The Mendocino Wilderness is a rugged and remote expanse of forested mountains and pristine rivers in Northern California.
Located in Fort Bragg, Glass Beach is a unique stretch of shoreline covered in colorful sea glass. The glass pieces are remnants of old trash that was dumped in the area decades ago and has since been smoothed and polished by the ocean waves. Visitors can walk along the beach and collect the glass as a souvenir.
Spread across 47 acres, the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens showcase a diverse collection of plants, including rhododendrons, dahlias, and succulents. Visitors can explore the various themed gardens, including a vegetable garden and a heather garden, as well as enjoy stunning ocean views.
Named after the Russian fur traders who once frequented the area, Russian Gulch State Park offers a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, picnicking, and camping. The park features a picturesque waterfall, a rocky coastline, and a unique blowhole that sprays water into the air.
Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Mendocino Headlands State Park offers breathtaking views of the rugged coastline. Visitors can explore the park's network of trails, visit the historic Ford House Museum, and observe whales and seabirds from the cliffs.
Located north of Mendocino, the Point Cabrillo Light Station is a historic lighthouse that has been operating since 1909. Visitors can tour the lighthouse and keeper's quarters, learn about the area's maritime history, and spot whales and sea lions from the observation deck.
Description: In the Red Mountain Area of the South Fork Eel River Wilderness a hardy cast of botanical characters have become masters of survival - adapted to both wildfire and life on nutrient poor, weathered and red, serpentine soils. Following fire, native bulbs awake, recover and thrive following smoke cues, a flush of fertility and an increase to available light. Beargrass is a white flowering lily and a culturally important native plant whose leaves are used in Native American basketry. The photo, taken in 2010, shows beargrass in a dazzling response following the 2008 Red Mountain fire. Four years following the Red Mountain fire, wavy leaf paintbrush brilliantly contrasts with the fire brands of white leaf manazanita stems. By Jennifer Wheeler, BLM Arcata Field Office Learn more: www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/wilderness/south_fork_eel_...
Image by Bureau of Land Management – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: In the Red Mountain Area of the South Fork Eel River Wilderness a hardy cast of botanical characters have become masters of survival - adapted to both wildfire and life on nutrient poor, weathered and red, serpentine soils. Following fire, native bulbs awake, recover and thrive following smoke cues, a flush of fertility and an increase to available light. Beargrass is a white flowering lily and a culturally important native plant whose leaves are used in Native American basketry. The photo, taken in 2010, shows beargrass in a dazzling response following the 2008 Red Mountain fire. Four years following the Red Mountain fire, wavy leaf paintbrush brilliantly contrasts with the fire brands of white leaf manazanita stems. By Jennifer Wheeler, BLM Arcata Field Office Learn more: www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/wilderness/south_fork_eel_...
Image by Bureau of Land Management – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: A spectacular meeting of land and sea is certainly the dominant feature of King Range National Conservation Area (NCA) in California. Mountains seem to thrust straight out of the surf; a precipitous rise rarely surpassed on the continental U.S. coastline. King Peak, the highest point at 4,088 feet, is only three miles from the ocean. The King Range NCA covers 68,000 acres and extends along 35 miles of coastline between the mouth of the Mattole River and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. Here the landscape was too rugged for highway building, forcing State Highway 1 and U.S. 101 inland. The remote region is known as California's Lost Coast, and is only accessed by a few back roads. The recreation opportunities here are as diverse as the landscape. The Douglas-fir peaks attract hikers, hunters, campers and mushroom collectors, while the coast beckons to surfers, anglers, beachcombers, and abalone divers to name a few. www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/californ... Photo by Jesse Pluim, BLM ALT: A wave swirls around a tide pool under a light house in the background.
Image by blmcalifornia – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Map of Mendocino National Forest, showing major lakes and rivers, wilderness areas, and public access routes.
Image by USDA Forest Service – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Summit Springs Trail, November 2003, in the Snow Mountain Wilderness Area, Mendocino National Forest, California. Photo courtesy of USFS.
Image by Anna Fiorella, United States Forest Service – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Snow Mountain East, in the Snow Mountain Wilderness Area, Mendocino National Forest, California, overlooking the Upper Eel River basin. Artificial lake shown with land clearing in the basin blocks the Eel River and may be removed to restore river flow (eelriver.org). Photo courtesy of USFS.
Image by Anna Fiorella, United States Forest Service – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: East Snow Mountain Loop Trail, November 2003, in the Snow Mountain Wilderness Area, Mendocino National Forest, California.
Image by Anna Fiorella, United States Forest Service – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Pack train hauling supplies to trail maintenance crew on the West Crockett Trail, August 2010, in the Snow Mountain Wilderness Area, Mendocino National Forest, California. Photo courtesy of USFS.
Image by Larry Cregger, United States Forest Service – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Durante mucho tiempo, el pilar de la economía del condado de Mendocino, California, ha sido el cannabis ("weed"). El letrero oficial en la entrada sur de la comarca no ha reflejado este hecho indiscutible... hasta ahora. Un intento anterior de colocar "weed" en el letrero fue rechazado derrotado por los vigilantes del condado. Esta es una solución digital.
Image by Bob Dass – CC BY 2.0 – Wikimedia