In brief:
1.1 mile out and back hike downhill through coastal scrub to beach.

Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 1 mile out and back hike is easy, with about 350 feet in elevation change.

Exposure:
Almost completely exposed.

Trail traffic:
Light.

Trail surfaces:
Dirt trail and beach.

Hiking time:
Under 1 hour.

Season:
Nice year round.

Getting there:

From the junction of Bodega Highway and CA 1 (south of Bodega Bay) in Sonoma County, drive north on CA 1 about 3.5 miles, then turn west (left) onto South Harbor Way. At the crest of the hill, turn left on Heron Drive. Drive about 0.9 mile through a residential neighborhood, turn left onto Mockingbird, and continue a short distance to a small parking lot on the left.

GPS coordinates* for trailhead:
Latitude 38°18'47.24"N
Longitude 123° 0'50.61"W
(* based on Google Earth data, shown as degrees, minutes, seconds)

Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, stores, restaurants, pay phones, and motels north in Bodega Bay. No camping.

Trailhead details:
No entrance fee. Small paved parking lot, with drinking water and toilets. No maps at the trailhead, but you don't really need one.

Rules:
Dogs are permitted, on leash only. No bikes or horses.

The Official Story:
Sonoma County's Pinnacle Gulch page
Sonoma County's ranger station 707-875-3540

Map choices and more information:

• 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Francisco, second edition, by Jane Huber (yup, that's me, the creator of this website) has a simple map and description of this hike (order this book from Amazon.com).
• Map from Sonoma County Parks
• The Hiker's hip Pocket Guide to Sonoma County, by Bob Lorentzen (order this book from Amazon.com) has a simple map and description of this hike.

Pinnacle Gulch in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to this hike.


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