Address: Hwy-1 and Schooner Gulch Point Arena, Ca. 95468
Bowling Ball Beach is a unique beach due to its spherical sandstone mineral cement rocks or concretions which often are visible during low tide. Bowling Ball Beach is part of the Schooner Gulch State Beach located in Mendocino County, California. It’s about 10-15 minutes away from Point Arena Lighthouse via Hwy-1.
We left Point Arena Lighthouse and drove through Hwy-1 for about 15 minutes until we saw a signage that stated Schooner Gulch State Park and proceeded to parked safely on the side of the road. We noticed that there were two trailheads from the parking area. We took the southern trail but realized that it was the wrong trail. There were a few tourists that were also lost and one of them indicated that they saw another trail near the parking area. Everyone went back and proceeded to the other short trail (northern) with wooden stairs that led us down to the beach. As we went down to the beach, we had to navigate safely through some big logs, tree branches, and seaweeds that were blocking the beach access. From the entrance, we saw all the huge round or oval-shaped rocks from the distance.
We were lucky that it was a low tide that made all the large round-shaped rocks visible that resemble bowling balls. There were seaweeds and slippery rocks that we saw as we navigated through the beach. We took a lot of beautiful pictures of the unique large oval rocks with the ocean and the mountain as our background. There were also a few tidepools and nice rock formations at the beach.
Overall, we enjoyed, loved our experience and it was a short hike to the beach but a challenge navigating through the big logs and branches. Before our trip, we checked on the tide chart for the low tide times. We found out that the northern trail is sometimes closed due to erosion where it descends the bluff. Always be careful while descending through the wooden stairs and keep an eye on the ocean waves for safety.
Tips: We saw a small waterfall on the southern trail that led us to the Schooner Gulch State Beach. Fyi, Schooner State Beach is located before a small bridge and you have to park your car facing south. There is no public restroom or porta-potty in the area and wear comfortable walking or hiking shoes.
Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about Bowling Ball Beach after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.