Bodega Bay

Bodega Bay
Location of Bodega Bay and Bodega Harbor
Bodega Bay is located in California
Bodega Bay
Bodega Bay is located in the United States
Bodega Bay
Nearest cityBodega Bay, California
Area3,170 acres (1,280 ha)
Built1811
NRHP reference No.73000461[1]
CHISL No.833[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 18, 1973
Designated CHISLNovember 3, 1969

Bodega Bay (Spanish: Bahía Bodega) is a shallow, rocky inlet of the Pacific Ocean on the coast of northern California in the United States. It is approximately 5 mi (8 km) across and is located approximately 40 mi (60 km) northwest of San Francisco and 20 mi (32 km) west of Santa Rosa. The bay straddles the boundary between Sonoma County to the north and Marin County to the south. The bay is a marine habitat used for navigation, recreation (including swimming and surfing, especially by the Dillon Beach area), and commercial and sport fishing (including shellfish harvesting).[3]

Bodega Bay is protected on its north end from the Pacific Ocean by Bodega Head, which shelters the small Bodega Harbor and is separated from the main bay by a jetty. The San Andreas Fault runs parallel to the coastline and bisects Bodega Head, which lies on the Pacific Plate; the town is on the North American Plate. The village of Bodega Bay sits on the east side of Bodega Harbor. The bay connects on its south end to the mouth of Tomales Bay.

Streams flowing into Bodega Bay include the Estero de San Antonio and the Americano Creek. Accessible beaches on Bodega Bay include Doran Regional Park (on the jetty) and Pinnacle Gulch.[4] Apart from the harbor, all of Bodega Bay lies within the boundaries of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Bodega Bay and Harbor". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  3. ^ State of California Water Quality Control Plan North Coastal Basin 1B July 1975 p.13
  4. ^ "Sonoma County Regional Parks". Archived from the original on March 4, 2008.