Call Mendocino waterfall gorgeous
On the state-park map and the trail signs, it is called “waterfall,” the way you might name your pet pooch “Dog.”
It turns out that this gorgeous waterfall, which doesn’t even have a name, can be a hidden prize for a trip to the worldrenowned Mendocino Coast at Russian Gulch State Park.
We named it Russian Gulch Falls, a 35-foot waterfall, split into two streams that widen and cascade in white water across a wide, black rock face. In the background of this lush ravine, the sound of rushing water is like nature’s symphony.
Towering slopes are filled with redwoods with a lavish array of flora on the forest floor that include expanses of ferns. We sighted even trillium in bloom this week, a once-a-year event that marks the start of spring in the coastal redwood forests.
Russian Gulch State Park is one of a series of parks and reserves on the Mendocino Coast, just north of the town of Mendocino.
South of Fort Bragg, you can get access to Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens (and cliff-top headlands), Caspar Headlands State Beach, Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park, Russian Gulch, Keesbury Bay, Mendocino Headlands, Big River Lagoon, Mendocino Bay, Van Damme State Park, Pygmy Forest, and many secluded coves, beaches and headlands available off spurs from Highway 1.
Lodging, campgrounds
The Mendocino Coast is best known for its inns and B&Bs with world-class ocean views and great restaurants. They include Heritage House (where “Same Time Next Year” was filmed), Little River Inn, Albion River Inn and several others. The Inn at Schoolhouse Creek has become a top breakfast spot.
Everybody has their favorite spots. Those who love the area often return and stay at a different place each visit.
Some want views, others seclusion. The shoulder seasons in spring and fall are the best time to pick and choose. A check this week showed lodging availability for this weekend at more than 15 properties. It’s like this through spring.
State-park campgrounds with drive-in sites that are open are MacKerricher (West Pine Loop) and Westport (primitive sites, no showers) north of Fort Bragg, and Van Damme State Park (first-come, first-served right now) south of Fort Bragg. The campground at Russian Gulch is scheduled to open March 23.
Russian Gulch, Headlands
The entrance to Russian Gulch State Park is 7 miles south of Fort Bragg, 2 miles north of Mendocino. On each side of Highway 1, the park consists of two different realms.
On the west side, the Headlands Trail leads to the Devil’s Punchbowl. This is a giant sinkhole in the rock at the Headlands. During periods with strong ocean surge, the sea will surge through a tunnel and into the Punchbowl.
It’s an easy walk, with gorgeous views across Keesbury Bay and, as you near the Headlands, out to sea. The cliffs at the Headlands is one of the best places to see the puff-of-smoke spouts of passing gray whales from now through early summer.
The beach at the head of Russian Gulch is a good spot to launch kayaks. The Headlands along the north side of the cove often shields kayakers from prevailing winds out of the northwest. Russian Gulch Falls
On the east side of Highway 1, Russian Gulch is a high canyon that extends into deep forest. When you drive in, the route takes you past an entry kiosk, then under the arched Highway 1 Bridge (one lane, drive with caution) and then to the floor of the canyon.
The road ends now at a gate for the campground, adjacent to the Rec Hall, where you park. When the campground opens (March 23), you can drive another 0.4 of a mile and park adjacent to a restroom, where there is another gate and trailhead. Until the campgrounds opens, that adds 0.4 of a mile to the trip each way. We measured the hike at 5.9 miles from my parked truck and back.
The first 2 miles are nearly flat, with a few short rises and descents. Years ago, this trail was paved for bikes, but erosion has made it a patchwork surface with some muddy spots. The canyon walls rise high, and the farther you go, the bigger the redwoods get, and the more dense the stands.
Spring has arrived early here, with fresh growth from bracken ferns and blooming milkweed, Forget-Me-Nots, rhododendrons and many other wildflowers imminent. Expanses of sword ferns, mixed with sorrel and wild blackberries, often fill the slopes.
At 2.3 miles, there is a fork for the Waterfall Loop Trail. Turn left for a gentle climb over 0.7 of a mile to reach the waterfall.
You pass many “octopus trees” — trees that have sprouted from the stumps of oldgrowth redwoods (cut down more than 100 years ago), and then sent roots over the tops and down the sides to create the octopus effect.
Descend a short distance and you get a view of the basin below and a full frontal of the cascade. On the left, there is a bench set near a massive exposed root. The trail leads down to a bridge for another view, and continues beyond to complete the loop.
For those who know Mendocino, it’s the sunsets, walks with seascapes, and private coves and beaches that call to so many.
But here at Hidden Gulch, you can hike to the waterfall without a name. It can end up as the prize of them all. Tom Stienstra is the outdoors writer for The San Francisco Chronicle. His Outdoor Report can be heard at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 12:35 p.m. Saturdays on KCBS (740 and 106.9). Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteinstraTom