Not every highway pullout is worth a stop, but I think every one of them on the Mendocino Coast just might be worthy of visiting. And the latest proof is one just south of the town of Mendocino that I recently discovered connects to a lovely path along the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean.
I had never stopped at that bumpy stretch of dirt until last month, because I never knew its secret until I found a book at a library sale called “Must-do hikes for everyone on Northern California’s Redwood Coast,” written by Mike White. And when I scanned the 12 hikes listed for Mendocino County, I found two I hadn’t heard of before, so I happily paid $2 to take this treasure home and study the list more carefully.
One name I didn’t recognize at all was fourth on the list, “Chapman Point and Spring Ranch Headlands,” which is the trail mentioned above that you can walk after finding the dirt pullout at mile marker 48.94 along Highway 1, just south of the driveway leading up to the Mendocino Grove “glamping” site.
My first clue that I found the proper pullout was that there were two other cars (nice, not junker) parked there, including one that people with backpacks and walking sticks just emerged from, in yet another example of the fact that no matter how remote, hidden or “unknown” a trail is, you can be assured that if it is worth walking on, there will always be another car parked near the trailhead.
So I followed the path to the bluffs over the ocean, and while I did not do the entire length of the trail, I’m not sure it offered anything more in terms of views and beauty than the bluff walks at the Stornetta Public Lands or the nearby Mendocino Headlands, yet it did offer great views with fewer people than those other trails. But also no bathrooms.
A lovely "secret" cove in Mendocino Headlands State Park. (Justine Frederiksen -- Ukiah Daily Journal)Which brings me to another “must-do” hike in the book, the Mendocino Headlands. I was well aware of these trails and have walked them several times, but until finding this book I had always stuck to the paths near downtown Mendocino, never venturing to the beginning of the trails to the north.
And I’m so glad I tried those other paths, because there I found one of the loveliest coves on the Mendocino Coast, conveniently “hidden” behind a public bathroom. Before finding this cove I thought the bathroom (wait, is it technically a bathroom if there’s only a pit toilet?) at the top of Greenwood State Beach had the prettiest view of an ocean cove, but these facilities definitely top the list, as they have both running water and a sink.
The second trail listed in White’s book that I had never heard of was called the “Forest History Trail” in the Jackson Demonstration Forest, which he describes as a walk through a second-growth redwood forest that is best enjoyed with a copy of something called the “Forest History Guide,” which he said was available at the Cal Fire office in Fort Bragg.
Unfortunately, White’s book was printed in 2014, because when I visited the office on North Main Street in May of 2025, the helpful woman behind the counter said that copies of the guide were no longer available, and more would not be printed. (Request to readers: If anyone has a copy of this guide they are willing to let me borrow, I would very much appreciate it.)
Of course, ultimately, you don’t need advice from a book, a website or even me to enjoy the Mendocino Coast: Just drive Highway 1 until you find somewhere safe to pull over, then get out and look around. I can almost guarantee you that you’ll find something worth looking at, and exploring further – if appropriate and legal, of course!
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