Exploring the Mendocino area on the California Coast

By Toby Neal – Staff writer with IPA Magazine Travel, Award Winning Author

Choosing a favorite California state park is like being at a buffet and trying to pick the best dish—every time you try to decide, your go-to is staring at you like, ‘I thought we had something special.’“

 Van Damme State Park is one of my favorites, and its three miles from Mendocino, a gorgeous village in which to shop, dine, and browse.  Glass Beach in Fort Bragg is also nearby, and that is one of my favorite places on the planet since I am a sea glass aficionado.

(my photo, Not supposed to take the seaglass sand but it’s sure fun to look at!)

Van Damme State Park sits directly on Highway 1 outside of Mendocino. It’s well-maintained and has plenty of room for either tent camping or RVs. Reservations are recommended because it’s popular and there are only a few first-come, first-serve sites. Check out the website: Van Damme State Park.

We like to stay in the lower RV parking area (there’s more room on the bluff above the cove) so we can walk easily and cross Highway One on foot, arriving at the little half moon of beach that is part of the park.

My husband Mike likes to fish off the rocks, and there are plenty of cod and other tasty treats to be caught in the area. (California Licenses required, FYI.) Once, we saw gray whales come right into that small bay, and it’s a terrific spot for sunsets and kayaking.

The beach aside, Van Damme State Park is a lush bit of coastal rainforest, and at the back of the campground area, I recommend a favorite hike of 4.5 miles called Fern Canyon. You can also take a mountain bike on this wide trail that winds through the bottom of the canyon rimmed by ferns, alongside a gorgeous little stream filled with salamanders, frogs, and baby trout fry. 

If you continue all the way to the end, the hike winds up out of the canyon and into the Pygmy Forest; this grove of ancient conifer trees stunted by nutrient-free soil is not as fascinating or eye-catching as the name led me to imagine (a forest of bonsai trees!), but the grove of pygmy trees is unique. The trees are over a hundred years old, and a peaceful walk among them on a raised platform that’s wheelchair accessible is easy and worth doing at least once, if just to scratch your head over the weird ways of nature.

With all the nearby interests, you could easily spend four or five days at Van Damme State Park or at an inn in Mendocino doing one major activity per day, plus wandering in Fern Canyon or along the bluffs. 

Highly recommend this bucket list area for a romantic or personal retreat. 

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