It had been a long week of wet weather, and we finally had a sunny Sunday morning to enjoy the outdoors. We decided to go for a long walk farther away than usual to take maximum advantage of the nice weather. At 8:45 AM, we packed some snacks, grabbed our coffees, and headed south on Highway One to Fort Ross. The drive takes about 45 minutes from Gualala, so calculate that into your planning.
Day-use fees apply- $10 parking, $9 for seniors and you can pay by credit card if you do not have any cash. There was plenty of parking, even a charging spot for electric vehicles!
We followed the paved path behind the visitor's center and out to the bluff.
The views are so spectacular, it makes you want to go everywhere and see everything! It took a lot of work to choose just one walking direction, as you can see from the AllTrails map at the bottom.
We eventually agreed to follow the paved path and continued past the Call House to the old Windmill. These trails were all clearly marked and well maintained; everything around here is pretty level and easy to walk.
Once past the Windmill, we were back at the parking lot where we had begun our walk. There was so much more to see, so we agreed to keep exploring the area. I re-started my AllTrails navigation, and we headed back for another walk down a different trail.
This time, we headed out through a gate I had seen earlier that opened up to the most expansive field that just took my breath away.
We followed the path through beautiful rock structures and across the vast meadow towards the bluff edge. The waves were so immense that we could feel the sea spray before we could see the waves from the edge.
The expanse of the views out here is humbling. Beauty as far as your eyes can see; it just makes you want to spend the rest of your day there.
Fort Ross is the perfect place to go when you want to spend a whole afternoon in utter awe, walking and taking in all it has to offer.
We eventually had to turn back as we found some cattle I didn't want to get too close to, but I would have loved to keep going.
Once we got back to the large rock structures, I had to take one last look around to take in the vastness of it all; there is nothing like it!
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And then once past the rocks, we headed back through the little gate and back to the parking lot.
Fort Ross State Park is an easy walk that is sure to take your breath away! There are several trails to choose from, and they all have so much to see! I highly recommend making some time in your visit to come here.
Pros:
Plenty of parking
Restrooms in visitor center
Easy to walk, mostly level.
Views!!
Cons:
Can't think of any