Point Reyes vs. Bodega Bay vs. Sonoma
 

Going to SF for a week over July 4th with 1 year old son. Looking to rent a home and debating between the 3 areas. Have stayed at Sonoma before so thought being by the coast would be a good idea but husband is worried there wouldn't be much to do. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

It could be fog-city in July along the coast.

Stu Dudley

Point Reyes is very, very empty. This is both a feature and a bug. If you love nature and wide vistas, this is the place. If you like lots of restaurants and night life, it will be pretty quiet.

Bodega Bay is also not a population center. It is a pretty funky fishing and retirement town.

Both are within easy distance of Sonoma for day trips. I would rent in the more populated part of the county and make a couple of expeditions to the coast, perhaps scouting out where you might want to be next time.

"It could be fog-city in July along the coast"

Geez Stu, lighten up about the weather. Many people vacation on the coast in July. Of course, it will be much warmer in the town of Sonoma but there are nice communities in Marin and Sonoma counties on or near the coast that would be good choices. In San Francisco, the fog often never retreats because it's sucked into the Delta by the hot temperatures in the Central Valley. Up the coast, there is a mountain range that blocks this marine intrusion so the afternoons often clear and can be very nice even in July.

My favorite town is Inverness on Tomales Bay just before you get to Pt. Reyes National Seashore. Here the afternoons often warm up because there's a ridge protecting the town from the ocean. There's also several nice calm swimming beaches on Tomales Bay that are nearby and would be safe to play on.
There are good restaurants nearby but it's a long haul into San Francisco if you were thinking of doing that.

Inverness is an expensive place to rent, so most of us locals usually venture further up the coast. Sea Ranch is one of our favorites and there are lots of houses for rent there. Again, there is a high ridge that keeps the fog from going too far inland so you only have to drive a few miles east to find sun if it's really foggy on the coast.

There are many other places too. If you go to vrbo.com and look at the North Coast entries, you will get an idea of what's available.

We have friends who have lived in Stinson Beach for over 25 years. I posed the "fog" question to him. Here is my question, & his reply

Question:
How many days in July is it foggy between 10am to 4 pm.

Rely:
Is this a trick question?

I’d say 15, but I can’t tell which they will be!

Jeff

We always stay in the Jenner area & have plenty to do. There are many wineries out that way now + you'll be fairly near the Osmosis Spa as well. Occidental has a great farmers market, you can do some hiking, spend some time on the beach, etc.

Occidental is charming. Inn at Occidental is fabulous if you like B & Bs. The road from Occidental to the coasst(I think it has "Coleman" n its name is one of the prettiest drives anywhere.

If the fog question means a lot to you, I'd rent in Sonoma and do day trips out to the coast and other destinations. Or perhaps rent in Guerneville or one of the other Russian River towns - the river area stays pretty warm in summer unless you are out towards the western end near Jenner.

If the fog was not a deal breaker, I'd choose one of the Pt. Reyes towns - Pt. Reyes Station or Inverness, ideally. The benefit of staying close to the Pt. Reyes National Seashore is that on the days you don't feel like driving much, there are beaches and hikes within easy reach. Pt. Reyes Station has a very decent market and a great bakery (Bovine Bakery).

Bill44,
The road you are thinking of is Coleman Valley Road. It's a beauty - esp. if you are driving from east to west and come upon the incredible view of the ocean right before joining Highway 1.

If you choose to rent a vacation place in the Pt Reyes area, beware of being too close to the main road. We rented a very charming cottage on the marsh, fireplace, small deck, perfect!, except for the all-night noise from that road just behind us.

I would suggest renting a place above the river in Jenner. Even when it's foggy, it is delightful. As others have posted, in about 20 minutes driving inland, you are back in the heat of summer. Our foggy coast in summer is the reason that you will see caravans of motor homes from Sacramento making their way to Doran Park in Bodega Bay--for the cool (read COLD) breezes.

SuY, I think your husband is right that those little towns are cute and everything but I didn't see much else really happening there. Depends on what you want to do, as to where you would stay. Also the drive from Sonoma to Bodega Bay is long and winding and pretty slow.

Actually, the drive from Sonoma to or from Bodega Bay is not slow and winding. Simply go 14 miles from Sonoma to Petaluma, drive through town and you will be on the Bodega Highway.

26 miles to Bodega Bay.

Or, you can drive 18 miles to Santa Rosa, get on River Road, which is Hwy 116, and at Guerneville stop and visit Armstrong Grove Redwoods State Park. Then continue on the where Hwy 1 comes in and go south for 10 miles to Bodega Bay.

Borrowing from another Fodorite: http://www.springhillcabin.com/

The Russian River area is great. I've been there on 4th of July and it's not crazy busy like a lot of palces can be.

If I MAY repost and state that 116 is a beautiful two lane road that takes one through mountains of pine forests along the Russian River. As such, one cannot really just power through at 65 miles an hour and it was what I consider to be a winding road.

I think what jt was thinking is what I was thinking-no way would I
travel all the way up through Santa Rosa to take 116 out to the coast from Sonoma town. Much more direct to travel from Sonoma-over to Petaluma-through Petaluma-and straight on out to Bodega Bay.
Not much windy road about it-well there IS a curve as you go though
Valley Ford...

R5

razzledazzle,

Giggling about your "curve as you go through Valley Ford".

Actually, if anyone is hungry about that time there is a great little hamburger joint just after the curve. Very local. Don't blink or you will miss it.