Doran Beach

My family has been camping in the Bodega area for about 25 years. We have visited Doran often, but this was our first time camping here. Normally we stay at Bodega Dunes.
Pros:
Reserve specific sites or First come first serve
Safe beach for kids right across the road
Clamming on the harbor side
Paved sites, fire pits, water close by
Clean bathrooms
Crabbing and fishing out on the jetty
Boat launch, kayaking
Large paved sites
Cons:
Windy as hell– I would not tent camp here in the summer. Less windy in the fall.
$ 7 extra for the dump station
Our first night here was awesome– no wind and so beautiful. Views of the bay and the harbor, tons to do. Peaceful, quiet hours are respected. The fog horn did not bother us, though we are used to it– with the strong winds we couldn’t even hear it at all. When the wind hit, it was hard to go outside. Bodega dunes are much more protected, but with little ones, the beach isn’t safe. A big
Part of camping for me is being able to be outside during the day, having a fire at night– so we felt a little cramped hiding out in our trailer. $ 35 a night, same price as the dunes. Without the wind, Doran is superior, but you can’t count on Doran not being windy.

DOG RRIENDLY! But dogs have to be on leash.
Beautiful. Lots of rocks and beachwood, but the sand itself was quite nice, fine, soft. We hiked the 1 mile down from the road and it spit us out on this beatiful, relative secluded beach. We walked north (?) along the beach and when we got around some huge rocks, realized the beach extends for MILES all the way along the coast and terminates at a pier, not sure which or where. Either way it was significantly more crowded along this stretch of sand, just 1000 feet from where we had been parked. We quickly made our way back and enjoyed our relative privacy.
After a long day, and at the hottest time of day, the short hike back up to the road felt arduous, but probably only felt that way. My dog had the time of her life. I can’t wait to come back.

What is not to love about this Sonoma County Regional Park?
Doran Beach is located just off Hwy 1 as you enter Bodega Bay. This beach has a 2 mile long flat stretch to walk. The beach stretches from the Bodega Bay Golf Couse to the jetti at the mouth of Bodega Bay where you can watch the boats come in and out of the harbor. There is a wonderful view of Bodega Head. Many people love to fish off the jetti or throw their crab traps.
Doran beach is dog friendly. And must be kept on leash. Except, adjacent to the boat launch at low tide. That is the only place they can run off leash. The boat launch is located right across Miwok campground and next to the Coast Guard Station. At low tide, dogs can run freely and bark their little heads off (like my Cattle Dog mix loves to do). Otherwise, they NEED TO remain on the leash.
Doran beach is wonderful for day use with picnic areas and bbq pits. There is plenty of parking. However gets very busy on nice days.
There are also plenty of campsites. I believe there are about 120 + sites that are by reservation. But there are also some sites that are left open for first come first serve. The Miwok Campground is designated for tent sites only. Which also has a huge group campsite.

I came here a few weeks ago when it was gorgeousssss outside! It was a beautiful day and I was driving down highway 1 with my dogs and we stopped here. Seemed to be pretty dog friendly. Just a beautiful and relaxing beach. I want to come camping here next time.

Great campground adjacent to the beach. I have come hear first as a child camping in a trailer and then with my kids, tent camping.
Good beach for day use, sand castles, picnics and in the fall for clamping on alternate dude of campground. Walking the long sand beach or biking the road, perfect for families and groups.
Bring ear plugs if tent camping and sensitive to sound from the fog horn all night.

Love love love this NorCal beach! Less than two hours from Sacramento, it offers nearly two miles of shore to walk, run, play and discover. Get there early for sea treasures such as shells and sand dollars! Bring a blanket, picnic and kite and stay all day. One of the better (and safer) NorCal beaches to play in the surf. Camping available too (super popular, book ahead). Totally worth the daily entrance fee… Support our State parks!

Went there 2day… it was pretty busy but park staff very friendly and beach was awesome breezy, 70 degrees and zero trash on the beach… highly recommend this place. Dog friendly on a leash… easy access… please bring your own water to rinse off sand… drought measure to help conserve is smart idea by Cal parks.

Can not think of a better place to be then at Doran Beach for camping.
Rangers are awesome and very helpful.
Love the place!

We are truly lucky to live in Northern California. We have so many treasures like this in our back yards practically!
I packed up the family truckster and took the fam to Doran Beach for memorial day weekend.
As it sometimes is in Bodega Bay, it was a little chilly. With the warmth of my little Smoky Joe grill and a hoodie I was fine.
The kids ran around with Isbo, since you are allowed to take your dogs on leach to the beach.
I grilled at the little boardwalk. You can’t have open fires on the beach but you sure can at the seats right near the beach.
I’ll so be back here. The serene sounds of the ocean. The kids screaming in the distance.
Nirvana. Well, nirvana after I lug all the shit out of the minivan.
Love Doran Beach!!!

Plage sympa sur laquelle on peut venir avec un chien :)

Had a lot of good times here. Done quite a bit of crabbing off the jetty. Great spot to kayak as long as the winds are under 12mph. Place can get pretty windy late afternoons. I always pack hoodies & wind breakers before I head out.
It sure was a beautiful day out there today. Need to try out the campground sometime this summer.

Love it!
Lucky to live in this part of the world!

Good clean beach. The campsites are good and most are close to the water or have a good view of the bay, ocean or breakwater.
Well run ticket collection and services.
Nice place to ride your bike, park and fish off the breakwater, launch your boat to go fishing or just enjoy a beach walk and picnic. Bring your coat as it gets windy all year long and the water is always cold. The waves are very quiet and generally smooth and a good beach to walk your dog but leashes are strongly enforced.

What a great place to stay. You are so close to the ocean, it is gorgeous here.
There are lots of places to walk, and you can take a drive for the day to see many awesome sights.
Plus there are numerous places to eat. Our favorite is the Boat House on Highway 1 north of town!
I can’t wait to go here again.

Beautiful beach, very very relaxing. I wish the electronic foghorn wasn’t beeping every 15 seconds because that’s the only thing that detracts from the beach. Beautiful dunes with benches to sit and relax, kid and dog friendly beach with a gentle slope and little waves. Very relaxing and scenic.

Dog friendly beach for all size dogs. Lot’s of families and kids at the beach that day. Noticed a lot of off leash dogs running around, so if you are not used to that than probably not a spot for you and your Fido. If you are in BB, must stop by tis place!

Approximately 1.28 miles
Love this beach!!!
It’s always a must stop and play when I’m in Sonoma county.
Always a hit and miss on the weather thought. But today way awesome! Overcast but no WIND. :). And wasn’t crowed on the beach, but the camping was full. In the summer time it’s always full.
It was my pups first time seeing the sand/​ocean and she loved it! Came back to hotel and she passed out!!!

I love Doran. I buy an annual parks pass every year so I can come out as much as I want. It’s really clean and the remodel they’re doing, including adding showers and improvements to the bathrooms are great.
If you can’t handle the wind I wouldn’t suggest this beach– however, being from the area I’m used to it and am not bothered by the usually cold weather.
I gave 4 stars only because I’ve had more than one instance with my 8 lb non-​aggressive dog where she was ambushed by an aggressive dog off leash. I had to pick her up by her leash last month to get her away from a dog snarling and chasing her. I wish they enforced this more.
Of all the Bodega Bay beaches– I love Doran the most. Finding sand dollars in the spring makes it extra special.

Great beach if you’re wanting to go somewhere less crowded. The view is more of the bay and not so much looking out into the big wide ocean. The water is cold and it’s very breezy.
However, kids love it! For some reason they seem oblivious to the cold. They run, walk, jump into the waves with reckless abandon. I wish I could be so brave. As I stand there shivering from the cold, the children I was observing all acted as if it were 90 degrees out on the beach that day. So don’t base my preferences on what kids like, because they’ll take this beach over any river or lake experience any day.
Bathrooms are far from the regular parking spots. So I recommend trying to use the bathroom before or after your excursion at the nearby gas station rather than trying to walk to this public restroom.
Sand is soft but a bit mucky when wet. Again kids love playing with it, but it’s not the best sand castle making kind of sand.
Doran Beach I think is more for locals. With its kite flying, run with your kids into the water if your brave. But no swim suit sun bathing unless your really warm blooded! I’d go a bit more south to Half Moon Bay for that.

Went camping here over the weekend and had a great time. The water was gorgeous and the campsite was clean. The weather during the day was really good for a weekend in September.
However, be careful at night!!! The winds are GUSTY! A few of the friends I went with didn’t stake their tents down well and they got blown in… to the point where they had to sleep in their cars! So be sure that you find some sort of dirt/​plant life to stake your tent into. Going straight into the sand is not going to fly!
I was only able to stay one night there because I’m not much of a camper. I would love to come back for the day or stay in a cabin because I did love the views and the beach so much.

I love camping at Doran Beach and so do our dogs! It is within easy driving distance of the bay area and for those non-​planners, there are a few first-​come-​first-​serve campsites available. The catch is that you have to get there early to grab a spot. We arrived on a Thursday early afternoon and got the last spot for a 4 day weekend.
Our family has been coming here for years. Often times we will come up early in the week and our kids will join us for a day or the weekend. Nothing better than long walks on the beach. Surf is safe for dogs and kids to frolic in.
Be warned that it is ALWAYS windy. Great kite flying area! And if it is hot inland, you can count on coming here to cool off!