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Click through the gallery for a perfect day trip in an around Sea Ranch.
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Approaching from the south on Highway 1, you’ll find the Stewarts Point Store on the right, just a few miles before you get to Sea Ranch. Twofish Baking Company, inside the store, is famous for its sticky buns. But you have to get there early — they often sell out by 10 a.m. If you’re looking for vacation reading material, there’s a rack of vintage pulp fiction by the door. And don’t miss the Bigfoot photo-op at a neighboring ranch by the parking lot. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat)
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At the Stewart's Point Store and Twofish Baking on Highway 1. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
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Vintage pulp fiction at the Stewarts Point Store. (John Beck/For Sonoma Magazine)
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Up the road just 5.7 miles lies the sprawling 5,220-acre Sea Ranch, where vacation rentals abound and walking the bluffs is one of the all-time favorite pastimes. Public access to beaches is easily taken for granted today, but it was once the focus of fierce legal wrangling in the 1970s, when it was the crux of a hard-fought environmental battle that led to the formation of the California Coastal Commission. (Chris Hardy/For Sonoma Magazine)
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Courtyard of Condominium One in Sea Ranch. (Chris Hardy/For Sonoma Magazine)
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View from the Sea Ranch. (Chris Hardy/For Sonoma Magazine)
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Maintained by Sonoma County Regional Parks, beautiful, secluded beaches such as Walk On, Pebble, Shell, Stengel, and Black Point, and Gualala Point Regional Park to the north offer the same access to tide pools available to any Sea Ranch resident. (Chris Hardy/For Sonoma Magazine)
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The 1960s-era main building of The Sea Ranch Lodge, the centerpiece of Sea Ranch community life, reopened in October 2021 with new public spaces open to all, including a redesigned restaurant, a new café, and expansions to the bar, lounge and general store. (The Sea Ranch Lodge)
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The lodge’s newly expanded restaurant and cafe make the most of sweeping coastal vistas. (The Sea Ranch Lodge)
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Up the road, past Marghi Hagen’s turkey farm, turn right in an unmarked parking lot (across from the turn for Bosun’s Reach street) to check out one of the most photographed spectacles in the region: The Sea Ranch Chapel — part hobbit house, part meditation sanctuary. Built from local materials, the nondenominational chapel was designed by architect James Hubbell in 1985. The door is open from sunrise to sunset every day, and visitors can go inside for a quiet retreat, entombed in stained-glass wonder.
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It’s hard to write about Sea Ranch without including its northerly neighbor, Gualala. Think of it as “Mendonoma,” as the locals call it – twin towns divided by the Gualala River. Heading north on Highway 1, after crossing the Gualala River, take your first right on Old State Highway and follow the signs about a mile down the road on your right to the Gualala Arts Center. A recent touring exhibit featured art made by prison inmates around the country — including an Alfred Hitchcock portrait partially painted in coffee, somehow fitting less than 50 miles from “The Birds” film set in Bodega Bay. (Courtesy photo)
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The first thing you’ll notice as you drive down the main drag in Gualala, pop. 2,093, is a beautiful void of corporate fast-food chains. That leaves more room for places like Trinks Café, a wonderful eatery with locally sourced veggies and organic meats. Try the smoked salmon BLT – yes, finally a sandwich that marries pig with fish – topped off with hibiscus tea. (John Beck/For Sonoma Magazine)
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Gualala Point Regional Park: The last Sonoma County Regional Park going north on Highway 1 before you get to Mendocino County features a sprawling set of coastal trails and a perfect spot for beachcombing and watching river otters near the mouth of the Gualala River. It’s also a chance to enter Sea Ranch from the north, along the 3-mile Bluff Top Trail leading to Walk On Beach. 42401 Highway 1. (Courtesy photo)
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Fort Ross Historic State Park: About 20 miles before you get to Sea Ranch from the south on Highway 1, take a left at the entrance to this once bustling, former Russian-American Company settlement, circa 1812-1841. It’s a great break in the winding journey for a picnic and a rare chance to tour restorations of original Russian buildings and reconstructed replicas of windmills and churches, harkening back to the height of the Russian fur trade and exploration along the North Coast. $8 parking fee, 19005 Highway 1. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
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Russian dancers demonstrate ethnic dancing during the Fort Ross State Park's Bicentennial celebration, Saturday July 28, 2012. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat)
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Phillips Gulch and Stengel Beach: The Sonoma Coast is characterized by steep bluffs fronting beaches or coves. Small ravines that traverse the coastal forest and grasslands transport water seasonally. The water spills directly over the cliffs, creating lovely beach waterfalls. Two of the best ones are Phillips Gulch at Salt Point State Park and Stengel Beach (pictured) at The Sea Ranch. (Chris Hardy/Sonoma Magazine)
The Sea Ranch Lodge appears to be closed and for sale, worth mentioning if one is hoping to dine at the Black Point Grill (also closed) and featured in the photo gallery.