Located in Sonoma County California south of the Gualala River estuary and near the Gualala Point Regional Park, Walk-on Beach is a quiet and picturesque sandy beach frequented by hikers, picnickers, nature lovers and, in the right season, fishermen. This quiet and scenic beach is easily accessible, with wheelchair access available, and beach access stairs.
Walk-On Beach is part of a series of beaches stretching for miles along the northernmost portion of the Sonoma Coast in the private community of Sea Ranch, CA. The north end of the beach stretches up to the Gualala Point beach and river estuary, where it is surrounded on both sides by water and the south end leads down to the other beaches at Gualala, CA just across the county border in Mendocino County.
This beach, and others in the area, are part of the Gualala Point Regional Park, and are open from dawn to dusk, but access is restricted only to the trails, and wandering off them is prohibited. There are a large number of trails in the area, both along the beach and through the open meadows and redwood forests in the area.
The beaches in this area are very popular with nature lovers, and you can often see sea-lions, seals, and whales on the beach and in the sea just off the coast. A wide variety of wild animals can also be spotted just inland within the forests and meadows of the park.
For the more adventurous visitor, kayaking in the Gualala River is popular, as is bicycling along Highway 1 and hiking in the nearby countryside.
There are two main places to stay in the area, either camping at the campground, or at the Gualala Sea Ranch, which consists of a number of vacation properties of various sizes that are available to buy or rent, scattered along a ten-mile stretch of the Sonoma County coastline. The Sea Ranch has a host of facilities, including children's playgrounds, an eighteen hole golf course and restaurants. There are also several Gualala Hotels up the highway to choose from.
The Walk-On beach is a popular place for a picnic, and BBQ pits and picnic tables are available at the campground. For those who don't want to take their food with them, you can find good food available in several nice restaurants in the Gualala area. The more enterprising visitor could catch themselves some fish for tea, either in the sea or on the nearby Gualala River, which was reputed to be one of Jack London's favourite fishing spots.
Public bathroom facilities are available at several locations in the regional park including at the campground. These facilities include showers, at a small extra cost, and flushing toilets. Camping is also available here, at a small cost, although it can get busy in holiday season, so booking in advance is advised.
Public access to the Walk-On beach is by a short walk through a gate near mile marker 56 of the US Coastal Highway 1. This is about 3 miles south of Gualala and 33 miles north of Jenner, CA in Sonoma County, California. This is in Northern California, about 100 miles north of San Francisco. Alternative access to the beach is available by walking along the trails that stretch from the campground, or through the Sea Ranch, to the beach.
