Tag Archives: Cook’s Beach

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On Sunday Rick and I were at Cook's Beach with friends. The fog was hovering just offshore. Several large groups of Brown Pelicans shot by, all white-headed adults. I'm told the brown-headed juveniles are still building their strength up for the northward migration. We should be seeing the young ones in the weeks to come. Some of the adults are still in their stunning breeding plumage. Brown Pelicans are one of my favorite birds and it is always a joy to see them.

Cook's Beach is a lovely pocket beach just north of Gualala. To learn how to find this beach, here is the link to a previous post: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/02/12/cooks-beach-a-beautiful-pocket-beach-just-north-of-gualala/

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Cook's Beach is found north of Gualala. Drive up Highway One until you reach mile marker 3.14, then turn left at Route 526, which is the old Coast Highway. Just to your right is the entrance path to Cook's Beach. The trail is called Bonham Trail in honor of the Bonham family's easements, which made this access possible.

 Below is a view to the south from the overlook on top of the bluff.

 And here is a view to the north from the overlook. Since this is a pocket beach it is protected from wind.

It's a kid friendly beach, as well as dog friendly. And it's a perfect place to watch the sunset.

The Redwood Coast Land Conservancy brought us this wonderful access. To learn more about them, here's a link to their web site:  http://www.rc-lc.org/index.html

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A Northern Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris, was found resting on the sand at Cook's Beach last week. You can tell by its proboscis this Elephant Seal is a male and it tell us he is at least three years old.

Photographer Tom Eckles captured a wonderful photo of him. Tom wrote, "It blinked, open its huge mouth, exhaled with snoring gusto, stretched a flipper, then settled back to sleep.  And was gone the next morning, off into the glorious ocean, but my memory of this grand creature I will have for always."

  I believe this same fellow then swam the short distance to Anchor Bay Beach, where he stayed for several days, delighting everyone who saw him.
  If you'd like to see some of Tom's work, here is the link to his web site: http://www.tomeckles.com/ I thank Tom for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

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Cook's Beach is a lovely wind-protected sandy beach on the north end of Gualala. The Redwood Coast Land Conservancy manages it. There is an easy trail from the bluff down to the beach. It's a perfect place to watch the sunset and perhaps see a green flash. Karen Tracy captured a beautiful sunset from the beach and has kindly allowed me to share it here.

To learn about other beaches and trails managed by RCLC check out their web site:
 http://www.rc-lc.org/index.html