Gorgeous Day at Bodega Head!

It was absolutely gorgeous in Bodega Bay yesterday! After endless days of summer fog, the sun finally broke through in the afternoon and we enjoyed some t-shirt weather.

My husband and I drove over to Bodega Head and hiked up the north trail to the Horseshoe Cove Overlook. I've never seen the trail so overgrown, maybe due to State Parks budget cuts. But it didn't matter, we just made our way gently through the tall blooming vegetation and marched up the hill. The hillsides were filled with a variety of wildflowers, there was hardly any wind, and the visibility was excellent. Here are some photos from the trail, click to enlarge.











View toward Doran Beach, U.S. Coast Guard and Bodega Harbour.

View toward downtown Bodega Bay.

From the top of the trail, you look down on Horseshoe Cove and the UC Davis Bodega Bay Marine Lab. I took their tour recently and will be writing about it soon.



Here are a couple of videos we shot up on the Head. Not very exciting, but you can kick back and get a feel for what it's like up there.

Helicopter Rescues Man and Dog from Bodega Head Cliff

A man and his dog were rescued by helicopter from a Bodega Head cliff this weekend! I was out of town and missed all the action but I was not at all surprised when I heard the news. In fact I'm amazed it doesn't happen more often.

The newspaper reports didn't say exactly where it happened, but the photo above gives you an idea of just how close the trail runs to the edge of those cliffs (click to enlarge the photo) and in many places, it's a sheer drop down to the jagged rocks below. I've blogged about the hiking trails on Bodega Head before, you can see more photos here. It's often extremely windy out on the Head and I've marveled that people aren't blown off the cliffs on a regular basis.

In this case, it appears Bella, a one year old black labrador, fell off the edge and was stuck about 150 feet above the water. Bella's owner, 50 yr. old Gary Webb of Elk Grove, clambered down to rescue her and then he got stuck about 10 feet above her. Gary's wife was waiting above with their other dog and it took 40 minutes before she was able to flag down a passerby to summon help.

At last, the Sheriff’s Department helicopter, Henry 1, arrived on the scene. Using a long line and harness, they saved Bella first because she was in the most precarious position, then Gary. It must have been an incredible sight and I would have loved to have seen the rescuers in action. Miraculously, everyone escaped uninjured from the ordeal.

Bodega Head offers spectacular ocean views and is a gorgeous area to hike, but it is rugged and you have to exercise caution. Certainly keep dogs leashed (it's the law anyway) and don't get so darn close to the cliffs.

For more information:
Press Democrat
Sacramento Bee

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It’s Whale Watch Time at Bodega Head!

Last weekend, we went out to Bodega Head for a hike. The weather was spectacularly sunny and warm and the parking lot was packed. At the far end, we were delighted to find a group of Whale Watch volunteers on hand to answer questions for visitors. Turns out they’re there every weekend 12:00-4:00 p.m. (weather permitting) January through mid-May.

I met Bea Brunn, head of Whale Watch for the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods. Bea has coordinated this program since it's inception in 1986 and her dedicated weekend volunteers come from as far away as Concord and Sacramento.


She told us Bodega Head is a prime location for watching the annual gray whale migration. According to her website, “The whales begin their journey at their summer feeding grounds off Arctic waters of the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. They travel down along the Pacific Coast to their winter calving lagoons off Baja California, Mexico. The whales return after breeding or with their young via the same route, usually closer to shore with the mothers on the outside and the calves closer inland for protection.”

Bea said they’d spotted at least half a dozen whales the day we were there. My husband was watching with a group that saw one spout but I missed it. We’ll go back again soon, with binoculars.


There are two main hiking trails at Bodega Head, one heads north toward Horseshoe Cove and the other goes south and loops around the peninsula. We decided to head south. Near the beginning of the trail there’s a fisherman’s memorial comprised of low cement blocks arranged in the shape of a ship pointing out to sea.


The views on this hike are breathtaking, but don’t take your eyes off the path in front of you. It seems dangerously close to the edge of steep cliffs, which drop straight down to crashing waves and rocks below. We were lucky to be there on such a calm sunny day. Sometimes it’s extremely windy up there and I’d be afraid of getting blown off a cliff in a big gust. Also, the bluffs can be unstable, another reason to keep away from the edge.


It was so beautiful! On the inland side, the surrounding grasslands were fresh and green, and wildflowers were just beginning to bloom. After we hiked along the dramatic cliffs above the ocean for a while, the trail curved around the head and we could see straight across the ocean to Pt. Reyes and Tomales Bay. Bodega Rock was out in the water below and occupied by sea lions barking their heads off.


Further around, we were treated to a striking view looking back into Bodega Bay, Doran Beach and the campgrounds, Bodega Harbor, and the homes on the hillsides. It was fascinating to see it all from this perspective.


Eventually the trail linked up with a dirt road which we followed back around to the main parking lot. What an adventure! That Bodega Head hike offers magnificent world-class views; just imagine how it would be to also see migrating whales along the way. But keep your eyes on the trail!