Bodega Bay, California

Bodega Bay is a small town on the eastern side of Bodega Harbor, an inlet of Bodega Bay on the Pacific coast. Most notably, the Alfred Hitchcock-directed film, The Birds, was filmed in Bodega Bay.



The most prominent geological feature of Bodega Bay is Bodega Head, a peninsula that forms the the protective arm between the ocean and the bay. The San Andreas fault runs right through it, separating steep rocky bluffs from sandy dunes. Atop the bluffs, grasslands rise more gently to the coastal ridges. The Head provides a dramatic vista and the ideal place to watch whales migrate south twice yearly in January/February and April/May.

Doran Park is a strip of beach formed by the currents of Bodega Bay. The ocean side is ideal for water sports such as surfing and body boarding while the harbor side offers a salt marsh which is a habitat for a variety of birds. At the end of Doran Beach is the protected entrance to the harbor where the fog horn keeps a constant watch.

Although Bodega Bay, the town, is small in population, it is not small in number of restaurants or resorts. It is perfectly located for those drivers who are set to begin a trek up winding Highway 1 North, or have just completed its counterpart coming South. And being a locale of a famous movie also brings the city dwellers up, for it is only about 68 miles north of San Francisco.

To get to Bodega Bay from Santa Rosa: Take 101 to Hwy 12 West. Exit through Sebastopol until it becomes Bodega Hwy to Coast Hwy 1 (23 miles). Turn right onto Hwy 1 to Bodega Bay (5 miles). It is a beautiful drive, up and down the hilly coastline, dotted with Eucalyptus trees.