About four miles north of Jenner is the Russian Gulch. It is at the bottom of a long steep ravine. Many people pass it by, not even aware that it is a State Beach with a restroom and parking area.
Although to get to the beach, one has to travel through about one-quarter of a mile of jungle brush until you reach a clearing, and there it is... the great Pacific Ocean. The beach itself is only about one hundred yards in length from one end to the other.
There is one caveat. You then have to cross a creek to get to the actual beach. This means that you will probably have to roll up your pant legs and take off your shoes to get across. This can be tricky because there are a gazillion rocks covered with green slime, that can be quite slippery.
The beach itself also has a billion flat, round rocks that are left on the shore if the tide hasn't taken them out. These are perfect for collecting and carrying back across the gulch in a canvas bag. The creek isn't necessarily there to cross if the weather has been dry for a long time ( which it has because of the draught ). However, all it takes is one good storm, and then a river forms which makes it near impossible to cross.
Also, if you have brought a picnic lunch, don't leave it unattended. Several seagulls have shocked many tourists to find their sandwiches and potato chips strewn across the shore. A huge boulder at the north end of the beach is a pretty good spot to throw down your backpacks. You can even climb up a few crags and find a spot to sit down to watch the waves roll up and crash against the shore. You may be surprised to not see another soul on the beach depending on the day of the week and the time of day.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, go and discover this place for yourself. It is the best place I know to gather a few rocks to take home and paint.
