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Mendocino Headlands State Park, Mendocino, CA

Photo: W Nowicki, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

Mendocino Headlands State Park

Coastal bluffs, trails, and beaches wrapped around the village of Mendocino, with a historic visitor center.

735 Main Street, Mendocino, CA 95460 (Historic Ford House visitor center) · Mendocino, CA

About Mendocino Headlands State Park

This state park encircles the village of Mendocino on three sides. Its blufftop trails offer views of sea arches and hidden grottos, and its beaches draw walkers, surfers, and anglers. The Historic Ford House on Main Street serves as the visitor center, with exhibits on local lumber history and a scale model of the town in 1890. A separate unit, Big River Beach on the east side of Highway 1, is a wildlife corridor used for paddling and riding. The park is day use only, with no camping.

  • #coastline
  • #hiking trails
  • #beach
  • #historic house
  • #visitor center

What's around here?

The closest stops to Mendocino Headlands State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Russian Gulch State Park

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    Coastal park near Mendocino with a redwood canyon, a 36-foot waterfall, and sea headlands.

    2.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Van Damme State Park

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    A Mendocino Coast state park with a beach, a fern-lined canyon trail system, and a pygmy forest of dwarfed cypress and pine.

    2.7 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing

    Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park

    Check prices

    A coastal state historic park on a Pacific headland, centered on a restored lighthouse and three original lightkeepers' houses.

    3.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Caspar Headlands State Beach

    Check prices

    Largely undeveloped ocean beach on the Mendocino coast, popular for spotting whales and for fishing.

    4.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Mendocino Woodlands State Park

    Check prices

    A forested group camp and environmental center in the redwoods northeast of Mendocino, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

    5.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Tours
    Iconic

    Skunk Train

    $50+

    Historic excursion railroad running through redwood forest and along the Noyo River canyon from Fort Bragg.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    9.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

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