Mendocino is an adorable coastal town, tucked along the Pacific Ocean, in Northern California, with a dramatic coastline, rocky beaches, and towering redwoods. Given its year-round temperate weather, stunning nature, and laidback vibes, Mendocino has become a popular getaway for folks from central California and beyond.
I’ve ALWAYS wanted to visit Mendocino and, when my husband, Justin, and I made our trip up Highway One, we finally got to explore this beautiful town for an entire week. After really getting to know this charming little town, here’s the [x] best things to do in Mendocino, the most charming town on the Northern California coastline.
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Things to do in Mendocino, California
1. Explore Russian Gulch State Park
Located just two miles north of Mendocino, Russian Gulch State Park offers a little bit of everything that makes this area so beautiful—rugged headlands along the Pacific Ocean, a rainforest full of ferns and redwoods, and rocky beaches.
There are tons of different things to do in the park, with pathways for horse riders and bicyclists, scuba diving, and kayaking, but, in my opinion, the best way to explore the park is by any of its incredible hiking trails.
Here are some of the best hikes in Russian Gulch State Park:
- Headlands Trail: This easy 0.5 mile trail loops around a headland that juts out into the Pacific Ocean, with epic views of the Panhorst Bridge. Not only is this area stunning, but we also were able to see a tiny glimpse into local culture here, as a couple of spearfishers hunted in the cove below us. Continuing on, the trail loops around the Devil’s Punchbowl, a 100-foot sinkhole that fills with pounding water at high tide.
- Fern Canyon and Waterfall Loop: This moderate 6.2 mile trail loops through a shady canopy of redwoods to a beautiful 36-foot waterfall, cascading down a cliffside. We saw so many cute lil’ banana slugs on this trail!
2. Take the Skunk Train
One of the advantages of visiting Mendocino is its proximity to other cute coastal towns, like Fort Bragg.
Fort Bragg is home to one of the most iconic activities in Northern California, the Skunk Train. Since 1885, this historic train has taken visitors across some of the first tracks laid in California, through towering groves of redwood trees and to beautiful estuaries and canyons. Along the way, the conductor will share interesting facts about the history of the area and, if it’s anything like our experience, even bust out their guitar and sing you some old railroad tunes!
There’s a few different options to choose from:
- Pudding Creek Express: A 7 mile roundtrip journey to a nearby estuary, where you might spot osprey, blue herons, and river otters. You’ll have 45 minutes to do a small hike under the redwoods here or, if you happen to be visiting on a day where there are more trains later in the day, you’re welcome to stay longer at the estuary and take a later train back.
This is a great option if you’re short on time (the whole experience is about an hour and a half), but full disclosure, you’re only on the train for about half an hour or so! - Wolf Tree Turn: An 16 mile roundtrip journey through a dense grove of redwood trees and through an 800 foot tunnel. This line is named after an incredibly old and MASSIVE “Wolf Tree” along the way, which earned the moniker for choking out the smaller trees and underbrush that surround it. The train stops in the heart of the Noyo River Canyon, with some time to wander under the ancient redwoods that have made this area so famous. It’s important to note that this option starts in the town of Willits (not Fort Bragg), which is about an hour inland.
- Glen Blair Bar: In my opinion, this is the most fun option and definitely on our list when we head back to this area! On Friday and Saturday evenings, the Pudding Creek Express route takes you to the Glen Blair Bar, which is only accessible by the train. Under the redwood trees, you’ll get to enjoy a bar, serving up local beer and wine; fire pits; live music; and games. This sounds like SUCH a fun date night!
3. Pedal through the Redwoods
If sitting on a train isn’t your cup of tea, you can alternatively ride the rails—quite literally—on a railbike, which is a special two person cart that’s designed to be driven on top of train tracks.
On this tour, you’ll pedal a rail bike for three and a half miles (one-way) along the historic California Western Railroad tracks, as you cruise under redwood trees and past a tidal estuary. The carts are electric-assisted, so it’s a breeze to pedal them, regardless of what kind of shape you’re in. Along the way, your guide will provide you with information about the surrounding redwood trees and any wildlife, like eagles and egrets, you might pass along the way.
Like the Skunk Train, you’ll have about an hour to get off your bikes and do a one-mile hike through a grove of redwood trees or to just enjoy the views (or some drinks and snacks, if you prefer!).
This is such a fun activity, whether you’re traveling as a couple, or a family and one of the most unique things to do in Mendocino!
4. Explore Van Damme State Park
On the south side of Mendocino, you’ll find the beautiful Van Damme State Park, which offers a small, sandy beach; a lush forest of redwood trees; and even a bizarre pygmy forest, where Mother Nature has caused mature pine and cypress tree to grow as little as six inches tall!
From our experience, if you have a few hours to spend in the park, I’d recommend hiking the 8.9 mile Fern Canyon Scenic Trail (yes, yet another Fern Canyon).
I don’t like to play favorites, but, when we hiked this trail, we though that the Fern Canyon in Van Damme State Park was STUNNING, with lush greenery, carpeting the rolling forest floor, towering redwoods, and the babbling Little River, snaking alongside the trail.
At the end of the forest, you’ll loop through the aforementioned pygmy forest, which is created by a geological feature, known as ecological staircases. Due to a bunch of uplifting events that happened hundreds of thousands of years ago, the soil here has low levels of nutrients and high levels of aluminum, which creates a natural bonsai effect. So, instead of seeing pine and cypress trees that are over a hundred feet tall, they grow from just six inches to eight feet tall!
And, if that hike is too long for you, you can either hike just a portion of the Fern Canyon Trail or drive to the Pygmy Forest Trail, which has a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk and tons of educational signs to learn more about this rare forest.
5. Indulge in some candy cap mushroom ice cream
We’re all about trying local delicacies and one of our favorite things that we tried in Mendocino is candy cap mushroom ice cream!
Mushroom ice cream may sound weird, but candy cap is a unique species that’s foraged in the Mendocino area, which has a lightly sweet maple syrup-like flavor.
We got candy cap mushroom ice cream at Cowlick’s, an ice cream shop in Fort Bragg that’s been churning out homemade flavors for the past two decades. Alternatively, you can also pick some up at Frankie’s Pizza and Ice Cream, a charming, family-run pizzeria in Mendocino that serves up Cowlick’s ice cream.
6. Explore the town of Mendocino
Obviously, while you’re here, it’s worth moseying around the cute shops and cafes that line Mendocino’s streets. The town itself is pretty tiny, but still manages to feel like something you’d see in a Nancy Meyers or Hallmark movie, with historic buildings that are built in a Victorian or Cape Cod-style.
Since the town is so small, you can see most of it in a few hours, but here are some of our favorite stops here:
GoodLife Cafe and Bakery
This little bakery has become quite famous and for good reason—its pastries are OUT OF THIS WORLD. We picked up a few different pastries here, but the standout was definitely a raspberry curd cruffin. Pick up a pastry of your choice and a coffee and enjoy them on their sunny patio!
Ford House Visitor Center & Museum
A tiny visitor center, right on the coast, with a few interesting exhibits about Mendocino’s history, a tiny diorama of the town itself, a cool display of the mushrooms in the area, and a small gift shop, selling local goods, like pickled kelp (so good!). There’s also some nice picnic tables out front, if you want to pick up some treats around town and enjoy them with a beautiful view of the Pacific!
Papa Bear’s Chocolate Haus
If you’re looking for some of the aforementioned treats, this shop makes all of its confections in-house. Don’t miss the raspberry bark (fresh raspberries in white chocolate—absolutely delicious!).
Blair House Inn
Mendocino has many quaint inns, but this one has a rather unique distinction—it’s Angela Lansbury’s house from Murder, She Wrote! The exterior of this Victorian inn, built in 1888, served as the main character’s home, despite the fact that the show was set in a fictional town in Maine, with Mendocino serving as a filming location in several episodes. I’m TOTALLY dating myself, but I grew up with my grandma watching this show incessantly in the background, so it was pretty neat to see the house up close and personal!
7. Walk the Mendocino Headlands Trail
After eating your raspberry bark and your cruffins, why don’t you walk it off along the 4.8 mile Mendocino Headlands Trail, which follows along the cliffsides surrounding the town?
The trail starts directly south of the town’s Main Street (there’s even a pathway to get there from the Ford House Visitor Center and Museum!), but quickly heads out onto a windswept coastal bluff, where you’ll get incredible views of sea stacks; hidden coves; and caves and arches, carved into the cliffsides.
Due to its proximity to town, it can definitely get busy here on weekends. So I’d recommend heading here around sunset–it’s usually way less crowded and the views are absolutely unreal!
8. Try local wineries
Mendocino County is one of California’s most underrated wine producers, known for their cool-climate varietals, like Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. It also has the highest percentage of certified organic and biodynamic grapes in the entire United States.
We’re definitely not wine connoisseurs, but we REALLY enjoyed our time at Pacific Star Winery in Fort Bragg, which is the only winery located right on the California coast.
They offer very affordable tastings (5 wines for $15), but we bought a bottle of Cab Sav and enjoyed it while overlooking the Pacific Ocean. From mid-December through January and March through May, their patio is supposed to be an excellent spot to see gray whales, which migrate past the California coast as they make their way from the chilly waters of Alaska, down to the warm, shallow lagoons of the Baja Peninsula.
Most of the other wineries in Mendocino County are located inland, in the Anderson Valley. For example, the Toulouse Vineyard and Winery is open daily and offers a $25 tasting fee, which is waived with a purchase of a bottle of wine.
9. Paddle around the Big River Estuary State Marine Conservation Area
The Big River is an estuary, with seven miles of navigable waters, sandwiched between two redwood-laden shorelines. The estuary is home to a broad array of flora and fauna, including harbor seals, sea lions, river otters, osprey, eagles, great blue heron, Dungeness crabs, and more.
The most popular way to explore the estuary is by renting a canoe or kayak from Catch a Canoe, situated right on the Big River. This shop has become somewhat of an icon in the Mendocino area, thanks to their unique locally made outrigger canoes, which offer a more easier steering and stability for newbie paddlers. They also offer a few other types of vessels, like eddyline kayaks, and catamaran canoes.
To be honest, the rentals are a bit on the steep side (at the time I’m writing this, it’s $60 per adult, for up to 3 hours), but, if you’re a wildlife lover, this is definitely one of the best things to do in Mendocino!
Just make sure to check the tide charts and try to plan your trip so that you head upriver, during the rising high tide and downriver, as the tide moves out to the ocean.
10. Visit the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse
I love a good lighthouse—they have a kind of quaint, historical charm to them. And Mendocino is home to an adorable one!
Built in 1909, the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse still functions to help ships navigate along California’s rocky coastline, built into a tall sandstone headland that juts into the Pacific, just a few miles north of town.
The lighthouse is open year-round, with some exhibits about its history and, of course, a small gift shop. There’s also some historical buildings, like the light house keeper’s cottage, that you can explore. Plus, on select weekends from March through October, the park actually lets you climb to the top of the lighthouse, so you can see the fresnel up close and personal! Their Facebook page is the best place to get updates on these dates.
Beyond the cute lighthouse, the vantage point along the cliffs here is an excellent place to spot wildlife, like pelicans, harbor seals, and migrating grey whales.
11. Explore Jug Handle State Nature Preserve
If you’re looking for a place to stretch your legs, Jug Handle offers a small, beautiful beach, tucked between two rugged cliffs, as well as several hiking trails that follow along the rocky headlands.
We hiked along the short and easy Mitchell Creek Headlands Trail, which follows along the coastline and offers gorgeous views of the surrounding sea stacks and hidden bays of turquoise waters.
However, the most popular trail in the park is the Ecological Staircase Trail, which leads to another pygmy forest (like the one in Van Damme State Park), caused by extremely old and acidic soil from a series of uplifting events. Again, you can walk on a wooden boardwalk through a grove of centuries old trees, all of which have only grown to a maximum of eight feet tall.
12. Look for colorful sand at Glass beach
One of the most iconic things to do in the Mendocino area is to head to Glass Beach, located in the MacKerricher State Marine Conservation Area in Fort Bragg. The beach got its name from the colorful sea glass that is said to litter its shores.
While this sounds pretty dreamy, its origin story is a bit more on the troubling side. From around 1906 to 1967, local municipalities used the coastline as a literal garbage dump for everything, from glass bottles and cars to household appliances.
This practice stopped in 1967 and the area was largely cleaned up, but lots of glass bottles were pulled out to sea. Over the decades, the pounding waves of the Pacific Ocean have broken these bottles down into smooth pebbles of colorful sea glass, which are deposited back onto the beach.
Allegedly, the best time to find the sea glass is low tide (you can find the beach’s tide chart here). To be totally transparent (pun intended!), I was a bit disappointed by our stop here—we personally didn’t find any sea glass, but we did find some pockets of colorful pebbles dotting the beach, which were beautiful in their own right.
Even if you don’t happen to find sea glass, I still think it’s worth a stop, especially from March through June, when the neighboring beach serves as a harbor seal rookery. Friendly reminder to leave any sea glass that you happen to find, per the park’s rules, so others might enjoy this uniquely beautiful place for years to come.
13. Go tidepooling at the MacKerricher State Marine Conservation Area
While you’re in the MacKerricher State Marine Conservation Area, head to the tide pool area near Laguna Point. If you’re not familiar with tidepooling, you essentially explore rocky beaches at low tide to discover small creatures that live or become trapped in small pools as the water level drops, like snails, crabs, anemones, sea stars, and sea urchins.
During our drive down Highway 1, we stopped at tons of spots to go tidepooling and I’d say the MacKerricher is the best place we stopped at, with an easily accessible area of TONS of tidepools, where we spotted lots of cool, little critters. Friendly reminder to not touch or remove any of the wildlife you see in any of these pools—it’s their home and most of them need salt water to survive!
To get to the tidepools, you’ll walk along a short wooden boardwalk that skirts around the edge of the headland until you reach a set of stairs that take you down to the tidepooling area. Be sure to look out at Seal Rocks on your way there—true to its name, there are usually several harbor seals here, relaxing on the rocks.
14. Check out local breweries
While Mendocino County is best known for its wineries, there are some stand out breweries here as well.
For example, North Coast Brewing, located in Fort Bragg, creates world-class beer that’s sold nationwide (I’ve had a LOT of their Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout over the years). We stopped at their brewpub here, which dishes up some solid pizza and has an unassuming, laidback vibe. But my favorite thing about North Coast is its ethics—it’s a zero waste certified B Corp that focuses on sustainability and giving back to non-profit organizations, including the Marine Mammal Center and The Ocean Foundation. We love to see it!
There are plenty of other breweries to try in the area as well, like Tall Guy Brewing, which was recently started by a former brewer at North Coast that’s creating some fun styles, like milk stouts and several different IPAS, and Overtime Brewing, which started as a home brewer who has since expanded to pouring their brews at local pop-up events.
Where to stay in Mendocino, California
Despite Mendocino being a fairly remote and tiny town, there are tons of adorable inns and bed and breakfasts to stay at in the area. Some of our favorites are:
Headlands Inn Bed and Breakfast
This charming inn is housed in a Victorian mansion that’s located right in the heart of Mendocino. The rooms all offer views of the property’s gorgeous garden or the Pacific, with a delicious breakfast (usually locally sourced!) delivered every morning.
Little River Inn
Located just south of Mendocino, this oceanfront property has plenty of charm, with a huge porch to take in the views, an onsite restaurant, and bougie in-room touches, like plush robes in all of the rooms and sunken tubs.
SCP Mendocino Coast Lodge
This coastal inn, located about 10 minutes south of Mendocino, is located on a bluff overlooking the ocean, with a lovely patio to relax and a trendy onsite restaurant. Every room offers a terrace with spectacular views of the ocean AND a fireplace—definitely perfect for a romantic getaway!
How to get to Mendocino, California
It’s honestly kind of wild that I had even heard about Mendocino as much as I had, given how small and relatively remote it is.
The closest major airports to Mendocino are San Francisco International Airport, which is a three and a half hour drive away, or the Sacramento International Airport, which is three hours and 40 minutes away. There’s no public transport that will get you to Mendocino, so you’ll definitely need to pick up a rental car to get to and around the area.
Alternatively, you can do what Justin and I did and take a road trip here! We spent a few weeks driving along Highway One and had SUCH a fun time driving this iconic route, stopping along the way to explore the Channel Islands, Solvang, Big Sur, and, of course, Mendocino. You can see more about our experience here.
If you don’t feel like doing a full Highway One road trip, here’s how far Mendocino is from a few other cities around California:
- Santa Rosa: A little over 2 hours away
- San Francisco: 3 hours and 20 minutes away
- Sacramento: 3 hours and 40 minutes away
- Redding: 4 hours and 30 minutes away
- Los Angeles: 9 hours and 20 minutes away
There you have it—our favorite things to do in Mendocino, California after spending a whole week exploring its rocky headlands, fairytale forests, and quaint streets. Do you have any questions about what to do in this costal gem? Let us know in the comments below!
