Where to take a dog near Jenner: Blind Beach

Often you find the best things while looking for something else. That's how I discovered Blind Beach near Jenner in Sonoma County, California.

Blind Beach with Goat Rock in the background.

We were driving on Goat Rock Road and hoping to walk the dog before sunset, but the sign at the trail I was looking for said dogs weren't allowed. So we kept going until we found a sign welcoming them at Blind Beach, then stopped at the empty parking lot and I jumped out with the dog.

Heading down to the sand.

And I'm so glad I did, because that was the most beautiful beach I've visited in a long time. It's not easy to get to, so that is likely while the parking lot was empty. Not only do you have to walk down a steep hillside full of switchbacks that give you no indication you will ever reach the beach, you have to use a set of ladder stairs at the bottom to get on the sand.

Those rickety stairs gave the dog pause on the way down, and I worried that I might have to carry her a bit to get her back up. But she flew up them without hesitation, and it was me who struggled the most with them.

I don't mind, though, because those ladder stairs are likely why the beach was empty. Because if we had driven a bit further to Goat Rock Beach, we could have parked just feet from the sand. So I thank that steep hillside and ladder stairs for giving us that beach to ourselves. Especially at sunset, which is a rare treat indeed.

When this dog is happy, her human is happy.