Anchor Bay Beach(Fish Rock Gulch, Quinnliven Gulch)

Located to the north of Gualala, Anchor Bay Beach - also known as Fish Rock Beach - is a half-a-mile long beach with light brown sand. The beach is situated below steep oceanfront bluffs. The edges of the beach are narrower than its center. Anchor Bay Beach is a part of the Mendocino County coastline locally known as the "Banana Belt," which makes the beach sunnier than the other Mendocino County Beaches. During storms, the beach loses much of its sand and turns into a rocky beach. A creek flows through the beach into the ocean and sometimes forms a lagoon here. This popular beach was also featured in the "Top 10 Beaches in the West" list by Sunset magazine, where it was listed as the third-most-popular beach. Anchor Bay Beach gets its alternative name, Fish Rock Beach, from a nearby town named Fish Rock which was abandoned during the early 20th century. Anchor Bay Beach does not have lifeguards. However, there is a private campground near this beach that has restrooms. 

Anchor Bay Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, tidepooling, wildlife watching, swimming, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, boating, scuba diving, jet-skiing, and camping. If you are planning to go into the water near Anchor Bay Beach, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have strong currents and cold temperatures. In addition, sharks have also occasionally been sighted in the water near the beach. The beach is a popular scuba diving spot - the best diving spot on this beach is near its western end in the water around the Fish Rocks which has large kelp forests. The water here is home to many marine invertebrates including nudibranchs, feather duster worms, sea anemones, aeolid dirona, and sea cucumbers. The water near the beach is also home to many animals including seals, migrating grey whales (between December and early May), and sea lions that are found in large numbers near the western end of Anchor Bay Beach. Divers can also lookout for the remains of the Crescent City, which was a steamship that sank near the beach in 1903. Depending on the time of the year, you can catch a large array of fish in the water near Anchor Bay Beach including salmon (usually between June and August), steelhead, and many kinds of rockfish. In addition, the private campground near Anchor Bay Beach also organizes an annual Salmon Derby here. The water near the beach is also a popular spot for catching abalone and Dungeness crabs. If you are planning to boat or kayak here, there is a part of the coastline around a quarter a mile north of the beach locally called "Chicken’s Cove" which offers a perfect spot for launching your boat or kayak and exploring the rocky shoreline around Anchor Bay Beach.

Getting to Anchor Bay beach is easy - the access stairs to the beach are present near 35400 California State Highway 1 / Pacific Coast Highway, and a free parking lot is present near the intersection of this highway with Ocean View Avenue. It is important to note that the area around the beach is privately owned by the Anchor Bay Campground and you need to pay a fee to access the beach.

There are many attractions near Anchor Bay Beach. The Sea Ranch Chapel has unique architecture and was designed by the architect James Hubbell. In addition, the chapel also has beautifully landscaped grounds. Sea Ranch Golf Links offer two fun and challenging nine-hole golf courses designed in the Scottish links-style by Robert Muir Graves. If you are looking for another attraction near Anchor Bay Beach, Gualala Point Regional Park is an oceanfront county park which is located at the mouth of the Gualala River. This park offers a unique way to explore the vibrant oceanfront blufftop landscape of the Mendocino county shoreline and the interesting riparian habitat around the Gualala River. The park also offers many fun activities including swimming, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, fishing (seasonal), wildlife watching, and biking. Gualala Point Regional Park also has picnic tables and a campground that accommodates RVs and tents and has many amenities including showers, electrical outlets, washrooms, and a dump station for RVs. The park has a visitor center that offers interesting information about the local geography, history, and biodiversity. In addition, the park also has beautiful wooden serge posts that were carved by craftsmen from the Sakha Republic of northeastern Russia in 2014.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Anchor Bay Beach. The restaurant at St. Orres hotel has an outdoor dining area and serves excellent gourmet dishes. Anchor Bay Thai Kitchen offers delicious Thai dishes including Thai red, green, and yellow curries, massaman curry, and pra ram. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Anchor Bay Beach, the modestly priced Gualala Pizza and Bakery offer fantastic pizzas, sandwiches, desserts, and Mexican dishes including nachos, burritos, tacos, tortas, and quesadillas.

If you are looking for a hotel near Anchor Bay Beach, there are many great nearby options. If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 4-Star Elk Cove Inn is 42 minutes away by car and offers many amenities including a rooftop deck, a day spa, a beachfront gazebo, a guest lounge, and complimentary breakfast and wine and cocktails. A more affordable hotel is the Seacliff Motel which offers excellent views of the Pacific Ocean and also serves complimentary sparkling cider on request. The hotel also has a binocular loaner facility. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Anchor Bay Beach, the modestly priced The Surf Motel at Gualala offers many amenities including an outdoor area with Adirondack chairs that offers Instagram-worthy views of the Pacific Ocean and complimentary breakfast with homemade pastries.