01
Best overall pick
Anchor Bay Beach
Anchor Bay Proper • Sheltered Cove With Campground Access • Local Favorite For An All-Day Stay
A tucked-away cove below Anchor Bay Campground with soft sand, mellow waves, and a laid-back, local feel.
This is the beach most people mean when they talk about Anchor Bay: a half-mile arc of sand protected by rocky points that knock down the wind and surf. Access is through the private campground, and there is typically a day-use fee, but the payoff is a cozy, low-key spot where families, campers, and locals share the shoreline. It is a great choice if you want to park once, set up your chairs, and spend the day drifting between the water and the redwood-shaded gulch behind the sand.
02
Best quick coastal stop
Cooks Beach
Between Gualala And Anchor Bay • Compact, Tucked-Away Cove • Best Quick Stop Off Highway 1
A small, pretty cove just off the coast road, ideal for a short wander, a picnic, or letting kids explore close to town.
Cooks Beach sits in a snug little indentation in the coast, reached by a short path from a bluff-top pullout between Gualala and Anchor Bay. At low tide there is enough sand and rock to explore tide pools, driftwood, and sea-worn boulders without committing to a full-day outing. It is an easy choice when you are driving Highway 1 and want a gentler stop than the big, windier state park beaches.
03
Best for easy walks and picnics
Gualala Point Regional Park Beach
Mouth Of The Gualala River • Wide River-Mouth Beach With Trails • Best For Families And Casual Strolling
A broad stretch of sand where the Gualala River meets the Pacific, framed by bluffs, trails, and picnic spots.
Just south of Anchor Bay, this park-style beach gives you more infrastructure than the little coves: marked trails, restrooms, picnic tables, and plenty of room to spread out on the sand. The river mouth shifts with the seasons, creating sandbars and calmer shallows that are fun to explore while keeping a respectful distance from the surf. It is a low-stress place for a walk, a picnic, or introducing visiting friends to the feel of the Mendocino and Sonoma coast transition zone.
04
Most photogenic shoreline
Schooner Gulch State Beach (Bowling Ball Beach)
North Of Anchor Bay Toward Point Arena • Dramatic Bluff-Backed Shoreline • Best For Unique Rock Formations And Photos
A rugged state beach best known for the round rock formations of Bowling Ball Beach, revealed at lower tides.
A short drive north from Anchor Bay toward Point Arena brings you to trailheads for Schooner Gulch and its famous Bowling Ball Beach. When the tide is right, perfectly rounded boulders line up in the shallows, creating one of the more unusual coastal scenes on this stretch of Highway 1. Expect a bit of a walk and a steeper path than the in-town coves, but photographers and geology buffs will find it well worth timing their visit around the tide chart.
05
Best long beach walk
Manchester State Beach
South Of Point Arena Near Manchester • Long, Wild Oceanfront Strand • Best For Big-Sky, Wide-Open Scenery
A broad, often windswept state beach with miles of sand and dunes for those who like their coastline wide open and uncrowded.
If you are willing to drive a bit farther from Anchor Bay, Manchester State Beach rewards you with a long, sweeping shoreline that feels much more remote than the mileage suggests. The sand seems to go on forever, backed by dunes and grassland, and it is common to share the space with only a handful of other walkers and a lot of shorebirds. Come prepared for wind and changing weather, and treat it as a proper leg-stretcher rather than a quick dip spot.