.
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Paddle or roll
New and experienced kayakers can rent from Bodega Bay Kayak and go paddling in the small, usually relatively calm Bodega Bay. The company also offers guided kayak tours, in the bay and in the Pacific.
Five Brooks Bodega Bay offers many horseback rides, including a picnic ride, sunset ride, beach ride, and combined trail and kayak ride. Horse N Around also runs hikes from Hagemann Trout Farm
Head inland and discover Bodega
When people talk about Bodega, they’re usually talking about Bodega Bay on the water, which feels like both a beach town and a working fishing community. But just a few miles away, the slightly inland town of Bodega, best known as the backdrop for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 classic The Birds, is also worth a visit. The small town is lined with antique shops, art galleries, and some movie sites, and is a fun place to wander around for an hour or two. It is also sometimes warmer here than in Bodega Bay because it is a little inland and therefore protected from some of that coastal marine layer.
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Where to eat in Bodega Bay
Bodega Bay has solid dining options, and nearby towns offer even more treasures. Here are some of my favorite places:
- Terrapin Creek Cafe: Along the coast are restaurants that have achieved Michelin recognition, including Terrapin Creek Cafe, which achieved Michelin Plate status in 2022. This cozy spot is popular with locals and welcomes visitors with an emphasis on local products and seafood.
- Fireside Lounge and Drakes: For a post-hike (or beach) cocktail, there’s nothing better than the Fireside Lounge at the Lodge at Bodega Bay, a place where you can sit by the fire inside or enjoy a spot overlooking the marsh and the bay from one of the exterior fires. pits. Next door, Drakes offers seasonal dishes in a dining room that is both warm and grand with its stone fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows.
- Fisherman : The seafood shack vibe takes on a wholesome local glow at Fishetarian, a favorite in the heart of Bodega Bay. With a focus on seasonal, local and, when possible, organic ingredients, it’s a fun place to stop for seafood specialties like grilled redfish tacos and local crab sandwiches and for vegetarian options like fish taco-style tofu tacos.
- Spud Point Crab Company: During the fall/winter/spring Dungeness crab season, there’s no better place than the Spud Point Crab Company, a casual, mostly open-air spot directly across from the Spud Point Marina (on the way to or towards Bodega Head). Another favorite here is the soup, which earns extra points because it’s both delicious and the perfect antidote to a freezing, foggy day.
Eating Beyond Bodega Bay
If your walks take you beyond Bodega Bay, keep an eye out for these spots that I love:
- Rocker Oysterfeller’s in Valley Ford: Rocker Oysterfeller’s is the perfect excuse to stop in the small town of Valley Ford, a small town located along the pretty road to Highway 101. Open for lunch and dinner, this southern-inspired restaurant serves brisket, local oysters and free-range hot chicken. And on Sunday afternoons, there is live music on the terrace.
- Wild Flour Bread in Freestone near Occidental: If I’m within 30 miles of Wild Flour Bakery when it’s open, I’ll make a special trip to pick up a treat to eat in the bakery’s beautiful garden (walk around to the back where there are tables and picnic benches) as well as bread. to take home. My favorites are Wonder Sourdough and 100% Whole Wheat Gem Breads.
- Café Aquatica in Jenner: This waterfront bakery and cafe in Jenner, north of Bodega Bay, is one of my all-time favorites. Their breakfast pastries and cookies are excellent, as are their sandwiches (I usually get either the Vegetable Rainbow Sandwich or the Crab Roll). But the real magic here is the ability to sit outside, soak up the views and listen to live music.
Where to stay in Bodega Bay
Despite being such a small town, Bodega Bay has some heavyweights on the hotel front, including The Lodge at Bodega Bay, a low-key but pretty hotel that won first place in the 2024 Conde Nast Travel Readers’ Choice Awards. The hotel sits on a bluff overlooking the bay (and is a short walk from the Cheney Trail, which you can turn into a loop that starts and ends at the hotel). During my stay, I loved the heated pool and infinity hot tub, the cozy room with unpretentious luxury touches like ultra-soft bathrobes and fireplaces, and private balconies overlooking the water .
Getting there
Whichever route you choose, it’s a beautiful drive to Bodega Bay. I love the road through the rolling hills and farmland between Highway 101 and Bodega, and for anyone who wants a more leisurely drive, taking Highway 1 along Tomales Bay is a really nice way to do it , especially during the day (driving seems, at least to me, to be more difficult at night, when you’ll have to take the dark, winding road more slowly to avoid deer and other wildlife that tend to hang out along the sides of the two-lane highway).