Jenner
Goat Rock Beach
Sandy beach at the Russian River mouth, with a resident colony of harbor seals hauled out on the sand.
Visit website →Beaches & Coastline
Jenner
Blind Beach
Secluded cove at the end of a short trail, with dramatic rock formations and a small cliffside waterfall.
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The Sea Ranch
Shell Beach
Prime tidepooling and beachcombing along The Sea Ranch's coastal trail system.
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Fort Ross
Salt Point State Park
Miles of rugged sandstone coastline with tidepools, including Gerstle Cove, Fisk Mill Cove, and Stump Beach.
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Fort Ross
Stillwater Cove Regional Park
A small crescent beach and cove with a redwood-canyon campground and bluff-top trails.
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Fort Ross
Ocean Cove
Popular cove for beach camping, diving, and abalone season along Highway 1.
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Mendocino
Mendocino Headlands State Park
Bluff-top trails wrapping the entire town, with sea arches, blowholes, and tidepools right off Main Street.
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Fort Bragg
MacKerricher State Park & Glass Beach
Dunes, tidepools, a haul-out point for harbor seals, and the sea-glass-strewn shoreline of Glass Beach.
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Elk
Greenwood State Beach
A small beach below dramatic sea stacks, with a visitor center on the history of the old lumber-shipping town.
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Fort Ross
Stump Beach Cove
A sandy cove within Salt Point State Park, reached by a quarter-mile trail down from a Highway 1 parking area. Tide pools, a small sea cave, and kelp beds at low tide.
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Little River
Van Damme State Park
Sheltered cove beach popular with kayakers and divers, plus a fern-filled canyon with miles of hiking trails and a rare Pygmy Forest.
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Westport
Westport-Union Landing State Beach
Over three miles of rugged, bluff-top coastline with 86 campsites across three campgrounds.
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Manchester
Manchester State Park
5,272 acres of coastal wilderness with nearly 18,000 feet of ocean frontage — dunes, driftwood-strewn beach, and gray whale sightings Dec–April.
Trails & Redwoods
Jenner
Kortum Trail
Easy, cliffside 4.5-mile round trip between Wright's Beach and Blind Beach, with near-constant ocean views.
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Jenner
Pomo Canyon Trail
A 7-mile out-and-back following an ancient Pomo trading route through redwoods, oak woodland, and coastal prairie.
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Jenner
Jenner Headlands Preserve
5,630 acres of redwood and Douglas fir forest and coastal prairie above the Pacific.
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Garberville
Founders Grove, Avenue of the Giants
An easy loop trail through old-growth redwoods, including the fallen Dyerville Giant, off the famous 31-mile scenic drive.
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Scotia
Scotia Community Forest
22.5-acre riparian forest nature walk along the Eel River.
Wildlife & Whale Watching
Point Arena
Point Arena Lighthouse
Daily tower tours, plus periodic Full Moon Night Tours. One of the best whale-watching spots on the North Coast.
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Jenner
Goat Rock Seal Colony
Harbor seals haul out year-round at the river mouth — keep your distance, especially during spring pupping season.
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Mendocino
Point Cabrillo Light Station
A restored 1909 lighthouse on a headland preserve, with a small museum and good whale-watching in season.
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Eureka
Sequoia Park Zoo
California's oldest zoo, set inside a 60-acre old-growth redwood grove, with an aerial redwood-canopy walk.
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Scotia
Scotia Fisheries Exhibit
Free self-guided tours of an indoor/outdoor fish rearing facility run by Humboldt Redwood Company — Chinook salmon and steelhead trout. Weekdays, 8am–3:30pm.
Wine & Food
Fort Ross
Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery
The only tasting room in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, a mile from the ocean. Open daily, 10am–4:30pm.
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Stewarts Point
Annapolis Winery
Family-owned since 1978, producing small-batch Sonoma Coast Cabernet Sauvignon.
Visit website →Local Culture
Gualala
Gualala Arts Center
Nonprofit arts organization since 1961, with rotating exhibits, workshops, and the annual Art in the Redwoods Festival.
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Fort Ross
Fort Ross State Historic Park
Restored 19th-century Russian fur-trading settlement with coastal bluff trails.
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Fort Bragg
Skunk Train
Historic excursion railroad running into the redwoods since 1885, departing from the Fort Bragg depot.
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Eureka
Old Town Eureka
Blocks of restored Victorian architecture, galleries, and shops along Humboldt Bay's waterfront.
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Leggett
Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree Park
A giant redwood you can actually drive a car through, plus mini-golf and a petting zoo.
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Leggett
Confusion Hill
Roadside attraction since 1949 with a gravity house, train ride, and mini-golf.