Doran Regional Park is a regional park south of Bodega Bay, California, U.S.A. that is maintained by the Sonoma County Regional Parks Department. It covers an area of 127 acres. It is located at 38.314°N 123.0428°W on the sand spit separating Bodega Harbor from Bodega Bay.
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This is our go-to beach. It's about 26 miles from our home in Santa Rosa and the scenery along the drive is absolutely beautiful. Traffic is usually pretty easy aside from some occasional traffic light backups in Sebastopol. We often take our dogs and they are welcome in the park on their leashes.
Doran Park occupies a peninsula just south of the boat entrance into Bodega Harbor. The beach stretches from the breakwater on the end of the peninsula down toward the east and south to Pinnacle Rocks, which are usually not passable except during very low tides. Overall, you can walk about two miles one-way along the sand. There are some restrooms near the breakwater and near the entry gate, but not on the south/east end beyond the gate and golf courses.
Bird life is abundant and there's a separate birdwalk trail along the marshes on the harbor side of the peninsula, just west of the entrance gate. Last time we visited, we saw several whale spouts off in the distance.
Entry into the park is about $7, I think, but if you live anywhere near Sonoma County, the annual regional parks pass is one of the best bargains / investments you can purchase.
Be prepared for cold and windy beach days, even on the hottest days inland. It's common for the temperatures on this beach to be 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit lower than those in Sebastopol, which is only 10-15 miles inland. We often go to beat the 90º heat in Santa Rosa and end up being thankful that we leave our jackets, winter hats, and scarfs in the car year-round. Typical summer temperatures are in the 50-60ºF range and winds of 20-30 mph...
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We recommend the great Miwok campground of Doran Regional Park for tent camping. It has beautiful views of beaches, bluffs, and Bodega bay, and it has easy access to the beach with lots of walking, biking, swimming, etc available. The park is far enough from cities to feel somewhat secluded but close enough to see the city lights reflecting off of the clouds in the distance at night. I especially loved that the tent sites were totally separate from the RV and motorhome sites, which seemed to have their own campground. The Miwok tent sites are close together without many trees, so I can imagine that this campground feels crowded during packed summer weekends. We stayed during a weekday night in late winter before an atmospheric river hit California, and there were only two sites being used during our stay. Luckily, we had great, calm weather. The facilities were very clean. However, the facilities were fairly old, and I noticed that there was only one toilet and one shower for men (similar number for women) for the many sites of the Miwok campground, so I can imagine a long wait for the toilet or shower during packed summer mornings and the facilities getting not-so-clean quickly (hence the 4 stars). We stayed only one night and wish we had stayed longer. Overall, this is a great spot for camping in Bodega Bay, we will be back during the off-seasons, and highly recommend this...
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Fabulous reserved campground along with public day use. The restrooms are very clean. Showers are $2.00 for 5 minutes, up to $2.75 for 8 minutes; uses quarters. Quarters are available from 1 of 2 Camp Hosts. Firewood is also available for $10.00 a bundle.
The park Rangers patrol frequently, and are helpful, and nice. The two Camp Hosts I met are a couple who live on site. Both are extremely nice, and helpful. Mr. helped me lower my shade canopy, Mrs. was working at the visitors center. The center has an interactive display of the marine life at the park, and sells memorabilia that supports the park. All employees are very nice, and very knowledgeable.
CAUTION: It can be very windy here. The weather is changeable. So, dress in layers, and be prepared for everything from a swimsuit to bundled up. Starting NOVEMBER 2017 CAMP SITES WILL BE RESERVATION ONLY. This is a popular campground that is reserved up to a year in advance. But, cancelations make it possible to reserve a site at the last minute; check the website often.
This park is a little expensive, $35.00 a night to camp there; considering only the handicap camping spots have power and water on site. But, there is a dump station in the park by the maintenance yard. The public boat ramp is used by local fishermen, and campers.
This is an all ages, all abilities park that's safe even for a middle aged woman alone....
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