A win for conservation, a win for surfers. Photo: Elba Mora//Wildlands Conservancy
Outdoor enthusiasts have a new stretch of California coastline to explore. A section of coast on the Sonoma shoreline north of San Francisco – previously held in private hands for a century – has officially been opened to the public.
The Estero Americano Coast Preserve spans 547 acres and features five miles of trails winding through undeveloped rolling hills, an estuary, tidal marshes, mudflats, and eelgrass beds. The diverse habitat supports species such as Central California Coast steelhead, tidewater goby, and the California red-legged frog.
Until now, the preserve’s beach could only be reached by following the shoreline from Bodega Bay at low tide. With the opening of the preserve, trails now provide public access.
The land was made available through a partnership between private and public organizations. In 2015, it was purchased by The Wildlands Conservancy, a nonprofit that has protected millions of acres of land across the western United States. Opening the property to the public was always part of the plan, and the necessary permits were secured in 2025.
The preserve’s primary access point is the Shorttail Gulch Trailhead, where visitors can climb to an elevation of more than 500 feet to the preserve’s highest point, offering sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and the Farallon Islands to the west.
“This area has been completely inaccessible to the general public essentially for 100 years, so we’re really excited to be able to open it up and have people experience it,” Luke Farmer, Wildlands Conservancy’s regional director for the Sonoma Coast and Eel River Canyon preserves, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Misti Arias, general manager of the Sonoma County Ag + Open Space district, which helped purchase the land and prepare it for public access, says the preserve’s beach is “incredible” and can easily be reached from the hills.
And when the estuary breaks, Northern California surfers may want to keep an eye on the sandbars along this newly accessible stretch of coast.
