Local Resources

Places to Eat + Drink

Jenner, CA

Cafe Aquatica: Sweet little riverfront cafe serving locally sourced brunch items. Prepare for limited parking and a long wait. They do not take reservations. 15 miles from the cabin.

River's End Restaurant: Upscale dining. Call to make reservations or ask about just stopping by. 14.5 miles from the cabin

Coast Kitchen at the Timber Cove Resort: Excellent, high-quality, locally sourced cuisine open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Amazing bar selection as well. They also have a Tesla/EV charging station. 1 mile from the cabin

Fort Ross Winery: Sonoma County’s only tasting room along the coast in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA (American Viticultural Area) and the closest vineyard to the ocean in the state of California. Reservations required. 7 miles from the cabin

Guerneville, CA

Boon Eat+Drink: excellent food, and a very popular woman-owned place. Please check their hours of operation. They do not take reservations. 28 miles from the cabin

Road Trip: the newest restaurant in town. Serving up lunch and dinner inspired by nostalgic global street food. Here is an article about it. 28 miles from the cabin

Pat’s International: great breakfast menu and a killer fried chicken sandwich! Vegetarian options are available. 28 miles from the cabin

Nimble & Finn's: amazing handmade organic dairy ice cream, pies, and take-and-bake cookies served up in a historical bank building! 28 miles from the cabin

Bodega Bay, CA

Spud Point Crab Co.: a great place to stop on the way up to the cabin if you’re coming from the south. Amazing crab sandwiches and clam chowder! 26 miles from the cabin

Sea Ranch, CA

The Sea Ranch Lodge, The Dining Room: enjoy fine dining with sweeping ocean views for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. Reservations recommended, call ahead. 16 miles from the cabin

Stewarts Point Store & Twofish Baking: absolutely worth stopping by for a full breakfast/brunch/lunch or just a quick bite, snack, or sweet treat. They also sell frozen high-quality meats from local ranchers when available…perfect to take back to the cabin and throw on the grill! 13 miles from the cabin

Prefer to Stay In?

Hire a local Private Chef!

Schedule an in-cabin Massage!

Sights to See + Things to Do

  • If you plan to stay put and relax, consider taking a nice walk around Umland Circle. This is a safe, 1.6-mile, moderate (due to elevation change), paved loop walk with some views of the Pacific Ocean. Walk down the cabin driveway and make a right onto Gordon Court, then another right onto Ruoff Road. Stay to the left of the road at the fork, which will take you to a loop that goes down and back up the hill where you started. We especially enjoy this walk close to sunset. We have left maps on the counter for this route, plus an additional longer option.

  • If you feel like venturing out, but not too far from the cabin, we recommend the following:

    • Still Water Cove Regional Park
      This park is located 2.5 miles north of the cabin and offers more than 3 miles of trails on the rugged and scenic Sonoma Coast featuring a canyon of towering redwoods filled with ferns, rhododendrons and other riparian plants, including the swamp harebell and fringed corn lily native only to the Sonoma-Mendocino coasts. Check the website for current entry and parking fees.

    • Stump Beach & Bluff Trail

      Stump Beach is another picnic area in Salt Point State Park that offers one of the few sandy beaches north of Jenner. Located 6.9 miles north of the cabin. On summer days, this beach is perfect for spending the day. There are a few picnic tables near the parking lot and a primitive toilet with no running water. A 1/4 mile trail leads down to the beach. The Bluff Trail offers incredible ocean views and rock formations, you can go as far as you wish. Note that this trail can be very windy at times.

    • Salt Point State Park
      This park is located 4 miles north of the cabin. Check out the pygmy forest trail which is a 3.8-mile loop that takes you through a mixed evergreen forest, a grassy prairie surrounded by pines, and lots of mushrooms and wildflowers (in season) before you reach pygmy tree territory. 

      • Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve, located within the park, is a pristine reserve containing second-growth redwood, Douglas fir, grand firs, tanoaks, and a plethora of rhododendrons. There are five miles of hiking trails through the quiet forest with a short loop trail that leads through clusters of rhododendrons. Each May these spectacular flowers burst into bloom and color the deep green of the forest with brilliant pink blossom. You can access the reserve via Hwy-1 or take the scenic back route from the cabin using Timber Cove Road to Seaview Road to Kruse Ranch Road. Most of Kruse Ranch Road is unpaved and can be a bit rough but you do not need a 4x4 vehicle for access. Just be prepared to take your time, roll the windows down, and enjoy the ride!

    • Jenner Headlands Preserve
      This preserve is located 13 miles south of the cabin and features stunning coastal views, wildlife viewing, and spectacular forest hiking.

    • Fort Ross State Historic Park
      Located 3.5 miles south of the cabin on scenic California Highway One, Fort Ross is surrounded by sandy beaches, panoramic coves, and redwood forests, with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. Showcasing a historic Russian-era fort compound and a designated National Historic Landmark, this park offers a unique opportunity to step back in time. Russians settled on the ancestral Kashia Pomo lands called Metini and the Kashia are still a part of the community today.

    • Reset + Restore Ritual Flow Experience

      Timber Cove Resort offers a recovery suite for a self-paced wellness experience.

  • Up for a day trip?

    • Coastal Culture: head north and stop for a delicious brunch or freshly-baked breakfast pastries at Twofish Baking inside the Stewarts Point Store. This little gem is an all-in-one market, bakery, and eatery featuring fresh, handmade dishes, nostalgic treats, and artisanal prepared foods to-go! They are known for their sticky buns, which sell out fast, so call and order ahead if possible. After you fuel up, continue to Point Arena to check out the beautiful coastline, Point Arena Lighthouse, B Byran Preserve, and delicious locally sourced options at the Arena Market & Deli organic community co-op. On your way back, grab your last-minute necessities from the award-winning Surf Market in Gualala, support an independent bookstore by picking up your next read at Four-Eyed Frog Books, and check out the calendar of events at the beautiful Gualala Arts Center to find out which artists or exhibits are being featured the day you’re in town. As you continue south, don’t miss the non-denominational Sea Ranch Chapel on your way to enjoy a sunset dinner at the Sea Ranch Lodge: Dining Room.

    • Energetic Excursion: head southeast to Guerneville and enjoy a stroll along Main Street before stopping for breakfast or brunch at one of the many exceptional eateries (check our list of recommendations above). Then head to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, a stunning and magical place with an easy grove loop trail including a waterfall detour. Afterwards, refresh your legs at Johnson’s Beach on the Russian River or spend some time poolside at River Electric, Guerneville’s newest swim club. Alternatively, you can visit some of the beautiful wineries in the area. If you’ll have time, plan ahead to stop at Earth Seed Farm, Jenner Kayaks, or Sonoma Zipline Adventures (more details linked below) for some outdoor recreational and educational fun.

    • Beach Bouncer: head south to Bodega Bay to begin your day of beach hopping. Grab a crab sandwich and clam chowder from Spud Point Crab Company and head to Portuguese Beach for a picnic lunch! The beach is a beautiful sandy beach surrounded by rocky headlands. Rock fishing and surf fishing are popular there. On your way back north, check out the sleepy, adorable harbor seals at Goat Rock Beach in Jenner. Near the mouth of the Russian River, this beach is known for its scenic shoreline and easily accessible sandy beach. Picnic tables and restroom facilities are also available. For your last adventure, visit Russian Gulch Beach north of Jenner where the Russian Gulch Creek flows into the Pacific Ocean. The parking lot is just north of the Highway 1 bridge over Russian Gulch. There is a moderate hiking trail that takes you to the creek and the beach. It’s usually not crowded and offers a great freshwater swimming hole on a hot summer day, especially for kids!

Recommended Experiences

Earth Seed Farm: a 14-acre solar-powered organic permaculture farm and orchard located on the ancestral lands of the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Peoples. The mission of Earthseed Farm is to reconnect our communities to our more than human kin through environmental education and ecological design rooted in Afro-Indigenous Wisdom. They run a U-Pick from July to November (open to the public), and Educational Programs prioritizing people of African descent and other communities of color.

Jenner Kayaks: Booking with them helps support and fund education, research, conservation, and paid internships for working students through their Sonoma Coast Watch and Living Classrooms projects.

River Bend Kayaks: Great folks to get on the smooth waters of the Gualala River with. Check out their Full Moon Flotilla schedule!

Sonoma Zipline Adventures: Nestled deep in the Redwood forest, this adventure spot is completely unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. We recommend making a day trip out of this combined with exploring the Russian River Valley area such as the many wineries, farms, and eateries around Guerneville and Occidental.

For other suggestions and to help create an itinerary that best suits your needs, visit https://www.sonomacounty.com/