Sonoma Coast State Park

A special place was needed for a very special day. To celebrate his 30 years of being awesome, I wanted to take Kent somewhere wonderful. This pretty place promised redwood forest and spectacular seaside scenery. Sonoma Coast State Park proved an irresistible destination to celebrate the birth of an irresistible man.

A striking scene of a beautiful beach on a bright sunny day. Rugged sea stacks jut up from the waves, which appear turquoise in the sun and foam white against the shore. The coastline here is a series of bluffs and cliffs rising high above the sandy beaches below. There's not a single cloud in the sky.
Sonoma Coast State Park, in splendor

We spent the night at Bodega Dunes on Kent’s birthday eve in 2015, on one of our many mini road trips, and rejoiced in being so close to the coast. He pitched the tent and built a fire. I unrolled a sleeping bag built for two and brought out the burritos. Together, we watched sunset on the beach, played cards and snuggled in the tent.

A photograph of the author's campsite during this adventure: an orange and grey dome tent sits on a blue plastic tarp in the sand. Two trees reach towards each other in the foreground, framing the campsite with an arc of green boughs. The ground is pure sand.
Home away from home, in the dunes

On Kent’s birthday morning, we woke up bright and early and ready for adventure. Having thoroughly explored the Bodega Dunes trails the previous evening, we set off for the northern section of Sonoma Coast State Park. Our birthday mission, we determined, was to to travel every trail in the park!

A wave splashes up against a boulder on the seashore. Direct sunlight makes the sea twinkle in places and appear aquamarine in others.
The power of the sun and the sea

Parking at Blind Beach, we found the swath of golden sand a little hard to leave behind. But we would be hiking a loop, so took comfort in knowing we would be back to enjoy it later! We headed due south along the perimeter of the land.

The author's husband strolls ahead on a thin, sandy trail. Large boulders in a variety of shapes and configurations separate this trail from the sea. The blue sky is slightly hazy over the land.
Solo in the stacks

We were captivated by the sea stacks interrupting the undulating sea, and the birds that swooped around them constantly! Kortum Trail was high on windswept bluffs above the beach and never far from breathtaking views of the ocean. We moved over the land while watching the sea: witnessing line after line of waves crash against rocks and break onto the beach.

A view from above: the Kortum Trail in Sonoma Coast State Park winds its way along coastal bluffs and in between boulders. A dry, golden hillside partially obscures the blue sea and sky from view in the lower right of this image.
Kortum Trail stretches south along the coast

This is a very exciting trail! Although it’s relatively flat, it’s cliff-side location makes it dramatic throughout. A curve or a climb reveals a thin, enticing line, stretching away down the coast. It was exactly what I love about California: this world-class wilderness somehow just off the #1 highway and tramped on this particular day by no one but us.

A selfie of the author and her husband, taken on the Kortum Trail. They are both wearing colorful sunglasses: hers coral pink and his lime green, as they smile into the lens. The background is a green expanse of chaparral, stretching down to the wild, rocky shore.
Happiness is a hike and a hug.

The sea changed colors as the morning warmed and the sun rose higher in the sky. But after a while, we turned inland and left the sounds of the surf behind. We began to climb on Pomo Canyon Trail. We would eventually reach the small summit of Red Hill!

A rust-colored dirt trail rises gently up and curves around a slope. To either side are silvery grasses, blown nearly flat by the wind. The sky appears especially blue at the crest of the hill.
A red trail to Red Hill!

But first: a birthday picnic in the chaparral. A scenic stroll through beautiful tall trees. Many hugs, And a few memorable animal encounters!

A small lizard turns one eye towards the camera in this close-up shot. The brown and beige of his scaly skin are a near perfect match with the grains of sand clutched in his tiny toes. Leaf litter in the background dwarfs this diminutive creature.
Excellent camouflage!
A small black snake with yellow stripes on either side of its serpentine body can be seen in the grass and leaf litter. This creature was on the trail, but quickly found its way back to the forest when we approached!
Excellent slinking!

Inland was just as lovely in that uniquely Californian way. Tall golden grasses waved in the sea breeze that reached across the dunes. All manner of plant life adapted to a harsh life had found a foothold in the hills here, shades of green in defiance in the recent drought. And the forest: my first adult experience of the grandeur of the redwoods.

The author, dressed in a pink t-shirt, stands at the base of a group of coast redwood trees. She's looking up, and this vertical image showcases the full height of the tallest trees on Earth!
A red and pink encounter.

It was my hope to give Kent the loveliest birthday. Along the way I found myself having the perfect day too! The combination of movement, natural beauty and companionship had us both smiling all morning long.

A portrait of Kent, grinning and shirtless, holding a bottle of water above his head. He's standing just behind a picnic bench, and the rolling hills of California recede into the distance behind him under a clear sky.
The birthday boy in his natural habitat!

Four and a half hours and 18 kilometers later, we arrived back on Blind Beach. It was finally the perfect time for a sit, and a good long look at this beautiful beach. Waves rolled in rhythmically against the sand, where a colony of pinnipeds basked half-in and half-out of the water.

In this abstract shot, two webbed footprints and a smattering of water droplets tell the story of a seagull. An orange-and-white splotch on the sand are the remnants of a successfully digested catch!
A beach story.
On a spit of sand separated by teal, tropic-like water, a group of seals lie in the sunshine just above the tide line. They are surrounded on nearly all sides by water birds: on the sand, in the sky, and in the water.
Spot the seals!

I dug my toes into the sand as I sat watching, listening and photographing. Kent leaned back and eventually fell asleep with his face to the sun. It was a perfect day in Sonoma Coast State Park.

In this portrait of the author's husband, Kent is taking it easy. The focus of his gaze is obscured by his dark sunglasses. We can only see his head and shoulders, and the tide creeps in beyond his elbow in a wash of white. High bluffs rise behind this beach, into the bluest sky.
Sweet & sleepy.

Sonoma Coast State Park is highly recommendable! Just north of the Bay Area and east of Sacramento, it makes for an easy getaway. And no worries: no beauty is sacrificed for the sake of convenience – this is truly some spectacular coastline. There are trails long and short, a multitude of gorgeous beaches and great campsites nestled in the dunes. Visit the official state park website for more information and help planning your trip. I hope you enjoy this little slice of coastal California paradise as much as we did!

For more of California’s splendid state parks, you know where to go!

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