Fort Ross State Park is located about 12 miles north of Jenner. It's the hard to miss wooden stockade structure with big signs saying "Fort Ross".
Red Barn - the Landmark |
Location: | |
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Mile Marker: | SON ???? |
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Access: | None - private property |
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Facilities: | Probably a milking barn and hay storage but nothing much to interest a diver. |
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Nearest Public Telephone: |
On the southern boundry of Fort Ross State Park is a landmark known as "Red Barn". Red Barn is actually a white barn located on the west side of Highway 1 north of Jenner. It's about 10 or 12 miles north of Jenner. The exact distance isn't important; just look for the first big barn north of Jenner that is west of Highway 1. That would be Red Barn.
At one time, access to the ocean was through Pedotti Ranch at Red Barn. Access is no longer across that private property but, instead, is through the state park or over public access trails at the Longest Yard.
On January 27,
2005, a storm blew on shore. Things got kind of wild and Red Barn is no
longer there. In the
local
news article, it was reported that the barn was destroyed by one of
northern California's exceedingly rare weather events: a tornado.
Pedotti's
Fort Ross Reef
Red Barn
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Location: | Due west of the Ranger's kiosk at the entrance to Reef Campground |
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Mile Marker: | SON 3137 |
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Access: | Shore |
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Facilities: | Porta-Potties in the parking lot nearest the point. |
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Nearest Public Telephone: | At the ranger's kiosk at the Highway 1 turnoff to this dive site. |
From the Ranger's kiosk at the entry to Reef Campground, look directly out to the ocean. Slightly to you left, you'll see a gate (usually closed) about 50 yards away. That gate is the access for this dive site. Note that there are a couple of defaced signs at the access gate. What those signs say is that you're required to pay the same day-use parking fee as every other visitor to Fort Ross. Pay the parking fee at the kiosk, drive through the gate, and go down the dirt road. When you get to the cliff, park. The point of land reaching toward Hawaii is Pedotti Reef and the rocks making up that point of land comprises one of the most productive shorepicking areas in Sonoma County.
This site is a very popular spot for shorepickers, those guys who wade into the water to get their abs rather than take the easy route and dive for them. From the deadend parking lot, you can find a trail that leads along a bluff to a point of land. The trail continues down that point to an extensive rocky shoreline. At low tide, waders can make their way offshore a few hundred yards. Experienced shorepickers rarely come back skunked; full limits being the norm more often than not.
For divers, there's good pickings on either side of the exposed rocks popular with the shorepickers. Depths are pretty much whatever you're comfortable with. The rocky reef suggested by the rocks off the point extends offshore at least 1/2 a mile. This is one of the most productive abalone spots on the north coast.
Just north of the point, there's a small cove facing to the northwest. When swell conditions allow, it's easy to get a limit of abalone at the mouth of that small cove where you'll find water 15' to 20' deep.
Reef Camprgound
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Location: | |
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Mile Marker: | SON 3170 |
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Access: | |
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Facilities: | |
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Nearest Public Telephone: | The ranger's Kiosk at the entry to the Reef Campground. |
South Cove
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Location: | |
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Mile Marker: | SON 3218 |
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Access: | |
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Facilities: | |
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Nearest Public Telephone: | At the Fort Ross Visitor's Center. |
North Cove
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This
site is accessed through the main gate at Fort Ross. There's a day-use fee of
$5 that you pay at the entrance. Park your car at the far end of the parking
lot. There's a dirt road that bears south and becomes a paved segment of the
original Highway 1. Follow this road until you reach a bench on the right
(west) side of the road. Behind that bench you'll see trails leading down the
hill. Follow one of them down into the cove and work your way along the
shoreline to the right as far as is comfortable. That's where you want to start
diving in Fort Ross Cove.
This site is accessed through the main gate at Fort Ross. There's a day-use fee of $5 that you pay at the entrance. Park your car at the far end of the parking lot. There's a dirt road that bears south and becomes a paved segment of the original Highway 1. Follow this road until you reach a bench on the right (west) side of the road. Behind that bench you'll see trails leading down the hill. Follow one of them down into the cove and work your way along the shoreline to the right as far as is comfortable. That's where you want to start diving in Fort Ross Cove.
This cove is one of the most protected dive sites when the typical northwest swell is running. For this reason, it is quite popular and gets a lot of pressure. Though not easy to find, legal abalone can still be taken from this location.
Outside
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Location: | |
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Mile Marker: | SON ???? |
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Access: | |
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Facilities: | |
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Nearest Public Telephone: | At the Fort Ross Visitor's Center. |
Last Modified: January 29, 2005
