Steelhead Beach Regional Park sits on the Russian River at 9000 River Road, just north of Forestville in Sonoma County. Sonoma County Regional Parks runs it, and the property covers about 26 acres of riverfront that escaped the agricultural conversion that reshaped most of this stretch. The county park map notes that aside from a gravel mining operation near the entrance many years ago, the land has seen little disturbance, which is why the county treats it as a rare intact piece of the middle to lower Russian River corridor.

The beach is a gravel bar, not a lake shore. Sand and cobble grade into the water, and the official park page warns that the unstable surface makes reaching the river difficult for anyone with a mobility impairment, even though the parking, restrooms, picnic sites and drinking fountains are accessible. The county has pursued an accessibility barrier removal project here using federal Community Development Block Grant money. The river changes character completely across the year. By late summer it runs low, slow and warm, shallow enough in places to stand up mid channel. In winter it comes up fast and cold, and the same bar that held sunbathers in August can be well under water in January.

There is no lifeguard at Steelhead Beach. Sonoma County Regional Parks states that plainly. Free loaner life vests are set out on the beach during the summer season, and free loaner life jackets are available at Steelhead and Sunset beaches whenever the River Shuttle is running.

Parking is 8 dollars in fall, winter and spring and 12 dollars in summer. A Regional Parks membership covers parking at county parks and costs 69 dollars general, 49 dollars for seniors 62 and older, and 29 dollars for an Access membership for people with permanent disabilities. The gate opens at 7 a.m. and closes at sunset, and on busy summer weekends staff close the entrance outright once the lot fills.

Paddlers can put canoes, kayaks and paddleboards in from the beach year round. A seasonal launch for larger craft operates October through mid May and requires an annual permit, 45 dollars recreational or 75 dollars commercial, which also covers the seasonal launch at Wohler Bridge. Steelhead is the standard starting point for the float down to Sunset Beach River Park, about four and a half hours on the water in summer. The park has a free inflation station, tube rentals run on site from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in season, and the Regional Parks River Shuttle connects El Molino High School in Forestville with both beaches on summer weekends and holidays for 5 dollars all day, free for anyone 18 and under. The 2026 shuttle season has ended and service returns in 2027.

Behind the beach, several short trails make a loop of nearly a mile through riparian woods shaded by cottonwood, big leaf maple, Oregon ash, California bay and willow, and the loop touches the river at more than one point. Restrooms have flush toilets. Dogs are allowed on leash, and must stay on leash even in the water. Alcohol and open containers are prohibited in the park and on the beach from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, and fires and barbecues are not allowed on the beach at all. There is no camping. Steelhead Beach is a day use park.

Sonoma County Environmental Health samples Russian River beaches weekly between Memorial Day and Labor Day and posts results beach by beach, with Steelhead Beach listed by name. The August 31, 2026 sample came back at 733 total coliform and 10 E. coli per 100 mL, inside state standards, and the beach was posted open. The county has also run off season sampling after sewage discharges into the river. The river here supports endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead, which is where the park takes its name.