Jenner by the Sea

Jenner is an early area where people from SF came to regenerate after 1906. Small homes on small lots but both Russian River and the Pacific Ocean meet.

Welcome to Jenner

Tiny coastal hamlet with several excellent restaurants

Jenner is a tiny coastal hamlet located on ocean bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the mouth of the Russian River. This peaceful community of just 136 people offers a serene lifestyle and dramatic scenery. Jenner’s homes are close to several sandy beaches with vistas of crashing ocean waves, tide pools, and wildlife. On the southern side of the Russian River estuary, Goat Rock Beach is home to a colony of Pacific harbor seals. Jenner’s gorgeous views and tranquil atmosphere make it a popular vacation destination. Several hotels, shops, and restaurants cater to locals and vacationers alike with sublime meals and unforgettable views.

Jenner’s housing options include single-family homes nestled amid soaring trees and perched above the Russian River as it flows to the ocean. Each home here feels like a private retreat ensconced in stunning natural surroundings.

What to Love

  • Homes overlooking the river and surrounded by trees
  • Jenner Headlands Preserve 
  • Outstanding local restaurants 
  • Sonoma Coast State Park beaches

People & Lifestyle

Jenner is located along a rugged 20-mile stretch of coastline with a huge variety of beautiful places to explore outdoors. This Sonoma County gem is conveniently adjacent to the Coast Highway, just north of its intersection with Highway 116. Jenner is around 10 miles north of Bodega Bay and within a 90-minute drive of San Francisco. Other destinations throughout Sonoma County Wine Country are also easily accessible. Popular activities in the area include beachcombing and exploring tide pools along nearby sandy beaches, kayaking on the Russian River and the Pacific Ocean, and hiking along spectacular ocean bluffs.

Dining, Entertainment & Shopping

A small commercial area clustered around the Coast Highway offers a great choice of dining options. With a deck overlooking the Russian River, Cafe Aquatica is a fine place to start the day. This relaxing spot serves fair trade single-origin coffee alongside Dungeness crab rolls, smoked salmon salads, bagels, clam chowder, avocado toast, and homemade granola bowls. Cafe Aquatica also frequently hosts live music performances. The adjacent Tasting by the Sea Wine Bar also has an outdoor deck with fire pits. This sophisticated spot offers 30 different wines from four local winemakers available by the glass, bottle, or case, as well as craft beers on tap and cheese plates. On the opposite side of the Coast Highway, Jenner Sea Store is stocked with essential groceries plus deli goods, coffee, and fishing and camping supplies. The Jenner Inn’s Abalone Bar opens for dinner each evening with a land and sea menu including English fish and chips, local wild-caught King Salmon, New York steak, seafood fettuccini, and homemade lasagna. The Abalone Bar also offers local beers, Sonoma County wines, premium spirits, and live music on Saturday evenings. Close to the mouth of the Russian River on the west side of Jenner, River’s End Restaurant & Inn serves a sophisticated chef-driven menu of thoughtful dishes prepared using fresh ingredients from local farms and fishermen.

Things to Do

Jenner Visitor Center is your starting point for exploration of this beautiful area. Volunteer docents offer lots of usual information on where to go and what to see around Jenner. Jenner Visitors Center also offers a boat ramp and an observation deck where you can often see ospreys, great blue herons, pelicans, turkey vultures, river otters, Pacific harbor seals, and even occasional sea lions and elephant seals. WaterTreks EcoTours and Kayak Rentals is another excellent local resource for enjoying Jenner’s stunning scenery. On the southern side of the Russian River estuary, Goat Rock Beach’s sandy shoreline is famed for its colony of resting Pacific harbor seals. At the southern end of Goat Rock Beach, Blind Beach is a gorgeous stretch of narrow sandy beachfront with views of the distinctive ocean rocks known as the Sunset Boulders. Blind Beach connects to Shell Beach and Wrights Beach to the south via the blufftop Kortum Trail. All four of these beaches are part of Sonoma Coast State Park, a stunning natural expanse that extends over 17 miles of beautiful coastal scenery with beaches, rock bluffs, headlands, and secluded coves dotted along the craggy coastline. Two miles north of Jenner on the Coast Highway, Jenner Headlands Preserve sprawls across 5,630 acres of redwood and Douglas-fir forests, oak woodlands, inland chaparrals, and ocean-view coastal prairies. There are 14 miles of trails within the Jenner Headlands Preserve, including trails ascending to Pole Mountain’s summit. At 3,500 feet above sea level, Pole Mountain is the highest elevation point in Sonoma County.

Schools

Jenner is served by the Shoreline Unified School District. Top educational opportunities include: 

  • Bodega Bay Elementary School, Public, K-5
  • Tomales High School, Public, 9-12




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