To See and Do
With the house as the base, there are many things to see and do in the area. Here are just a few.
(Lavender-colored names are links to websites.)
TO THE NORTH
Less than a quarter mile away, where the Noyo River meets the sea, is Noyo Harbor, the home of Fort Bragg’s fishing fleet and a number of excellent restaurants. You can rent a kayak here for a gentle paddle up the quiet river.
Just beyond the harbor is the town of Fort Bragg. The huge swath of empty land between the town and the ocean was once the site of a large lumber mill. It awaits development, but, starting at the Noyo River,the Fort Bragg Coastal Trail runs along the top of the bluffs all the way to the famous Glass Beach on the north of town.
If you are into marine biology, don’t miss the Noyo Center For Marine Science on Main Street.
Fort Bragg is the home of The Skunk Train, the historic rail line that once ran over the coastal mountains to the town of Willits. The line now runs only a few miles out of town, but train excursions run regularly on it. There are also rail bike adventures.
If you are a model train buff, don’t miss the Mendocino Coast Model Railroad and Historical Society, which is located in the Skunk Train rail yard.
North of Fort Bragg (and Glass Beach) the Coastal Trail runs all the way to MacKerricher State Park. This bike and walking trail was originally the Ten Mile Logging Road, so named because it ran to Ten Mile River, which was, you guessed it, ten miles from Fort Bragg.
TO THE SOUTH
Just a quarter mile down Hwy 1 to the south are the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. Four miles of trails run though 47 acres from the highway to the sea.
Further down the highway just beyond the town of Caspar, turn right on Point Cabrillo Drive to get to the historic Point Cabrillo Light House. It is a lovely walk from the parking lot down a paved road to the lighthouse.
A mile or so beyond the Light House is Russian Gulch State Park, where there’s a beautiful cove, several blowholes and a trail that takes you inland through redwoods to a waterfall.
Just past Russian Gulch are the Mendocino Headlands, where you can walk along the bluffs and look out to sea at passing pods of gray whales (in December and March). The headlands give way to …
… the town of Mendocino, famous as the location for countless films and television series, the best known arguably being “Murder She Wrote.” Mendocino is designed for strolling amongst restaurants, museums, galleries and shops.
Mendocino sits at the mouth of the Big River, a 41-mile-long stream that winds inland. You can walk for miles along the old logging road that parallels it, or rent a kayak or canoe and paddle up it.
