This Massive Stretch of California's Sonoma Coast Just Opened to the Public for the First Time in 100 Years

"This ecologically rich landscape includes a one-mile stretch along the mouth of the Estero Americano Estuary, part of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Tidal marshes, eelgrass beds, mudflats, and open waters provide essential habitat for Central California Coast steelhead, tidewater goby, and California red-legged frog, all within a dynamic mix of saltwater and freshwater," the estuary's website explains. In springtime, the estuary notes, the space is blanketed with irises, likely ensuring it soon becomes a popular wildflower viewing site, too."

"The estuary is open every single day from sunrise to sunset and is free to access; however, there are a few key rules to know. While it is open to hikers (who will find about five miles of trails to explore), dogs on leashes, whale watchers, and those looking to picnic, bikers, and hunters are not permitted. There is also no camping at the estuary, and like all wildflower locations, picking the flowers is not allowed."

Estero Americano Coast Preserve spans 547 acres just south of Bodega Bay and was purchased in 2015 by a coalition of conservation groups to keep the property rugged and wild. The preserve includes a one-mile stretch along the mouth of the Estero Americano Estuary within the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Tidal marshes, eelgrass beds, mudflats and open waters provide habitat for Central California Coast steelhead, tidewater goby, and California red-legged frog in a dynamic saltwater-freshwater mix. The estuary is blanketed with irises in spring. The site is open daily from sunrise to sunset and free to access, with about five miles of hiking trails. Dogs on leashes and picnicking are allowed; biking, hunting, camping and picking flowers are prohibited. A sheltered beach tucked inside coastal bluffs provides refuge from wind.

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