Click on the Marshall Gulch Sunset image to enlarge

Marshall Gulch Sunset

Marshall Gulch Sunset is an image taken in the Sonoma Coast State Park in Sonoma County California. Marshall Gulch Sunset is a common sight on the coast.

Sonoma Coast State Park is one of the most scenic locations along the California Coast. A Marshall Gulch Sunset is often a good way to end the day of photographing along the Sonoma Coast.

The beaches of the Sonoma Coast State Park extend for 17 miles from Bodega Head to an area about 4 miles north of the town of Jenner, California. The coastline in this area has many rock bluff formations as seen in the Marshall Gulch Sunset photograph.

Along Highway 1 there are dozens of different locations to explore the beaches and coves of this scenic coastline.

The sea stack seen in the Marshall Gulch Sunset image is named arch rock. The arch cannot be seen in this view, but at other angles the arch makes for another viewpoint for photographing this sea stack. The sea stacks of this section of the coast are vertical rock formations weathered by the strong seas and winter storms that occur. These sea stacks like the Marshall Gulch Sunset formation are composed of sandstone with layers of quartz.

Winter is the best time to photograph a Marshall Gulch Sunset. In winter the fog bank of the Pacific Ocean is offshore. The storms that move down from the Gulf of Alaska will often provide beautiful cloud formations above the horizon. As the sun sets to the west in the distance the clouds will often light up in beautiful colors. The sea stack Arch Rock provides an excellent foreground subject for composing a Marshall Gulch Sunset. Sometimes the colors will linger for several minutes.

A Marshall Gulch Sunset is always one of my favorite photography opportunities when ending a day of photography on the Sonoma Coast.