Mendonoma Coast
Food scene
For all restaurants and businesses, please call first for either reservations or to double check hours. Airbnb doesn't allow me to include links or phone numbers in this guide. (which isn't very nice of them)************************************
The Coast Kitchen at Timber Cove is open again!
Timber Cove is a wonderful stop, either traveling to or from our location here in Anchor Bay (40 minutes South). It has delicious food, a full bar and an extensive wine list, lots of outdoor seating, a firepit, lots of great views, and old California coastal architecture. A real treasure and treat. The beautiful Bufano Peace Obelisk is part of the property and is in one of the smallest parks in California. Check the website
27 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Timber Cove Resort
21780 North Coast Highway 1For all restaurants and businesses, please call first for either reservations or to double check hours. Airbnb doesn't allow me to include links or phone numbers in this guide. (which isn't very nice of them)************************************
The Coast Kitchen at Timber Cove is open again!
Timber Cove is a wonderful stop, either traveling to or from our location here in Anchor Bay (40 minutes South). It has delicious food, a full bar and an extensive wine list, lots of outdoor seating, a firepit, lots of great views, and old California coastal architecture. A real treasure and treat. The beautiful Bufano Peace Obelisk is part of the property and is in one of the smallest parks in California. Check the website
Gama is my new favorite place to eat out. This Japanese small plates and Izakaya restaurant is the best.
The new restaurant has lovely woodwork throughout and is just a very nice vibe and ambiance.
Call for reservations or get in at the bar. Prices are steep but it’s exceptionally good. Fine selection of Sake and lots of delicious small plates all of quality local ingredients—Japanese artisanal cuisine.
12 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Izakaya Gama
150 Main StreetGama is my new favorite place to eat out. This Japanese small plates and Izakaya restaurant is the best.
The new restaurant has lovely woodwork throughout and is just a very nice vibe and ambiance.
Call for reservations or get in at the bar. Prices are steep but it’s exceptionally good. Fine selection of Sake and lots of delicious small plates all of quality local ingredients—Japanese artisanal cuisine.
This is a local eatery for lunches and brunches, the occasional dinner, too (check website for dinner menus, usually Weds & Friday). Trink's has reliable, decent, fresh food and outdoor seating overlooking the river mouth where dogs are permitted, too. Their latte is a top favorite.
58 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Trinks Cafe
39140 CA-1This is a local eatery for lunches and brunches, the occasional dinner, too (check website for dinner menus, usually Weds & Friday). Trink's has reliable, decent, fresh food and outdoor seating overlooking the river mouth where dogs are permitted, too. Their latte is a top favorite.
Sea Ranch Lodge recently reopened with a new chef in the kitchen for the main restaurant and a pretty good daytime cafe in the front. Beautiful views and you can walk on the public access trail along the headland bluffs.
It’s now risen to the top of the local options for excellent cuisine in this area. I’ve been selling the culinary mushrooms I forage here this winter so you may even be served them in one of their delicious entrees. They also have their own farm and have a nice overall menu with locally sourced organic food. Now serving lunch too, and the cafe is open mornings to 3pm with lots of great beverages, small plates and yummy treats.
The Sea Ranch Lodge
60 Sea Walk DriveSea Ranch Lodge recently reopened with a new chef in the kitchen for the main restaurant and a pretty good daytime cafe in the front. Beautiful views and you can walk on the public access trail along the headland bluffs.
It’s now risen to the top of the local options for excellent cuisine in this area. I’ve been selling the culinary mushrooms I forage here this winter so you may even be served them in one of their delicious entrees. They also have their own farm and have a nice overall menu with locally sourced organic food. Now serving lunch too, and the cafe is open mornings to 3pm with lots of great beverages, small plates and yummy treats.
City/town information
Anchor Bay town is two minutes up the road. There is a very well-stocked country store (convenient with lots of selection but not cheap!), a cafe for decent coffee, a Thai restaurant, the only laundromat on the south coast, and access to Anchor Bay beach (walk-in fees to access the beach; or just walk across from the businesses to check the view). I'm not mentioning the Mexican restaurant on purpose (it's just not good). This is my little home town.
7 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Anchor Bay
Anchor Bay town is two minutes up the road. There is a very well-stocked country store (convenient with lots of selection but not cheap!), a cafe for decent coffee, a Thai restaurant, the only laundromat on the south coast, and access to Anchor Bay beach (walk-in fees to access the beach; or just walk across from the businesses to check the view). I'm not mentioning the Mexican restaurant on purpose (it's just not good). This is my little home town.
Favorite hikes
This is a central hiking spot, directly after and connected to the public portions of the Sea Ranch hiking trails so that you have access to over 10 miles of public hiking all along this portion of the coastal bluffs with multiple beaches (mostly the rocky kind) that you can walk down to. Dogs on a leash are allowed on all of these trails too. Lots of amazing views! Whales and seals are often seen too.
Please note that people don't swim at Gualala River Mouth on the ocean part of the beach due to a dangerous undertow and strong wave action; but the Gualala river itself is an awesome place to swim when it's not really low (like now in a low rain year and in late summertime) or too high (in the winter).
46 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Gualala Point Regional Park
California 1This is a central hiking spot, directly after and connected to the public portions of the Sea Ranch hiking trails so that you have access to over 10 miles of public hiking all along this portion of the coastal bluffs with multiple beaches (mostly the rocky kind) that you can walk down to. Dogs on a leash are allowed on all of these trails too. Lots of amazing views! Whales and seals are often seen too.
Please note that people don't swim at Gualala River Mouth on the ocean part of the beach due to a dangerous undertow and strong wave action; but the Gualala river itself is an awesome place to swim when it's not really low (like now in a low rain year and in late summertime) or too high (in the winter).
Great beach to hike on. Park at Schooner's Gulch pull off and take the trail at the northernmost point of the parking area. Parking is just alongside the highway, when this is full you can park in on Schooner Gulch Road, a gravel road on the East side of the freeway. Or keep driving and park on the east side of the highway when you see a Call Box in a half mile. Across the road is a difficult to see trail head with a short walk to the southernmost end of Bowling Ball beach. The whole beach is beautiful to walk on, but rocky on the north end and might be rough for seniors to get down to on the south end. Bowling Ball rock formations are only visible during low tides. Great dog walking beach (I go at least once a week with my dog).
43 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Bãi biển Bóng Bowling
Great beach to hike on. Park at Schooner's Gulch pull off and take the trail at the northernmost point of the parking area. Parking is just alongside the highway, when this is full you can park in on Schooner Gulch Road, a gravel road on the East side of the freeway. Or keep driving and park on the east side of the highway when you see a Call Box in a half mile. Across the road is a difficult to see trail head with a short walk to the southernmost end of Bowling Ball beach. The whole beach is beautiful to walk on, but rocky on the north end and might be rough for seniors to get down to on the south end. Bowling Ball rock formations are only visible during low tides. Great dog walking beach (I go at least once a week with my dog).
A newer easy to access trail, just a few miles north of me. Only bluff access (no beach access) but lovely, easy trail for all types of hikers (and dogs!). Only a three mile plus loop.
14 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Pelican Bluffs
A newer easy to access trail, just a few miles north of me. Only bluff access (no beach access) but lovely, easy trail for all types of hikers (and dogs!). Only a three mile plus loop.
Stornetta Lands is one of the newer and larger parks in the area with lots of trails scattered over a wide area, the Point Arena lighthouse, a recently added labyrinth (inside the lighthouse area so requires admission), and lots of beautiful ocean and bluff hiking trails. I like to park at Point Arena City Hall (11 miles up the road from me) and enter the trailhead there and walk along the coastline. Or drive the Lighthouse road (another mile) and pull over at hiking trails along the way.
46 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Đất công cộng Point Arena-Stornetta
Stornetta Lands is one of the newer and larger parks in the area with lots of trails scattered over a wide area, the Point Arena lighthouse, a recently added labyrinth (inside the lighthouse area so requires admission), and lots of beautiful ocean and bluff hiking trails. I like to park at Point Arena City Hall (11 miles up the road from me) and enter the trailhead there and walk along the coastline. Or drive the Lighthouse road (another mile) and pull over at hiking trails along the way.
Moat Creek beach is a small, very rocky beach that is sometimes a good surf and body board beach—with a rocky entry though. But it’s also a nice short bluff hike from the Moat Creek parking area to the other end at Whiskey Flats—basically the north end of Bowling Ball beach. This is in fact a two part trail that loops on the west and east sides of the bluff, although the east side is also closer to the Highway and since I like to walk my dog off leash here, I stick to the western edge trail—which also of course overlooks the ocean so that’s better for that reason too. This is an alternate and longer way to enter the Bowling Ball formation by adding a mile each way to that access and is sometimes a better place to park. Look for minus tides as this is also a great beach for tide pool exploring, with a very large expanse exposed for tidepools.
Moat Creek
Moat Creek beach is a small, very rocky beach that is sometimes a good surf and body board beach—with a rocky entry though. But it’s also a nice short bluff hike from the Moat Creek parking area to the other end at Whiskey Flats—basically the north end of Bowling Ball beach. This is in fact a two part trail that loops on the west and east sides of the bluff, although the east side is also closer to the Highway and since I like to walk my dog off leash here, I stick to the western edge trail—which also of course overlooks the ocean so that’s better for that reason too. This is an alternate and longer way to enter the Bowling Ball formation by adding a mile each way to that access and is sometimes a better place to park. Look for minus tides as this is also a great beach for tide pool exploring, with a very large expanse exposed for tidepools.
Favorite beaches
Everyone knows this beach as Anchor Bay Beach, but Fish Rock is it'a official name in order to show here on the map. You would enter though via Anchor Bay Campground. It's named for the big two part rock off of the coast on the north end where so many sea lions live and is a well known fishing spot. These are the same sea lions you can hear barking day and night from the cottage (usually pretty subtle, but when the air currents shift on a very still day it can be loud!).
This is the closest beach and one of our favorites. You would be able to walk here if Highway 1 had a decent shoulder or sidewalk, but it does not and there's a blind curve and big trucks drive fast so there's no room for pedestrians. I'm telling you this first because looking at the map it looks like you could walk here and it's one of the questions I hear the most.
Anchor Bay Beach is also the only beach around that charges an entrance fee, $3 per person to walk in and $5 per vehicle. You can park instead at the top of a path that goes down to the campground entrance from the town of Anchor Bay. Park on the ocean side of Highway 1 and walk to the bench overlooking the beach and you'll find a path leading down to the campground office where you will pay to enter. Also you could park in a couple of small pullouts on Sunset Avenue directly across from the entrance and walk across the highway to enter. This only saves you the vehicle fee.
Okay now that we have all that figured out, why would you go here?
From late Spring to the beginning of Winter, this is a sandy beach favored by families and people who want to just hang out on the beach for awhile. Even when it's windy elsewhere you usually can find one of the many rocky outcroppings to shelter in and find a warm spot. This beach is one of the launching spots for everything from kayaks to some larger boats and is a favorite fishing spot. Lots of good sized fish come out of here. There is a fish filleting station with water as part of your entrance fee, clean bathrooms, a picnic area with a sink, and coin operated warm showers.
You can swim here if you like very cold water, body surf, some boogie boarding and sometimes decent surfing (kids boogie board on the shorebreak, but I like to wait for the offshore break to form to bring my board). Most people do all the above wearing a wetsuit. I go both with and without. (I'm a cold water swimmer).
Spearfishing is also popular here and I've started to snorkel here with a wetsuit and a hood (it's very, very cold most of the year) just to view the underwater life. Visibility is pretty poor due to the sand in the water, but clears up some of the time. There are some interesting tide pools during very low tides for exploration, too.
Please note that Winter storm surges remove most of the sand and it's very rocky here in the wintertime.
But the sand returns every spring.
Fish Rock Beach
Everyone knows this beach as Anchor Bay Beach, but Fish Rock is it'a official name in order to show here on the map. You would enter though via Anchor Bay Campground. It's named for the big two part rock off of the coast on the north end where so many sea lions live and is a well known fishing spot. These are the same sea lions you can hear barking day and night from the cottage (usually pretty subtle, but when the air currents shift on a very still day it can be loud!).
This is the closest beach and one of our favorites. You would be able to walk here if Highway 1 had a decent shoulder or sidewalk, but it does not and there's a blind curve and big trucks drive fast so there's no room for pedestrians. I'm telling you this first because looking at the map it looks like you could walk here and it's one of the questions I hear the most.
Anchor Bay Beach is also the only beach around that charges an entrance fee, $3 per person to walk in and $5 per vehicle. You can park instead at the top of a path that goes down to the campground entrance from the town of Anchor Bay. Park on the ocean side of Highway 1 and walk to the bench overlooking the beach and you'll find a path leading down to the campground office where you will pay to enter. Also you could park in a couple of small pullouts on Sunset Avenue directly across from the entrance and walk across the highway to enter. This only saves you the vehicle fee.
Okay now that we have all that figured out, why would you go here?
From late Spring to the beginning of Winter, this is a sandy beach favored by families and people who want to just hang out on the beach for awhile. Even when it's windy elsewhere you usually can find one of the many rocky outcroppings to shelter in and find a warm spot. This beach is one of the launching spots for everything from kayaks to some larger boats and is a favorite fishing spot. Lots of good sized fish come out of here. There is a fish filleting station with water as part of your entrance fee, clean bathrooms, a picnic area with a sink, and coin operated warm showers.
You can swim here if you like very cold water, body surf, some boogie boarding and sometimes decent surfing (kids boogie board on the shorebreak, but I like to wait for the offshore break to form to bring my board). Most people do all the above wearing a wetsuit. I go both with and without. (I'm a cold water swimmer).
Spearfishing is also popular here and I've started to snorkel here with a wetsuit and a hood (it's very, very cold most of the year) just to view the underwater life. Visibility is pretty poor due to the sand in the water, but clears up some of the time. There are some interesting tide pools during very low tides for exploration, too.
Please note that Winter storm surges remove most of the sand and it's very rocky here in the wintertime.
But the sand returns every spring.
I mention Schooner Gulch as the place to park for walking on Bowling Ball beach. But it's actually Schooner that I go to the most. For body surfing, boogie boarding and shorter beach hikes. Surfers come here too, more often beginners for the often gentle break. More of a beach at low tide. Winter high tides can mean almost no beach at all, but during the rest of the year, the beach is generous and sandy and room for hanging out. Dogs are welcome here. It has a reliable wave break for catching waves.
12 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Schooner Gulch State Beach
I mention Schooner Gulch as the place to park for walking on Bowling Ball beach. But it's actually Schooner that I go to the most. For body surfing, boogie boarding and shorter beach hikes. Surfers come here too, more often beginners for the often gentle break. More of a beach at low tide. Winter high tides can mean almost no beach at all, but during the rest of the year, the beach is generous and sandy and room for hanging out. Dogs are welcome here. It has a reliable wave break for catching waves.
This is a small sandy cove and local favorite. Waves here can be great for boogie board and surf board, conditions are often good for body surfing too. There's a lookout at the top of the beach for checking the conditions. It's a small beach, parking is roadside, but somehow even when that parking is super full, everyone can still spread out really far on the beach and it doesn't seem crowded. (Even during CoViD). I like this beach for reliable surf. (I boogie board and body surf, but do see surfers here too dependent on conditions). Super low tide and check out the hidden big cave around the bend on the South side of the cove. Great beach for sunsets. Less than five minute drive from the cottage.
25 người dân địa phương đề xuất
bãi biển Cooks
This is a small sandy cove and local favorite. Waves here can be great for boogie board and surf board, conditions are often good for body surfing too. There's a lookout at the top of the beach for checking the conditions. It's a small beach, parking is roadside, but somehow even when that parking is super full, everyone can still spread out really far on the beach and it doesn't seem crowded. (Even during CoViD). I like this beach for reliable surf. (I boogie board and body surf, but do see surfers here too dependent on conditions). Super low tide and check out the hidden big cave around the bend on the South side of the cove. Great beach for sunsets. Less than five minute drive from the cottage.
Groceries
Food shopping
May-November the Farmer's Market sets up at the south end of town (next to the Community Center, but right along the highway so you can't miss it) and offers fresh local produce from our small farms, beverages, and other items such as soaps & lotions. Across the highway, an ad-hoc crafts fair sets up at the same time and has lately had more & more food vendors show up too, selling some great things to eat while you're out and about. And if it's the first or third Saturday of the month, head over to the Community Center for PaynTake where donated items are broken down into departments of great deals and sales benefit the center as well as senior services.
6 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Gualala Farmers Market
47950 Center StMay-November the Farmer's Market sets up at the south end of town (next to the Community Center, but right along the highway so you can't miss it) and offers fresh local produce from our small farms, beverages, and other items such as soaps & lotions. Across the highway, an ad-hoc crafts fair sets up at the same time and has lately had more & more food vendors show up too, selling some great things to eat while you're out and about. And if it's the first or third Saturday of the month, head over to the Community Center for PaynTake where donated items are broken down into departments of great deals and sales benefit the center as well as senior services.
Surf is pricey, but it's still a favorite as it has a bigger selection of good food, organic options, gluten free options, and other useful ingredients and high end snacks and beverages. There's a Peet's coffee in the back by the deli/meat/seafood section, and they are often bbq-ing sirloin, chicken & ribs out front on weekends.
52 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Surf Market
39250 CA-1Surf is pricey, but it's still a favorite as it has a bigger selection of good food, organic options, gluten free options, and other useful ingredients and high end snacks and beverages. There's a Peet's coffee in the back by the deli/meat/seafood section, and they are often bbq-ing sirloin, chicken & ribs out front on weekends.
This is my little neighborhood grocery, has a pretty good selection, too. Prices are high, but this is only a double digit town so we need to keep them in businesses. A favorite item is the homemade carrot cake when Barbara has made it recently. It's 2 minutes from the cottage, so saving time is better sometimes than saving money. They usually have some hot soup and another hot item, big thermos coffee, and other easy to grab snack. They service all the people walking up from the campground too.
13 người dân địa phương đề xuất
Anchor Bay Store-Village Market
35513 CA-1This is my little neighborhood grocery, has a pretty good selection, too. Prices are high, but this is only a double digit town so we need to keep them in businesses. A favorite item is the homemade carrot cake when Barbara has made it recently. It's 2 minutes from the cottage, so saving time is better sometimes than saving money. They usually have some hot soup and another hot item, big thermos coffee, and other easy to grab snack. They service all the people walking up from the campground too.