Welcome Visitor

Information for Renters and Visitors

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Welcome to The Sea Ranch! We are pleased to share this special place with you and hope you will enjoy your stay.

Please Note: All Sea Ranch roads and most trails are private. Visitors not staying on The Sea Ranch must park in the public access parking areas on Highway 1 and stay only on the public trails and beaches. If staying at The Sea Ranch, be sure to display the tag supplied by your rental agency on your vehicle's rearview mirror or dashboard, or your vehicle will be subject to citation and  immobilization. Carry your pass with you when hiking the trails. The pass from your rental agency must be shown to enter any of the recreation centers. Guests staying with members should obtain vehicle tags and passes from their host.
  Crashing wave. Photo copyright Jeanne Gadol

If this is your first visit, we'd like to be sure you know that the Ranch is a big place: it's ten miles along the coast, with more than 1,700 houses on the bluffs, in the meadows, on the hillsides, and in the forest. When you arrive, please take a few minutes to look at the house you are staying in so that you will recognize it when you return from a walk. Before you set out on a hike, be sure you know where you are going and how you will return.

Our visitors especially enjoy the hiking trails and the beaches. In addition to the Bluff Trail and hiking trails in the hills and forest, there are two interpretative trails with brochures describing historic and natural features: the San Andreas Fault Interpretive Trail and the Monarch Glen Interpretive Trail. Trail Maps are available at the Association office located at 975 Annapolis Road. (You are welcome to visit the office, which is open every day 8:30 am to 5 pm, except Sunday, Monday, and major holidays. It's located on Annapolis Road, just past the airstrip and the Cal Fire station).

But there is more to The Sea Ranch than the trails and beaches!  Facilities & Activities.

Recreation Information: Print this 2-page description of our swimming pools, tennis courts, playgrounds, and library. These pages also describe some of the maps and brochures that are available for minimal fees at the Association office. 

Your Safety—And Ours

Our Association security staff patrols The Sea Ranch every day and is available by phone at (707) 785-2701.

In an emergency, call 911 from a land line or the Sonoma County Sheriff at (707) 565-2121 from a cell phone.

Please take these safety tips and rules to heart!

  • Fire is a major threat to our community. Any small source of ignition is dangerous. Smoking is illegal on all trails. Barbecue coals and fireplace ashes must be placed in metal containers. Fireworks are illegal.
  • Never turn your back on the ocean! Sleeper waves are a real threat; from a relatively calm ocean, a huge wave can suddenly crash over beachcombers.
  • Bicycles may not be ridden on the bluff trail.
  • Dogs must be on leash at all times.
  • Hike with a buddy, or at least be sure someone knows where you are planning to hike alone.
  • Stay a reasonable distance from deer, seals, and other wildlife.
  • Drive 25 miles per hour or slower on all Sea Ranch roads.
  • Only one cell phone company, VerizonWireless, currently has a cell tower in this area. Cell phone coverage can be spotty on The Sea Ranch and in Gualala.

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