Just Dune It!

Camping at Manchester State Park in Mendocino

Coastal wildflowers are still going strong at Manchester State Park in Mendocino County, where dune-top hiking trails colored in baby blue eyes and purple lupine dance across the nearly 5 miles of undulating sands. Go on a coastal hike and spend the night camping just down the road. First-come, first-served Manchester State Beach Campground has 41 sites nestled in grassland, making a perfect seaside launch pad for traversing the wildflower-speckled paths paralleling the sea. Distant farmland and flocks of sheep lend pastoral charm as views sweep south to Point Arena. Take the Davis Wetlands Trail north from the campground for a 5-mile (round-trip) coastal hike to the beach’s northern boundary at Alder Creek.

The path meanders through dunes and fields past Davis Lake Pond before monumental piles of shipwrecked driftwood mark the spot. Unleash your furry friend (dogs may roam free!), scan for steelhead lurking below, and wave goodbye to the northernmost section of the San Andreas Fault as it crosses from land into the sea.

manchestercamp4-image-jpeg

BONUS: A 6-mile drive takes you to Point Arena Lighthouse and its 145 spiraling steps that lead up to beautiful panoramic ocean vistas.

Manchester State Park Campground is on the Mendocino County coast, 6 miles north of Point Arena on Hwy. 1. It is open Friday through Sunday only on a first-come, first-served basis. No reservations. Camping $25/night; no day-use fee. Day parking located past the campground at the end of Kinney Rd. Dogs allowed on leash, and they can roam free at Alder Creek. Davis Wetlands Trail extends 2.5 miles north from the campground to Alder Creek.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View