With its historic, New England style buildings set on a headland splayed out into the Pacific, Mendocino is one of the California coast’s most picturesque villages. Its historic saltbox cottages surrounded by blossoming plants house B&Bs, fine dining establishments, and shops, while its unique water towers, which were used to hold water brought up from an aquifer under the village, give this Northern California community an even more distinct look.
The founding of Mendocino can be traced back to an 1850 shipwreck involving the Frolic, a clipper ship that used to transport opium. The vessel slammed onto a reef just north of the current-day town prompting a group of men to head north from San Francisco in an attempt to salvage the Frolic’s valuables. Instead of locating its treasure, which apparently included among other things silks and over 6,000 bottles of ale, the search party found a pristine redwood forest and was prompted to construct a sawmill and logging town on the area’s ocean bluffs.
Artists moved to the area in the late 1950s as a result of the formation of the Mendocino Art Center. Hippies discovered the area in the 1970s, and from 1984 to 1996, it starred in the CBS mystery series Murder She Wrote as the fictional Cabot Cove, Maine.
1. Get an Overview of Mendocino
Photo by Stuart Thornton
Why does Mendocino look different from other coastal California cities? What’s up with that creepy statue perched atop the town’s bank? Get the answers to these questions and more at the Kelley House Museum and the Ford House Museum. The Kelley House is a yellow Victorian perched on an acre of land that is home to a research facility and a museum (only open Friday through Monday). While visitors can learn about the Frolic shipwreck and the region’s Native Americans inside, we recommend that newcomers to Mendocino take the two hour guided walking tours that begin at the museum on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. Just a block away, the Ford House serves as the visitor center for Mendocino Headlands State Park and has a diorama of the town in 1890 along with information about the area’s logging industry.
2. Hit the Water
Photo by Stuart Thornton
There are many paddling possibilities around Mendocino. The adventurous can head two and a half miles south to Van Damme State Park, where the headlands offshore are riddled with sea caves and short tunnels. Kayak Mendocino has a bus parked on the beach that rents out sit-on-top ocean kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. They also lead popular hour and a half sea cave tours. For a gentler paddle up the Big River estuary, rent a canoe, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, or redwood outrigger from Catch a Canoe. The Big River Estuary is a tidal river where you’ll be able to spot a mix of river animals, like river otters and beavers, and marine mammals like harbor seals. Just remember to save some energy for the paddle back because you’ll be paddling against the wind on your return journey.
3. Hike to the Fern Creek Waterfall
A favorite hike for locals and visitors is the 6.5-mile round-trip walk to the Fern Canyon Waterfall in Russian Gulch State Park. The coastline of the park is known for its giant sinkhole, but head inland along Russian Gulch Creek for a pleasant, redwood shaded hike to the 36-foot high falls. The waterfall is pretty in an unassuming way with two strands of water draped down over a dark rock face, while ferns frame the whole scene.
