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canyonwalkerNorth Coast Roadtrip travelog #9
Fort Bragg · Sun, 27 Jul 2025, 4:30pm
We wrapped up our morning on the Lost Coast a bit before noon, drove inland to Highway 101, then south, then dodged back out to the coast along Route 1 to Fort Bragg. Just north of town is a spot we always enjoy hiking, MacKerricher State Park.
There's a beach here, which attracts the attention of, I'd say, most of the park's visitors. But when the typical summer weather is somewhere in the 60s and kind of cloudy, there are better things to do than sit in the sand and be cold. We always like walking the trail out to the bluffs. It starts with this boardwalk (pic above) into a forbidding looking forest of sea-swept trees. Just like you can't judge a book by its cover, though, you can't judge a trail by its first 150 meters. The trail cuts through the stand of trees to open bluffs not far above the ocean.
Out here the boardwalk loops around and doubles back. It's not clear if it's an official trail anymore, but it's still marked on the maps... so we jumped off the boardwalk and onto well-worn footpaths along the edge of the bluffs.
The clouds in the sky made today not my favorite visit to MacKerricher State Park. Oddly it's sunny over in Fort Bragg, a mile inland from this craggy point, but out here it's overcast. The weird and interesting thing, though, is how colorful the plants clinging to the cliffs are in this light. Known as ice plants or sea fig, they're invasive to the California coast but— for better or worse— grow really well here. At least they're pretty to look at with their bright colors. 🙄
As we walked along the bluffs we had the area mostly to ourselves. Out her we passed on family and one solo hiker. That's way better than near the parking lot, which was full of people whose loud conversations were all about (a) which caliber of ammunition is best for their guns, (b) driving illegal and loud go-karts around the parking lot, and (c) having to take a shit. Yeah, we're always happy to leave the parking lot behind. Sometimes all it takes is that first 150 meters to get far from the madding crowd.
After a while of walking the bluffs we took a shortcut back through that stand of trees to an old rail trail. The rails have long since been removed, but the old rail bed runs arrow-straight through the area. It took us back to the edge of the parking lot, where we crossed back down to our parked car and packed up to drive into town.
Fort Bragg · Sun, 27 Jul 2025, 4:30pm
We wrapped up our morning on the Lost Coast a bit before noon, drove inland to Highway 101, then south, then dodged back out to the coast along Route 1 to Fort Bragg. Just north of town is a spot we always enjoy hiking, MacKerricher State Park.
There's a beach here, which attracts the attention of, I'd say, most of the park's visitors. But when the typical summer weather is somewhere in the 60s and kind of cloudy, there are better things to do than sit in the sand and be cold. We always like walking the trail out to the bluffs. It starts with this boardwalk (pic above) into a forbidding looking forest of sea-swept trees. Just like you can't judge a book by its cover, though, you can't judge a trail by its first 150 meters. The trail cuts through the stand of trees to open bluffs not far above the ocean.
Out here the boardwalk loops around and doubles back. It's not clear if it's an official trail anymore, but it's still marked on the maps... so we jumped off the boardwalk and onto well-worn footpaths along the edge of the bluffs.
The clouds in the sky made today not my favorite visit to MacKerricher State Park. Oddly it's sunny over in Fort Bragg, a mile inland from this craggy point, but out here it's overcast. The weird and interesting thing, though, is how colorful the plants clinging to the cliffs are in this light. Known as ice plants or sea fig, they're invasive to the California coast but— for better or worse— grow really well here. At least they're pretty to look at with their bright colors. 🙄
As we walked along the bluffs we had the area mostly to ourselves. Out her we passed on family and one solo hiker. That's way better than near the parking lot, which was full of people whose loud conversations were all about (a) which caliber of ammunition is best for their guns, (b) driving illegal and loud go-karts around the parking lot, and (c) having to take a shit. Yeah, we're always happy to leave the parking lot behind. Sometimes all it takes is that first 150 meters to get far from the madding crowd.
After a while of walking the bluffs we took a shortcut back through that stand of trees to an old rail trail. The rails have long since been removed, but the old rail bed runs arrow-straight through the area. It took us back to the edge of the parking lot, where we crossed back down to our parked car and packed up to drive into town.
