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. Taking the Stage: Tyler Ranch

    Hike the recently opened Tyler Ranch Staging Area in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, with 18 miles of new trails. This 6.5-mile loop up Sunol Peak is a challenge and rewards with exceptional views of seasonal iridescent hills.

    View
  2. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike (and Manly Lake Vista!) at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. On clear days you get views of both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous U.S. 

    View
  3. Swing into Spring

    Swing into this 7.1-mile hike in the hills of Half Moon Bay! It’s got gorgeous views, fields of spring wildflowers, and a hidden rustic tree swing.

    View
  4. The Carson Show

    Carson Falls is ready for primetime. This three-tiered, 100-foot stunner is hidden back in a canyon outside of Fairfax and reached on a 3.25-mile (round-trip) hike.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Lava Lava

    Once a land of volcanic activity, Mojave National Preserve shares plenty about its past via a quick yet adventurous hike to the Lava Tube in the Cima Dome Volcanic Field.

    View
  2. Kelso Dunes

    The hike to the top of Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve is only 3 miles (out and back), but you’ll feel like you’ve hiked much farther by the time you’re done.

    View
  3. William Kenyon Overlook

    Some of the best vistas of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are easily accessible via a short and sweet 1.25-mile (round-trip) hike just off the CA-78. Enter your next favorite desert viewpoint: the William Kenyon Overlook.

    View
  4. Beaudry Bountiful

    There are no cars allowed on Beaudry Loop, but this 6-mile hike takes you on a wild ride. You’ll be climbing 1,500 feet up the southern Verdugos along a chaparral-lined trail with gorgeous mountain and urban vistas every step of the way.

    View