Sonoma Coast State Beach
The Sonoma Coast State Beach is located north of the small town of Bodega Bay, just up the California coast from San Francisco. The beach is first in a chain of beaches, seemingly one every half mile or so, that stretches north up Highway 1 towards Fort Bragg. This area is much less "touristy" than the beaches south of San Francisco (Half Moon Bay, Monterey Bay, Big Sur, etc.), but there are still plenty of galleries, resturants, shops and wineries. This is still the Sonoma Coast, after all!
There are several campgrounds in the area, including Bodega Dunes and Wright's Beach. We stayed at Bodega Dunes and liked the privacy of the campsites, which are nestled in a thickly wooded area. As shown on the map above, however, it is a long ways to the beach. You cannot reserve a specific site at Bodega Dunes, although they do accept reservations. This is certainly a disadvantage for those of us who are destined to arrive late on Friday afternoons - but we did not see too many sites that we would be unhappy with. 
Our campsite was very private and relatively secluded. In fact, from our picnick table and fire ring (from where this picture was taken) we could not see another campsite. 
Firewood was not available in the campground, but the market in nearby Bodega Bay was only about two miles away. 
The Sonoma coast is comprised of narrow sandy beaches, often seperated by rocky outcroppings that jut out into the ocean, and backed by rocky cliffs and Highway 1. Bodega Dunes does not have rocky cliffs, but rather miles of relatively flat grassy "dunes" with some sporadic tree coverage. Several trails run through the area, both for hikers and horses. 
The hiking is strenuous because of the sand, but even the kids were good for several miles. Just another 62-degree, mid-February day in Northern California!
