Beaches in Mendocino County

About Mendocino County

Mendocino County takes up a large chunk of Northern California coastal real estate. Driving Highway 1 north from Sonoma County to Humboldt County is well over 100 miles, but it’s a very scenic drive. From Gualala to Point Arena in the southern part of the county there are many beaches tucked into coves that form between rocky headlands. North of Point Arena is Manchester State Park, a long sandy beach that might be the best beachcombing spot in NorCal. From the tiny town of Manchester to the city of Fort Bragg, Highway 1 closely follows the shoreline and has access to more deep cove beaches. Along this stretch are state park beaches at Greenwood SB, Navarro River Redwoods SP, Van Damme Beach SP, Mendocino Headlands SP, Russian Gulch SP, Point Cabrillo Light Station SHP, Caspar Headland SB, and Jug Handle State Natural Reserve Park. North of Fort Bragg there is only one more town along the Mendocino County Coast and that is Westport. There are some great beaches in this area including several at MacKerricher State Park and Westport-Union Landing State Beach. At the northern end of Mendocino County, Highway 1 turns inland around a remote region where Sinkyone Wilderness State Park is located. The beaches here are only accessible by a long windy drive on back roads or by backpacking to them via the Lost Coast Trail. Shelter Cove is the next town to the north in Humboldt County and it has nice black sand beaches, but it’s another long drive to get there.