Sea Ranch
The Sea Ranch community boasts resort-style amenities and amazing landscapes of all kinds, from forests to seashores. Whether you're visiting with your golf buddies, old friends, or your family members, you'll find something restful and engaging to do together here. There are beaches to comb, tide pools to search, and trails to hike. Swimming pools and tennis courts are also available at the Sea Ranch Del Mar, Ohlson, and Moonraker Recreation Centers. Keep our eyes out for wildlife abound in the forests and across the meadows, including foxes and over 220 species of birds. From the bluff view points you may catch a glimpse of a grey whale, or a few California sea lions sunbathing on the beaches!
History
Situated on a ten-mile stretch of rugged Northern California coastline, The Sea Ranch was conceived by Alfred Boeke as a retreat from urban living with connection to nature as a guiding principle. With the help of landscape architect Lawrence Halprin — famous for many ecologically sensitive adaptive reuse projects, including San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square — Boeke spearheaded a master plan of trails and pathways that would in time link several hundred homes intended to weather naturally and blend into a borderless landscape of tidelands, cliffs and woods. Boeke had worked with Richard Neutra and was attuned to the synergy of landscape and architecture. Alongside Halprin, who had lived for a time on a kibbutz and had an affinity for living communally and lightly on the land, he established such core concepts for Sea Ranch as well.
The Sea Ranch Restrictions, Covenants and Conditions
Live sheeps location (satellite) https://www.thesearanchsheep.com/
Architectural Significance
Inspired by farm buildings, the mostly single-story homes rise and fall with the land, scattered, seemingly in an unplanned way, around meadows and amid shared nature trails and roadways.
Coastal Maps and Trails
Trails start at Highway 1 parking areas and cross bluff-top meadows and forests to rugged coastline. Cliffside staircases lead to secluded beaches with sandy coves, tide pools, and rock formations. In addition to hiking, these public access points offer opportunities for diving, fishing, boating, and wildlife viewing. Parking lots are clearly marked on the west side of Highway 1.
Please stay on marked public access trails as other paths and roads within The Sea Ranch are privately owned. RVs and trailers are not allowed in parking lots.
Preserving Sea Ranch History: A historical journey on our trails
Bluff Top Trail 3 miles one way - Runs along the headlands from Walk On Beach to Gualala Point Regional Park. See cypress groves, windswept meadows, and unique sandstone formations.
Walk on Beach Trail 0.25 miles one way - Passes through a large Monterey cypress grove to a quarter-mile beach reached by a bluff-top staircase.
Shell Beach Trail 0.65 miles one way - Runs through pines and meadow to a wide, sandy beach with sea rocks and tide pools. Small boats can be carried to the ocean via a beach ramp.
Stengel Beach Trail 0.12 miles one way - Short path lined with cypress leads to a wooden staircase and small beach. Look for seasonal waterfalls on the cliffs. Note: Beach access is closed while we evaluate stairway repair or replacement.
Pebble Beach Trail 0.27 miles one way – Weaves through pines and meadow to a sandy cove reached by stairs.
Black Point Trail 0.25 miles one way – Crosses the bluffs to a curving, quarter-mile beach reached by a steep staircase. This beach is just north of Black Point cape and popular with surfers.
In the News
NY Mag: Family road trip to Sea Ranch
Travel and Leisure: Sea Ranch, a planned community in N. Cali
NYTimes: Sea Ranch, Cali's Modernist Utopia
California with the kids: A family travel guide