Northern California’s Sea Ranch Is a Bucket List Stay. And It Just Reopened Its Rooms

It’s "paradise at the end of the world," once said Barbara Stauffacher, the graphic designer who created the ram’s horns graphic adorning the lodge at Sea Ranch in Sonoma County, California. Built in the 1960s, the quiet coastal community about three hours north of San Francisco was imagined as a means of living harmoniously with nature by a small group of architects, designers, and master planner, Lawrence Halprin. It was also a response to the kinds of gated communities found elsewhere in the country that bent the wilderness to its will and barred outsiders.

Today, the idyllic community remains a welcoming place that’s now made up of more than 2,000 homes interspersed among cypress hedgerows, sprawling meadows, and redwood forests, some of them with ocean views. Many are on offer as short-term rentals, and others, like Halprin’s own residence (which was rebuilt after a fire) sometimes come up for sale. But the beauty is, you’ve never had to be able to afford an estate at Sea Ranch to drink in its coastal wonder.

Recently, in fall of 2021, the community lodge reopened after shutting down for a five-year soup-to-nuts renovation that aimed to improve upon the original designers’ vision of a community hub for locals and travelers alike. Now, visitors can once again experience an overnight stay at the lodge in one of its 17 refreshed guest rooms.