In Jenner, the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. The river mouth, coastline and seasonal wildlife offer several distinct natural highlights during your stay. Depending on your interests, you can focus on where the river meets the Pacific, plan time at a beach, or consider paddling and hiking. The places and activities also vary in scale, from a single stretch of coast to the longer corridor of the state park.

River Mouth, Beach and Coastal Scale

The Sonoma Coast Visitor Center, also known as the Jenner Visitors Center, is located on the Russian River Estuary in the heart of Jenner. Goat Rock is near the mouth of the Russian River and offers a scenic coastline and an easily accessible sandy beach.

Sonoma Coast State Park stretches 17 miles from Bodega Head to Vista Trail, which is about 4 miles north of Jenner. Goat Rock is one specific stretch of coast, while 17 miles refers to the extent of the state park.

Harbor Seals and Seasonal Conditions

A shifting sandbar in the Russian River Estuary serves as a resting place for hundreds of harbor seals from spring through summer. The animals sun themselves, swim and raise their pups there. Keep your plans flexible: specific dates and viewing conditions may vary.

Goat Rock Beach is also home to a harbor seal colony. Keep 50 yards away from the seals there, especially during pupping season from March through August.

Paddling and Hiking Along the Coast

Sonoma Coast State Park offers opportunities for kayaking and hiking along its coastal corridor to Jenner. These are two different ways to explore the coast: on the water or on foot. You can decide which one will shape your stay based on your interests.

One specific activity is “Jenner By the Sea: Estuary Loop / Park & Paddle.” The paddling activity lasts two to six hours and includes wildlife viewing and walks along coastal beaches. Conditions are weather-dependent, so take that into account when planning this block of time.

Another Landscape

Jenner Headlands Preserve covers 5,630 acres and comprises a mosaic of redwood and Douglas fir forests, oak woodland, chaparral and coastal prairie. Views of the Pacific Ocean are also part of the landscape. The diverse landscape mosaic of Jenner Headlands Preserve contrasts with the single sandy beach at Goat Rock.

Search for Hotels Based on Your Travel Interests

When searching for hotels in Jenner, you can first consider which natural theme you want to shape your stay: the river mouth and seasonal wildlife, the coast at Goat Rock, or paddling and hiking in the state park. The paddling activity has a specific time frame of two to six hours and is weather-dependent; seal viewing follows seasonal conditions.

Discover more destinations: Guerneville, Graton, Healdsburg, Geyserville, Glen Ellen, Annapolis, Stewarts Point, Windsor

For the broader travel overview: Sonoma.