Park · Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County

Salt Point State Park picnic guide

Picnics welcomeWine allowed$10/vehicle

Blue water of Gerstle Cove ringed by sandstone rocks and pine forest at Salt Point State Park — Photo: Kglavin · CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Can you picnic at Salt Point State Park?

Yes — Salt Point State Park has picnic areas open to the public. No reservation is needed for the picnic area. Fee: $10 per vehicle day use ($9 seniors). Wine and other alcohol are allowed (see the rules below).

Checked September 2026 from parks.ca.govStated on the venue's own website

Picnic rules at a glance

Picnicking: Picnics welcome
Bring your own food: Allowed
Alcohol: Allowed
Purchase required: No
Reservation: Not required
Fee: $10 per vehicle day use ($9 seniors); a same-day Fort Ross day-use receipt is also honored
Groups: Day-use tables are first-come, first-served; there are no reservable picnic sites. Picnicking in campsites is not allowed (violators can be cited or charged the $35 camping fee). Private events or large gatherings need a State Parks special event permit (russianriver.specialevents@parks.ca.gov).
Dogs: Leashed dogs (6-ft max) are allowed in the campgrounds, on paved roads and areas, and on the trails from the campground to the cove. They're not allowed on hiking trails or beaches.
Hours: Day-use areas daily 8 a.m. to sunset
Season: Day-use areas are open year-round, 8 a.m. to sunset. The visitor center is closed indefinitely, the Fisk Mill Cove day-use area (no restrooms or parking) and the Gerstle Cove boat launch are closed, and the summer 2026 Woodside Fire closed Woodside Campground until Aug. 7. Rhododendrons at the adjoining Kruse reserve bloom roughly mid-April to mid-June.
House rules: Alcohol: Allowed under California State Parks rules unless posted otherwise. 14 CCR §4326 bans drinking only where a posted superintendent's order (§4301(i)) says so, and none for Salt Point appears on the current park pages or the October 2025 infosheet. Check signs at the kiosk. No glass rule was found. Ground and open fires are not permitted; cook only on provided facilities or an off-the-ground barbecue where allowed (2014 brochure). No picnicking in campsites. Drones are banned. Gerstle Cove is a no-take marine reserve. Rogue waves can sweep people off the rocks in every season, so stay back from bluff edges.

What the picnic area is like

The main picnic spot is the Gerstle Cove day-use area, where tables look out over a kelp-dotted cove that is a no-take marine reserve, with honeycombed tafoni sandstone at the water's edge and an accessible restroom by the lot. South Gerstle has a second picnic area with its own restroom. Stump Beach, the park's only sandy beach, has a few tables by its parking lot, a pit toilet and a quarter-mile trail down to the sand.

Picnic tables
Restrooms
Parking
Hiking trails
Wheelchair accessible

Good for: Views · Quiet · Romantic

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About Salt Point State Park

Six miles of wild, rocky coastline about 20 miles north of Jenner. Gerstle Cove's tide pools, kelp beds and sculpted sandstone make one of the most scenic table picnics on the North Coast. Pair it with Fort Ross, whose day-use receipt covers entry here the same day, or a spring walk among the rhododendrons at Kruse next door.

Picnic tables above Gerstle Cove's marine reserve and tide pools
Stump Beach tables near the park's only sandy beach
20+ miles of trails, including the bluff-top Salt Point Trail
Fort Ross day-use receipt accepted the same day
Dogs not allowed on trails or beaches

More dog-friendly spots in Sonoma County More best views spots in Sonoma County More parks that allow wine spots in Sonoma County

Make a day of it

Pair it with a picnic spot close by.

Salt Point State Park (this park)
Park · Sonoma Coast
Stillwater Cove Regional Park
Park · Sonoma Coast · about 3.1 mi away

More picnic spots nearby

Waves crashing on rocky headlands and sea stacks at Stillwater Cove on the Sonoma Coast

Park

Stillwater Cove Regional Park

Sonoma Coast· 2 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationWine allowedDogs OK

A small, low-key county park between Fort Ross and Salt Point that mixes a forest picnic with a small ocean cove. Walk off lunch on the redwood Canyon Trail, which passes the one-room 1885 Fort Ross Schoolhouse, or head down to the cove for tide-pooling. It's one of the few spots on this coast where dogs can go almost everywhere.

Stillwater Cove Regional Park

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026

Own food: yes
Wine allowed: yes
Reservation: Not needed
Dogs: Yes
Fee: $8/vehicle

Nearest picnic food: Dry Creek Peach & Produce · 21 mi

Details

Park

Fort Ross State Historic Park

Sonoma Coast· 6 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationWine allowedDogs OK

The reconstructed 1812 Russian-American Company outpost on the Kashia Pomo homeland of Metini sits on a marine terrace 12 winding miles north of Jenner. It's one of the few Sonoma Coast stops that pairs a picnic with real history, and you can eat at tables right inside the stockade. Bring everything with you, since the park sells no food.

Fort Ross State Historic Park

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026

Own food: yes
Wine allowed: yes
Reservation: Not needed
Dogs: Outside
Fee: $10/vehicle

Nearest picnic food: Dry Creek General Store · 20 mi

Details

Park

Goat Rock Beach (Sonoma Coast State Park)

Sonoma Coast· 14 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationWine allowedDogs OK

The dramatic, easy-to-reach beach at the mouth of the Russian River, just south of Jenner, with free parking, tables and restrooms. It's a natural stop for anyone driving River Road and Highway 116 out from the Russian River wineries: eat lunch watching the harbor seals, then walk the Kortum Trail bluffs south toward Shell Beach.

Goat Rock Beach (Sonoma Coast State Park)

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026

Own food: yes
Wine allowed: yes
Reservation: Not needed
Dogs: Outside
Fee: Free entry

Nearest picnic food: Wild Flour Bread · 13 mi

Details

Park

Bodega Dunes Day Use (Sonoma Coast State Park)

Sonoma Coast

Bring your own foodNo reservationWine allowedDogs OK

An accessible picnic stop in the Bodega Dunes section of Sonoma Coast State Park, with flush restrooms and trails through the dunes behind a long sandy beach. Dogs must stay off the beach.

Bodega Dunes Day Use (Sonoma Coast State Park)

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026

Own food: yes
Wine allowed: yes
Reservation: Not needed
Dogs: Outside
Fee: $10/vehicle

Details

All picnic spots in Sonoma Coast →

Frequently asked questions

Can you picnic at Salt Point State Park?

Can you bring your own food to Salt Point State Park?

Yes. Outside food is allowed at Salt Point State Park.

Can you drink wine at Salt Point State Park?

Yes, alcohol is allowed at Salt Point State Park. Alcohol: Allowed under California State Parks rules unless posted otherwise. 14 CCR §4326 bans drinking only where a posted superintendent's order (§4301(i)) says so, and none for Salt Point appears on the current park pages or the October 2025 infosheet. Check signs at the kiosk. No glass rule was found. Ground and open fires are not permitted; cook only on provided facilities or an off-the-ground barbecue where allowed (2014 brochure). No picnicking in campsites. Drones are banned. Gerstle Cove is a no-take marine reserve. Rogue waves can sweep people off the rocks in every season, so stay back from bluff edges.

Do you need a reservation to picnic at Salt Point State Park?

No reservation is needed to use the picnic area. Day-use tables are first-come, first-served; there are no reservable picnic sites. Picnicking in campsites is not allowed (violators can be cited or charged the $35 camping fee). Private events or large gatherings need a State Parks special event permit (russianriver.specialevents@parks.ca.gov).

Is there a fee to picnic at Salt Point State Park?

$10 per vehicle day use ($9 seniors); a same-day Fort Ross day-use receipt is also honored.

Are dogs allowed at Salt Point State Park?

Leashed dogs (6-ft max) are allowed in the campgrounds, on paved roads and areas, and on the trails from the campground to the cove. They're not allowed on hiking trails or beaches.

Sources & accuracy

We last checked this listing in September 2026 (freshest source: Park page checked Sept 25, 2026 (status 'open with restrictions'; Woodside Fire notice from Aug 2026); park infosheet dated Oct 2025; brochure Dec 2014). Policies change — especially for groups and holidays — so confirm with Salt Point State Park before you go. How we verify.

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