California's Mendocino Coast

Mendocino Headlands State Park

Mendocino Headlands State Park surrounds the picturesque Mendocino village on three sides - a breathtakingly beautiful mix of rugged coastline, romantic secluded beaches, gentle, scenic trails and so much history. Hiking along the cliff edge, visitors can enjoy stunning views of rock arches and dark, hidden grottos.

In the spring, the trails are surrounded by wildflowers, crisp fall day offers the riot of leaf colors, and the winter presents hikers with the opportunity to see the migration of grey whales from a great vantage point. The headlands are very popular among photographers and artists who try to capture the magic of nature.

The Visitors Center for the Mendocino Headlands State Park is located in the Historic Ford House on Mendocino's Main Street.

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens sit on 47 acres of coastal land, amid canyons, wetlands, coastal bluffs, and closed-cone coniferous forests. The year-round moderate climate of the Mendocino coast allows the propagation of delicate plants that would not survive in extremes of heat and cold. The highlight of the gardens is the rhododendron collection, which has more than 125 species of the flowering shrub.

Other important garden collections include fuchsias, heritage roses, begonias, camellias, dahlias, and succulents. Tours of the garden are led by experienced docents, and include bird and whale watching, mushroom identification, and organic gardening demonstrations. There is an adventure trail for visiting children in addition to child-oriented educational programming.

b>Address: 18220 N. Hwy 1, Fort Bragg, CA 95437, Phone: 707-964-4352

Point Arena Lighthouse

The Point Arena Lighthouse is an iconic landmark on California's northern coast. Dating back to 1908, the current lighthouse was built after the great earthquake of 1906 had damaged its predecessor beyond repair. The new lighthouse was built with reinforced steel rods encased in concrete in order to withstand future earthquakes.

Tours of the lighthouse are offered to visitors, who ascend the 115' high lighthouse up a winding staircase to 360 degree views of the surrounding area. Tour Guides provide information about the area's geography, ocean topography, and sea life. Six vacation rentals, which previously housed the Lighthouse Keepers and their families, are available on the lighthouse's 23 coastal acres. The museum, housed in the 1896 fog signal building, has artifacts and historical displays that trace the lighthouse's past.

b>Address: Point Arena Lighthouse , 45500 Lighthouse Road, Point Arena, California 95468, Phone: 707-882-2809

Glass Beach

Glass Beach is located in Fort Bragg, about 120 miles from San Francisco, on the Mendocino Coast. The beach is one of the most fascinating beaches in the world, where each pebble is created of fine rounded, colorful pieces of glass. It is a very beautiful place where nature has turned human mistake into a true treasure. The legend says that every time a sailor is taken by the sea, the Mermaids cry, and their tears turn into a sea glass that is then washed up on the shore.

The reality is much less romantic: Sea glass comes from clearing of the debris from the destroyed city buildings– overwhelming amounts of it were dumped into the sea after the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The time and the power of the ocean slowly turned the broken windows and bottles into colorful treasures visitors come from great distances to collect.

Recommended Activities for Families

Mendocino County Farmers Market

Visiting one of seven Mendocino County farmer's markets is a delight for all senses. Enjoy the colors, smells and textures of everything that comes from local farms, ranches and the sea. Only certified farmer's produce can be sold and each local market has its own specialties. You can find olives, pears, apples, peaches, greens of all kinds, naturally raised beef, buffalo, goats and pork. You can also find flowers, eggs, olive oil, handmade soaps, honey, wine, cheeses, baked goodies and so much more.

There is always some kind of music in the background and it is easy to spend the whole day in the market. Many vendors at the Mendocino County Farmers Market offer samples and it is almost possible to fill yourself up before you spend a dime. It will also make you feel good to support local farmers and producers, to stock up on the freshest possible produce and feed your family with healthy, natural food.

b>Address: Mendocino County Farmers Market, 24772 Sashandre Ln, Fort Bragg, California 95437, Phone: 707-964-6718

Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park

Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park is located on a scenic headland that juts out into the Pacific Ocean. The Light Station was built in order to assist navigation for the ships carrying lumber at the end of the 19^th and beginning of the 20^th century. The lighthouse, which has been active since 1909 and still functions as an aid to navigation, has the original Chance Brothers 3^rd order Fresnel lens which has a range of 13-15 miles.

Besides the lighthouse, the light station consists of the three lightkeeper's homes, the restored blacksmith and carpentry shop and three storage buildings. One of the lightkeeper's homes is now a period museum and two are rental cottages. The Marine Science Exhibit is located in the restored carpentry shop and has a 240-gallon saltwater aquarium. Point Cabrillo is a lovely spot to explore even without the lighthouse. There are harbor seals that often rest on the rocks offshore, and sea lions swimming around. The Point is a great spot to watch Gray whales from December into April. Humpback and blue whales can be seen occasionally in the summer and fall.

b>Address: 13800 Point Cabrillo Dr, Mendocino, CA 95460, Phone: 707-937-6122

Kelley House Museum

Overlooking the ocean, the Kelley House Museum was built for the affluent Canadian Kelley family that settled in Mendocino at the end of the 19^th century. Restored and converted into a museum, it has a mission to preserve local history and guard the precious cultural heritage and architecture of the Mendocino coast. The Kelley House Museum is richly furnished with period pieces from the late 1800s, many of which belonged to the Kelley family.

Besides the house itself, the museum has several other permanent exhibits: A number of artifacts and materials from the shipwreck of the Baltimore Clipper Frolic, which sank in 1850 near Point Cabrillo Light Station; the “Then and Now” exhibit, which shows photos of the same spot in Mendocino photographed about 100 years apart; and a Native Americans Exhibit about the Pomo people, who lived on the Mendocino Coast thousands of years before Europeans settled it in 1850.

b>Address: Kelley House Museum, 45007 Albion St, Mendocino, CA 95460, Phone: 707-937-5791

Skunk Train Rides

Riding a Skunk Train through the stately California redwoods, you can easily imagine workers taking the same ride along with the enormous redwood trunks on the way from the backcountry to the Mendocino mills. Called skunks because of the pungent fumes created by the engine and the heating stoves, this classic train is back in business, this time taking visitors on a four-hour-long nostalgic trip through the majestic redwood forests, beautiful mountain meadows, and 30 trestle bridges crossing the crystal clear mountain rivers and brooks of Northern California.

Just like in the late 1800s, the train goes 40 miles between Fort Bragg and Willits, allowing the passengers of the restored historic rail cars to enjoy the view pretty much the same as in the late 1800s.

b>Address: Skunk Train Rides, 100 W Laurel St, Fort Bragg, CA 95437, Phone: 707-964-6371

Van Damme State Park

Van Damme State Park is a 1,831acre park near the town of Little River in Mendocino County. On the inland side, the park has numerous hiking trails that wind along the Little River, and some superb campsites. On the oceanside, there is a Little River beach, which is a launch point for kayaks. Some kayak tours take visitors to the sea caves nearby.

Also part of the park is Spring Ranch, a 160acre meadow on top of the bluff north of Little River. The ranch contains several restored 1860 barns. A boardwalk trail goes through a Pygmy Forest, with amazing stunted pine trees, cypress and rhododendrons, which had to survive on the poor soil of the marshy habitat.

b>Address: Van Damme State Park, 8001 CA-1, Little River, California 95456, Phone: 707-937-0851

Ford House Visitor Center & Museum

The Ford House Visitor Center & Museum is located on Main Street in Mendocino and it serves as the official Visitor Information Center for both the town and the Mendocino Headlands State Park. Built in 1854, the charming building is home to the historic and contemporary information about Mendocino and the area around it, offering brochures, books, maps, cards, gifts and videos. Videos cover such topics as the early 20^th century steam whistle logging and the fascinating story of the migration of gray whales.

The Museum organizes seasonal exhibits on local flora and fauna, such as whales, wildflowers, and mushrooms. In March, visitors can enjoy whale watching walks.

b>Address: Ford House Visitor Center & Museum, 45035 Main St, Mendocino, California 95460, Phone: 707-937-5397