Goat Rock
Jenner, CA
Goat Rock is one of Sonoma Coast State Park's most recognized stops, where the Russian River and the open ocean meet side by side, giving you both a river beach and an ocean beach within a short walk of each other. A resident harbor seal colony hauls out nearby, one of the more reliable wildlife sightings on this coast.
The combination of river beach, ocean beach, and a reliable seal colony in one stop is genuinely rare, though the currents here are dangerous and this isn't a swimming beach.
How we score beachesStay well back from the seal haul-out area, it's a protected pupping site and getting too close is both disruptive and against posted rules.
Free parking is available at the day-use lot.
A path and blufftop trails lead from parking to both the river and ocean beaches.
Dogs are not allowed at Goat Rock Beach in order to protect the resident harbor seal colony.
Spring brings harbor seal pupping season, while summer mornings run foggy before clearing, typical of the Sonoma coast.
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