• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

California Through My Lens

California Travel, Food, Hiking & Road Trips

  • Start Here
  • Explore
    • Beaches
    • Bizarre
    • Caves
    • Food
    • Hikes
    • Historical Structures
    • Natural Wonders
    • Waterfalls
  • Drive
    • El Camino Real
    • Highway 395
    • LA to Las Vegas
    • Pacific Coast Highway
    • Route 66
  • National Parks
    • Channel Islands
    • Death Valley
    • Joshua Tree
    • Lassen Volcanic
    • Pinnacles
    • Redwoods
    • Sequoia & Kings Canyon
    • Yosemite
  • Cities
    • Los Angeles
    • Palm Springs
    • Sacramento
    • San Diego
    • San Francisco
  • Resources
    • Day Trip Ideas
    • Road Trip eBooks
    • Hotels
    • My Favorite Travel Products
    • Travel Videos
  • Browse By …
    • Map Of Locations
    • Cities
    • Counties
    • National Parks
    • State Parks

Mendocino Coast Guide: Exploring the Best Spots in Fort Bragg, Mendocino & Point Arena

Last Modified: April 5, 2020

5shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Mendocino County is one of my favorite places in Northern California. The entire area is a coastal wonderland with lots of amazing views, great places to eat, beautiful state parks to explore and even a strong wine-producing region. While I could talk about each of these places alone, a true visit to the Mendocino Coast would allow you to experience many of the popular towns like Fort Bragg, Mendocino, Point Arena, and Elk. These are the towns covered in the guide below, and make sure to let me know what I left off in the comments.

Hiking

The Mendocino Coast has a lot of great hiking and a few of the best hikes are headlands trails that go along the coast. There are also redwoods groves and waterfalls to explore though and here are some of my favorite spots.

Mendocino Headlands
Van Damme Pygmy Forest
Russian Gulch Waterfall
Russian Gulch Headlands

Adventures

Not to be outdone by the hiking, the Mendocino Coast has a few truly unique adventures like riding the Skunk Train and feeding giraffes. The Fort Bragg area also has one of California’s most famous beaches, Glass Beach. Here are adventures to check out.

Skunk Train Railbikes
B. Bryan Preserve
Glass Beach
Mendocino Botanical Gardens

Historical Points of Interest

This area has been an important place for the logging and shipping industry for the better part of a century, because of that there are a few unique historical points of interest like lighthouses and old bridges that are worth your time.

Point Cabrillo Lighthouse
Pudding Creek Trestle
Skunk Train
Point Arena Lighthouse

Food

While the towns in the area are pretty small, there are still a lot of really great food spots to indulge in while in the area. Honestly, though some of the best food can be found when you stay at places like Brewery Gulch or Little River Inn as both of them have fantastic restaurants. Here are a couple of places I like in the city though.

North Coast Brewery
Goodlife Cafe & Bakery

Wineries

On Highway 128, inland from the Mendocino Coast, there are dozens of wineries all along the road. If you have a half day, stop in a bunch of them and try them out. Lula is probably my favorite on that stretch, and if you head up to the Fort Bragg area then be sure to stop at Pacific Star Winery.

North Coast Brewery
Goodlife Cafe & Bakery

Hotels

Of course, you will need a place to stay while you are in the area and I have had the opportunity to stay at many amazing hotels along the Mendocino Coast. Each of these was a fantastic experience with friendly staff, good breakfast, and great views.

Brewery Gulch Inn
Inn at Newport Ranch
Little River Inn

Videos

I made a few videos of my time along the Mendocino Coast, check them out below!

Glass Beach
Russian Gulch Waterfall Hike
Skunk Train Railbikes
Riding the Skunktrain
Now it’s your turn, what did I leave off that you love exploring in Mendocino? Be sure to leave it in the comments.

Filed Under: City Guides Tagged With: Mendocino, Mendocino County

Interested in supporting this blog?

This blog is simply a hobby and labor of love for me. If you have enjoyed the posts consider sharing it with your friends. I want as many people as possible to explore this state and you can help by letting them know about all of the great spots!

Join the Newsletter

Subscribe for the four day welcome series and to get the latest content every month.

    We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

    About JoshMc

    Thanks for checking out the blog, I am happy to be sharing my adventures with you! You can get to know me by reading my about me, which includes a video and additional information on the site, myself and my full disclosure. Also, follow along on Twitter here or read all of my posts on this blog here.

    Footer

    Search the site

    Additional Information

    Privacy Policy

    About Us

    Copyright © 2021 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    Coronavirus January 2021 Update: Please note that some information in the posts may have changed and some places may be closed.