Information
Camping: State park campgrounds available at MacKerricher, Russian Gulch, Van Damme. Reserve campsites at https://reservecalifornia.com. Outside of immediate region, campsites are available at Navarro River Redwoods State Beach, firstcome, first-served, www.parks.ca.gov.
State Park contacts: Russian Gulch, Van Damme and Mendocino Headlands state parks, all at 707937-5804, www.parks.ca.gov; MacKerricher State Park, 707-964-9112; MacKerricher Visitor Center, 707-964-8898; Mendocino State Park District, 707-961-0471; www.parks.ca.gov; Mendocino Area Parks Association, 707-937-4700, http://mendoparks.org.
HOW TO GET THERE
From San Francisco to Mendocino Coast: From the Golden Gate Bridge, take Highway 101 north for 83 miles (past Cloverdale) and to Exit 522 for Highway 128. Take that exit 0.2 of a mile, turn left on Highway 128, drive 0.8 of a mile, then turn right (well signed, still Highway 128) and drive 55 miles to Highway 1 (along Navarro River).
From Highway 1 to parks
Van Damme State Park: From junction of Highway 128 and Highway 1, turn right on Highway 1 and drive 7.3 miles to park entrance on right.
Van Damme Beach: Parking, kayak rentals and beachfront access are available on left, directly across road from signed access for Van Damme State Park.
Big River Beach/Mendocino Bay/ Big River
Lagoon: From junction of Highway 128 and Highway 1, turn right on Highway 1 and drive 10 miles (just across Big River Bridge) to Big River Road on right. Turn right and drive 0.1 of a mile to fork. At fork, right leads short distance to beach and kayak access to lower Big River and Mendocino Bay; left leads short distance to parking for kayak access to Big River Lagoon.
Mendocino Headlands: From junction of Highway 128 and Highway 1, turn right on Highway 1 and drive 10 miles to Big River Bridge and then continue 0.3 of a mile to Main Street (first Mendocino exit on left). Turn left and drive 0.6 of a mile to parking on shoulder of road and trailhead on left.
Russian Gulch State Park: From junction of Highway 128 and Highway 1, turn right on Highway 1 and drive 12.1 miles to signed park entrance road on left.
MacKerricher/fastest route: From Golden Gate Bridge, take Highway 101 north for 128 miles to exit for Highway 20 West. Take that exit 0.3 of a mile to stop sign, turn left on Highway 20 and drive 2.8 miles (into Willits) to stoplight and junction with Highway 20. Turn left and drive 33 miles (curvy) to Highway 1. Turn right and drive 5.1 miles (through Fort Bragg) to state park entrance on left.
MacKerricher/coastal route: From junction of Highway 128 and Highway 1, turn right on Highway 1 and drive 17.7 miles to Fort Bragg and traffic circle. At traffic circle, take second exit to stay on Highway 1 North and continue 5.6 miles to state park entrance on the left.
Distances to Mendocino: 67 miles from Cloverdale, 100 miles from Santa Rosa, 150 miles from San Francisco, 159 miles from Concord, 199 miles from San Jose.
Note: From the Sacramento area, the route on Highway 20 from Williams past Clear Lake to Highway 101 is closed by wildfire.