Bodega Bay

Sneaker waves happen on the Sonoma Coast. Even on a calm-looking day, a large set can run far up the beach without warning, so watch the water for a while before you go down to the shoreline, and never turn your back on the ocean. For rocky beaches and tide pools, go at a daylight low tide. The nearest NOAA station is Point Reyes, about 35 km to the south.

Bodega Bay is a working fishing harbor in Sonoma County, about an hour and a half north of San Francisco, where the Pacific hits hard against bluffs and open beaches. People come for the coast and for seafood straight off the boats.

The town centers on its harbor, where commercial fishing and whale watching boats come and go. The coast around it is part of Sonoma Coast State Park, which runs for miles. Film buffs know the town as the setting of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

Top spots and things to do:

• Doran Regional Park Beach — a sheltered sandy beach on the bay side, with calmer water and good birdwatching.
• Bodega Head — a headland walk with wide Pacific views, and a good place to watch whales in season.
• Salmon Creek Beach — a wide dune beach popular with surfers; the currents are strong, so don't swim.
• Bodega Bay Harbor — pick up fresh Dungeness crab and clam chowder from the docks.
• Spud Point Marina — where the fishing boats head out in the morning.
• Shell Beach (nearby) — rocky shoreline with tide pools and gentler waves for poking around.
• Jenner (nearby) — where the Russian River meets the ocean, with harbor seals and sea kayaking at the river mouth.