Tag Archives: Gualala Point Regional Park

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Last Thursday morning, Rick and I, along with our golden retriever, Huckleberry, took a hike at Gualala Point Regional Park. It was a breezy day and the fog had pulled back leaving us in sunshine.

This is the view from one of the trails. On the middle right is the Gualala River lagoon. On the bluffs is the town of Gualala. The rocky islands in the middle are Fish Rocks, where a large colony of Sea Lions live.

Something moved in the grasses that caught my eye. When I looked at my photograph, I found I had photographed a Praying Mantis!

Paying attention to things both big and small brings unexpected surprises!

To see one of the most popular photos on this blog, here's the link to Siegfried Matull's photo of a Praying Mantis with its wings extended: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/10/07/two-photos-of-a-praying-mantis-from-coastal-photographer-siegfried-matull/

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Rick and I always purchase a Sonoma County Parks annual pass. The place we use the pass the most is by far Gualala Point Regional Park. Recently we hit a perfect day with no wind.

 Here is our golden retriever, Huckleberry, and Rick at the start of the trail.

 We walked out to the bluffs and were rewarded with views like this one. Gualala Point Island is on the right.

And we returned an hour later to where we parked my car, a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL. It's a great car for curvy Highway One but it's a tight fit for Huckleberry behind the seats.

To see a sunset photographed at this park, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/08/01/beautiful-sunset-at-gualala-point-regional-park/

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The wild Gualala River did finally close to the Pacific and is now full. You can see from the photo below that the river is particularly beautiful right now. What a nice place to put a bench! When you enter Gualala Point Regional Park you will come to a parking area on the left. Park, cross the road and walk towards the river to find this bench.

Rick and I, with our golden retriever, Huckleberry, on leash walked down to the beach and all the way to the north end to see what it looked like. This is where the river usually is open but you can see the sandbar has built up enough to close the river. It won't open again until there are enough winter rains.

Rick is looking at the river from the sandbar. Once closed the river is extremely safe for kayaking and other water sports.

Here's a photo of the river on the left and the Pacific Ocean on the right - and a glimpse of Huckleberry's back.

It's very windy today but this weekend is suppose to be fantastic weather-wise. It would be a great time to visit and see some of these places for yourself.

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On a visit to Gualala Point Regional Park on Thursday, Rick and I hiked along the bluffs. It was a warm beautiful day with little wind. I always bring a jacket when I head to the ocean but I didn't need it that day! The sweet song of a White-crowned Sparrow caught our attention and there he was sitting on top of a Lupine bush. In the warmth the smell from the Lupines was sweet indeed.

 Can you see what is in the photo below? Only Huckleberry's interest and a flash of movement alerted us that something was there.

 Here is a close-up of what Huckleberry saw - a snake in the grass. It was a long one too, well over a foot and a half long.

 And keeping with the hard to see theme, can you see the Deer looking at us? The grasses at the park are lush and full of feed. The Deer at the park are going to be very healthy.

 And lastly, here's a photo of Gualala Point Island, an important rookery for nesting seabirds.

It costs $7.00 for the day use fee. We purchased a Sonoma County Parks annual pass, which we use regularly. It is also good at all the Sea Ranch public access trails.

What I haven't shown you here is the beautiful beach at the park. That will have to wait for another post.

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Last week on Thursday Rick and I were surprised to see the Gualala River had reopened. It was drained about as low as we've seen it. The water was crystal clear and Rick saw a Steelhead swim by. This is how it looked from the pull-out at Gualala Point Regional Park last week.

 And this is what it looked like a week later. The river is closed and starting to fill up. It's a wonderful river to kayak or paddle on those new SUPs, stand up paddles.

To rent a kayak, canoe or SUP, Adventure Rents is the place to call - http://www.adventurerents.com/