Virtual Guidebook to the Northern California Coast and Coast Ranges
Bodega Head
Bodega Bay, Sonoma County California

Bodega Head is a block of granite cut off from the mainland by the San Andreas Fault. The rift zone is submerged in the bay or covered by the dunes. Most of the headland and dunes are protected in state parks.

Despite its proximity to the fault, in 1958 Bodega Head was chosen as the site for the first commercial nuclear power plant in the country. A huge square excavation, the "hole in the head", was made before work was halted because of concerns about safety. Eventually it was established that there was an active fault through the reactor site (which PG&E was trying to hide) and in 1964 the project was abruptly cancelled.