CAL FIRE has closed a stretch of California Highway 1 on the Sonoma County coast while the Woodside Fire burns near Timber Cove, and the road remains blocked for travelers headed toward Salt Point State Park.
As of the agency’s July 31, 2026, 9:12 a.m. update, the fire is mapped at 143 acres with 30 percent containment. Evacuation orders still cover Salt Point State Park, Steelwater Cove Regional Park, Ocean Cove Private Camp, the Timber Cove Subdivision, and zone SON-1D1, with a warning for zone SON-1D2, according to the official CAL FIRE Woodside Fire incident page.
- Road closed: Highway 1 between Timber Cove Road and Stewarts Point Skaggs Springs Road.
- Fire status: 143 acres, 30 percent contained after overnight progress.
- Parks and camps: Salt Point and listed coastal camp zones remain under order.
- Who decides now: Coastal drivers, campers, and weekend Highway 1 road-trippers.
- Live checks: CAL FIRE incident page and Sonoma County emergency hub.
If your Friday or Saturday plan still shows a coastal campground, a cliff pullout, or a continuous Highway 1 run past Timber Cove, treat the official map as the itinerary, not the drive you sketched last week.
The decision rule is direct: do not drive the closed Highway 1 segment, and do not enter Salt Point or the listed evacuation zones, until CAL FIRE and Sonoma County lift both the road closure and the orders.
Three traveler checks before you leave home:
- Confirm the Highway 1 segment between Timber Cove Road and Stewarts Point Skaggs Springs Road is still listed closed on CAL FIRE.
- If you hold a Salt Point, Ocean Cove, or Timber Cove camp reservation for this weekend, cancel or rebook only after you verify the order status on the Sonoma County emergency site.
- If you are connecting Mendocino, Bodega Bay, or an inland detour, build the inland route first and recheck smoke and road alerts before you commit fuel and lodging money.
What CAL FIRE has confirmed
The Woodside Fire started on July 30, 2026, at 1:43 p.m. near the 24000 block of Highway 1 at Timber Cove. Cause remains under investigation.
CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit has jurisdiction.
By late Thursday night, FIRIS mapping held the fire at 143 acres. Overnight crews pushed containment from earlier evening figures of about 20 percent to 30 percent by Friday morning.
A public information officer said resources made strong overnight progress.
CAL FIRE lists 320 personnel, 4 helicopters, 32 engines, 5 dozers, 4 water tenders, 14 crews, and 26 other assigned resources on the incident. Night-capable helicopters worked water drops while the perimeter was still active, and air tankers continue missions as conditions allow.
Those resource counts matter less as trivia than as a signal that the road and park closures are not a paper exercise.
Smoke drifted into the broader North Bay on Thursday evening, and residents were told they might notice reduced air quality. Travelers with respiratory sensitivity should treat coastal haze as a real planning input, not background scenery, while the fire remains active.
Road status is explicit on the incident page: Highway 1 is closed between Timber Cove Road and Stewarts Point Skaggs Springs Road. Temporary evacuation support is staged at Laguna High School, formerly El Molino, at 7050 Covey Road in Forestville.
Who must change plans this weekend
Salt Point State Park sits on the same coastal shelf as the fire. An evacuation order means the park is lawfully closed to public access while the order stands.
Campers, day hikers, and photographers who treat Salt Point as a flexible stop should assume the gate is not a maybe.
Ocean Cove Private Camp and the Timber Cove Subdivision are also under order. If your booking or vacation rental sits inside those named zones, leave if you are still there and do not drive back in for gear until officials say the order is lifted.
Sonoma County’s emergency hub, updated Friday midday, still shows the Woodside Fire as an emergency in progress near Salt Point State Park. The county’s Sonoma County Emergency and Preparedness Information site describes evacuation zone SON-1D1 as Salt Point State Park and Timber Cove, with road bounds north of Fort Ross Road and south of Kruse Ranch Road and Hauser Bridge Road.
Zone SON-1D2, northwest of Cazadero, remains under warning with its own inland road bounds. That county detail is useful when a camping app still shows green availability.
Zone names and road bounds beat a pin drop that has not refreshed since Thursday afternoon.
KTVU reported Thursday afternoon that the fire forced Salt Point evacuations and the Highway 1 shutdown soon after ignition, matching the same road endpoints CAL FIRE still posts. Independent local confirmation does not replace the official acreage and containment numbers, but it does show the traveler impact was not limited to a single agency bulletin.
How coastal road trips should reroute
Highway 1 is the scenic product travelers buy when they book the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts. When that product is cut at Timber Cove, the practical substitute is an inland path that reconnects north or south of the closure rather than a hopeful crawl toward cones.
Drivers coming from Bodega Bay, Jenner, or Fort Ross should expect to turn inland before Timber Cove if they are heading north. Drivers coming south from Sea Ranch, Gualala, or Mendocino should treat Stewarts Point Skaggs Springs Road as the southern edge of the problem.
Plan a rejoin south of the fire only after official maps show the coast road open again.
Stewarts Point Skaggs Springs Road is itself a rural connector, not a high-speed freeway bypass. Allow more time, watch for emergency traffic, and do not invent shortcuts through private timber land or closed park roads.
If your weekend only works as a continuous cliffside drive, postpone the scenic segment rather than forcing it.
For travelers flying into the wine country and then renting a car for the coast, airport choice still matters. Our Sonoma nearest airport guide helps sort Santa Rosa, Oakland, San Francisco, and Sacramento access before you lock a coastal loop that may need inland legs this weekend.
If the northbound goal is Mendocino rather than Salt Point itself, keep the destination and change the approach. A flexible list of things to do in Mendocino still works when you arrive on an inland schedule, then decide later whether the Highway 1 ribbon has reopened for a coastal return.
Campers who planned Bodega Bay as a southern base can still use that stretch of coast when the fire is well north of the bay. The Bodega Bay RV parks and campgrounds guide is a practical place to re-anchor lodging while Salt Point and Timber Cove stay under order.
What remains open, and what is still unknown
CAL FIRE has not published a reopening time for Highway 1. Containment at 30 percent is progress, not an all-clear.
Orders and the road closure can stay in force after overnight gains if firefighters still need a secure line and safe public access.
Cause remains under investigation. No traveler should treat social rumor about ignition as operational guidance.
Watch only the incident page, Sonoma County alerts, and California Highway Patrol or Caltrans messaging for the coast road.
Air quality can change with wind even when the mapped perimeter is stable. If you have outdoor dining, cycling, or open-air plans around the North Bay, build a smoke check into the morning of travel the same way you would check rain.
This is the same summer pattern California drivers already saw farther inland this week, including the Dove Fire evacuations along Highway 108 near the Yosemite gateway. Different county, different road, same traveler rule: named order plus named highway closure beats a calendar invite.
Longer West Coast road plans should absorb a one-segment hole without collapsing the whole trip. If Highway 1 is only one chapter in a multi-state drive, revise that chapter and keep the rest of a West Coast road trip itinerary intact rather than gambling on a reopening that has not been announced.
| If you are… | What to do now |
|---|---|
| Driving Highway 1 past Timber Cove this weekend | Reroute inland before the closed segment and recheck CAL FIRE before any coastal rejoin. |
| Camping at Salt Point, Ocean Cove, or Timber Cove | Treat the sites as closed under order; cancel or relocate and do not re-enter until officials lift the order. |
| Heading to Mendocino from Sonoma County | Keep Mendocino plans, switch to an inland approach, and delay pure Highway 1 sightseeing. |
| Holding a flexible wine-country plus coast loop | Base south near Bodega Bay or inland near Santa Rosa until the road and park orders clear. |
| Sensitive to smoke | Watch North Bay air quality and swap outdoor cliff stops for indoor or inland options on hazy days. |
- Road: Avoid Highway 1 from Timber Cove Road to Stewarts Point Skaggs Springs Road.
- Parks: Salt Point and listed camp zones stay closed under evacuation order.
- Support point: Temporary evacuation point is Laguna High School in Forestville.
- Recheck: CAL FIRE incident page and socoemergency.org before every coastal departure.
- Window: Active since July 30; no reopening time posted as of Friday morning.
Skip the closed Highway 1 segment, keep Salt Point off the itinerary while the order stands, and rebuild the coast day only after CAL FIRE and Sonoma County post an all-clear on both the road and the park.
Is Highway 1 open near Salt Point State Park?
No. CAL FIRE lists Highway 1 closed between Timber Cove Road and Stewarts Point Skaggs Springs Road while the Woodside Fire is active.
Can I still camp at Salt Point this weekend?
Not while the evacuation order remains. CAL FIRE lists Salt Point State Park under order, which closes public access until officials lift it.
How large is the Woodside Fire right now?
As of the July 31, 2026, 9:12 a.m. CAL FIRE update, the fire is 143 acres with 30 percent containment after overnight progress.
Where is the temporary evacuation point?
Laguna High School, formerly El Molino, at 7050 Covey Road, Forestville, California 95436, per CAL FIRE and Sonoma County.
What should coastal road-trippers do instead?
Use an inland detour around the closed segment, recheck official maps before rejoining Highway 1, and shift lodging south or inland if Salt Point was the anchor stop.
