Goat Rock Beach

Long sandy beaches. Craggy coastline. Rugged headlands. All these make for a picturesque drive along California's Sonoma Coast.

The Sonoma Coast is one of my favorite go-to drive routes when I need a little pick up that only a day trip could cure.

Goat Rock Beach is part of the Sonoma Coast State Park system. I've visited it once before, but it was too windy, too cold in the summer time that it was impossible to stay and linger.

We went in the summer time again and this time the conditions were pretty good, better than the first time. It was an overcast day, typical for summer in these parts, but the strong winds were nowhere in sight. Because of this we were able to take some shots.

IMG_4208
Did you know that swimming is prohibited in this beach because of potential risk of rip currents? I saw a few sunning themselves, which could be pretty funny considering the sun never peeked under the heavy cloud cover :)

Lumix 110
The one on the right is goat rock. The place allegedly got its name for the goatherds used to graze their goats in the flat grassy top of the formation. Whatever, I did find the name pretty cool!

Climbing goat rock is prohibited, but the rock formation on the left has no warning sign. That must be the reason why I saw some guys scaling it when I was there.

Lumix 099
Arched rock

Lumix 098
A different angle to show Goat Rock.

Wikipedia reports that the final scene of the movie THE GOONIES (remember this?) was shot in Goat Rock beach.

Sonoma Coast is one of my favorite spots in my neck of the woods. It's about 1 to 1.5 hour's drive along scenic spots.

Comments

  1. I remember playing an old-school video game called "The Goonies" as a kid!

    Must be wonderful to gaze towards the sea from above Goat Rock!~

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some years ago, we drove from San Francisco down south to Santa Cruz on a coastal highway that really made me say "wow!". Is this Sonoma Coast a part of that long stretch?

    ReplyDelete
  3. @ Nomadic Pinoy - nope it's the opposite way. Although the entire stretch is really picturesque.

    ReplyDelete
  4. the rock formations compliment the calmness of the sea. breath taking! i feel the breeze!

    re scuba - you dont need swimming kills kasi our goal is to go down. di ba tendency pag swimmer ka, automatic igalaw ang feet para umangat ka.. so yun, advantage pa pag non-swimmer =)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Zero to naked in 1.5 bottles. That took long :-)
    Gerard's Paella would be my favourite, too. Although I did see some indonesian dishes that could set me into overdrive!
    Not climbing the goat rock? Must be private property.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is a nice coastline... I could see me biking there :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. wow! reminds me so much of ilocos norte. those rock formations including the one with the hole.

    ReplyDelete
  8. how i wish there's something like that here. or probably i'm just too lazy lang to go around :) i miss real beaches na k'se :D

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wonderful place and great shots. Love the arched rock in the water.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Playas con paisaje abrupto y con mucha naturaleza, muy diferentes a la costa brava en Cataluña. Saludos

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow! Super ganda ng place. I would love visit and take tons of photo. SUper ganda nyang subject for landscape photography. Serenity is all I can think of while looking at these photos.

    Have a nice day.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Goat rock as a label is catchy! Had it been in the Philippines, there'd be too many legends associated with it. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love beaches like this, the scenic road will be beautiful.
    Soon we will travel to Norway, I am very thrilled to see the fjords....

    ReplyDelete
  14. I've never heard of this place, Maria, and I lived near the CA coast for 12 years. Amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  15. A fine coastal series. I liked your comment and the variety in the shots that show the tidal effect so well.

    ReplyDelete
  16. wow, the place seems off, i wouldn't want to be all alone in that area, ^0^
    but you're right about the place and the rock formation, tis beautiful. ^0^

    ReplyDelete
  17. I lived in Sonoma County for many years and miss it so much. The coast is frequently foggy but always beautiful. Lucky you to live so near.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment