California's Coastal Park Is A Breathtaking Escape With Glass Beaches And Whale Watching

If your ideal coastal trip involves shores of sea-tumbled glass and watching gray whales from a bluff, you might want to point your itinerary toward MacKerricher State Park. This protected area extends for almost 10 miles along the Northern California coast, just north of the town of Fort Bragg. You'll find a shoreline that has rocky parts with coves in the lower sections, while other areas have longer beaches. The land was originally a coastal ranch belonging to Duncan MacKerricher before the state of California acquired the property in 1949. The goal was to preserve its natural character and open the land for public recreation.

A large part of the park's upper portion is the Inglenook Fen-Ten Mile Dunes Natural Preserve. This area protects a rare coastal dune and wetland that changes with the seasons. You'll probably recognize the park's most well-known feature, Glass Beach, which is found in the park's lower section. This specific area was an actual dump for many decades, a practice that (thankfully) ended in 1967. The site was formally added to the state park later in 2002.

You can also watch the annual gray whale migration directly from the park's bluffs. Visitors to the park often gather here to see these marine mammals during their long journey. Before landing in the MacKerricher State Park, you'll likely set up your stay in Fort Bragg, about 3 miles from the park. If you're flying in, your closest regional choice is about a 2-hour drive from the Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport (STS). Larger major airports include Sacramento International Airport (SMF) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), but both can be a longer drive, between 3.5 to 4.5 hours. Keep in mind that California is one of America's western tourist states with the highest gas prices.

A visit to MacKerricher State Park is incomplete without a tour of its breathtaking natural areas. You can start at Glass Beach on the park's southern edge. This was a public dump from the early to mid-1900s, which doesn't necessarily make it one of California's cleaner beaches; however, decades of wave action smoothed the broken glass into colorful sea glass that used to cover the shore. You may see remnants of this glass, but you should know that collecting it is now not allowed, as visitors have removed quite a bit over the years, which has affected the amount on the shores.

You can go for a hike on the main path in the park, a nearly 5-mile trek called the Haul Road Coastal Trail. It follows the flattened area of an old logging road along the coast and connects the Glass Beach area to the northern end of the park, where the Inglenook Fen-Ten Mile Dunes Natural Preserve is located. You'll pass by coastal overlooks and points where you can get down to the beach.

If the longer, 5-mile trail isn't for you, take the Laguna Point Boardwalk, which is less than a mile and is accessible via a wooden walkway. It leads to overlooks and gives you a way to see the tide pools below. Another main spot is Lake Cleone, a 30-acre freshwater lake near the park. There's a decent-sized trail (about 1.3 miles) that circles the lake, passing through a coastal forest. The lake is stocked with fish and is open for freshwater fishing. If you want to go on the water, you can use kayaks or canoes, or simply go swimming (no motorized boats are allowed).

Notably, the park is also an official site on The Whale Trail, which is a network of spots for seeing marine mammals from the shore. Your main viewing area in the park is the boardwalk at Laguna Point. This is a prime spot to see the Eastern Pacific gray whale migration. The southbound trip to calving lagoons happens from mid-December to early April, and you can see the return migration from March to May. Since California is known to be one of the best US destinations to see migrating whales, you might also spot humpback and blue whales during the summer and early fall.

The rocks off Laguna Point are a year-round haul-out site for a colony of harbor seals (so you'll likely see them chilling nearby, too). If you want an excursion on the water, there are a handful of companies in the Fort Bragg area that run whale watching tours, like Telstar Charters, All Aboard Adventures, and The Kraken.

When you're planning your stay, you'll find the area has a few places for dining and overnight stays. The Surf & Sand Lodge is right next to the park's coastal trail, and the Beachcomber Motel is close to Glass Beach. Your other choices are places like the Harbor Lite Lodge (it overlooks Noyo Harbor) and the North Cliff Hotel. When you get hungry after a day out and about, Noyo Harbor has some seafood restaurants, like The Wharf and Sea Pal Cove. In the main part of town, North Coast Brewing Company has a taproom, and you can get coffee and pastries at Headlands Coffeehouse. For breakfast, Egghead's Restaurant and Home Style Cafe are two popular diners to round out your trip to the MacKerricher State Park area.