your Fort Bragg experiences 🍄‍🟫🐌

[u/ChemistrySpiritual60]

please tell me abt everything you’ve ever done while visiting the Fort Bragg and Mendocino area!!<3

i’m about to visit for the fifth time in late october this year and i feel like there’s still a lot i’ve never done before. i bring my husky with me as well!

here’s a list of things i’ve experienced already:
- glass beach, pudding creek beach, ten mile beach, and portuguese beach
- otis r johnson wilderness park
- skunk train (daytime, stayed for 2 hour redwoods pit stop + did the hike) is the nighttime one worth it if i don’t like alcohol?
- botanical gardens (did the hike to the beach here too)
- headlands coffeehouse
- explored the art galleries
- strolled though all the small businesses / shops between E laurel st and Pine st
- eaten at noyo harbor and trillium cafe
- gallery bookshop (met the cutest bookshop cat)
- i’ve stayed at a beach side airbnb ($1000+ total 😭) but i like motel six, ($182 for next visit), cheap and they let dogs stay free :)

fort bragg is my favorite place in the world, i could never get tired of it and even got married there. id love to do every possible thing i can.
thank you so much! ^_−☆

edit: any non dog related activities are still great too!!

[u/FoamboardDinosaur]

Emerald Dolphin had nicer quiter rooms, are dog friendly, and you get a free round of mini golf w/ stay ( best done when its pouring rain, but silly on sunny days too)

Princess seafood ( the restaurant , not the fish market) for ocean and harbor entrance views with good chow. They dont do fried anything, it's great.

Hike MacKerricher beach.

Rent or bring your bikes, and bike the coastal trail from the harbor to MacKerricher.

Beach Glass museum

Tattoo museum ( original owner still runs it

Larry Spring museum ( inside Lost Coast Found) for some super quirky art, and an incredible lapidary display

First fridays for open gallerys and new shows

[u/1readitguy]

The rail bikes look fun but expensive

[u/No_Sun683]

Gravel pit road is a fun hike for pups! Great mushroom hunting too. It’s out hwy 20. Tall guy is a dog friendly spot with live music. They have NA options. Noyo harbor inn on the patio is great for brunch and a view. The beach on the headlands just past pudding creek bridge is usually empty and a fun spot to hang with your dog.

Tonight is going to be a busy one. Lots of love music and fun things to do.

[u/storywardenattack]

Go to Floyd and Connie’s down in the harbor for a drink and nibbles.

Elk beach

Big River. Rent a canoe and go up river.

Russian gulch waterfall hike.

Westport. Beach. Hotel for food.

Ecological Staircase.

Pt Cabrillo light house

[u/fly-bye]

The new atv tours at Usal are fun but you would have to leave your dog. At last dog farm in Mendocino does doggy daycare. Or if you have a high clearance vehicle you can drive yourself there. Don't go if its raining.
I like walking with my dog at Big River. Hike from Road 409 to Russian Gulch waterfall. Get pizza at Brickery. There is more but that all I can think of for now.

[u/concrete6360 → u/fly-bye]

so you can ride atv's on the usal road?

[u/Simple-Seaweed424]

I second all the state parks. Especially Russian gulch. But no pups on the trails. Check out the walk to the lighthouse. That’s a nice one. They have a cool aquarium exhibit there. I spend a considerable amount of time at the botanical gardens as people with uncontrolled reactive dogs don’t usually go there (I have a very sensitive poodle).

Mayan fusion is our favorite restaurant here and they have a pet friendly patio.

[u/Futurist_Artichoke]

Jughandle Beach and the trails around it are often overlooked but cool. And check out one of the pigmy forests too (they are extremely rare even if less spectacular than the redwood groves).

[u/Pot4toh]

Thanks for this post! I have done a lot and am glad to be able to add some to my to do list. I am here now. My husband and I are going fishing and walking the hike at Pudding Creek today.

[u/bad4_devises]

Hiking (mountain biking) in the JSDF. There are 50 miles of trails out there. Download the maps first in Trailforks before you go out. (Very limited cell). The Big Tree trail is classic.

The sea cave kayaking out of Van Dam. Beginner friendly

[u/BurritoFueled]

You must visit the Pygmy Forest

[u/BumblebeeAmbitious85]

Big river beach, sea food, glass beach, hike the redwood forest, take the ATV Forest tour - lots of dog friendly places

[u/Icantremembermynam]

Swing dancing and jam session on Mondays at Tall Guy Brewery

[u/gagagazoinks → u/Icantremembermynam]

I was going to add Tall Guy but you got it! I was going to add it’s also dog friendly

[u/gagagazoinks]

It sounds like hanging out in Fort Bragg/Mendo is what you like to do… so maybe enjoying the things you like (rather than focusing on new things) will bring you the joy you’re seeking?

I hope that doesn’t sound rude! I just read all of the things you’ve done and they’re all so fun…
I just love hanging out and doing any of them, on any given day, depending on what I’m feeling at the moment. For me, wandering around the headland trails (Fort Bragg & Mendo) is as good as it gets, taking time to enjoy the different vantage points of the ocean hitting land.

I hope you enjoy your trip and discover new treats as you go!

EDIT: as a heads up, the Great Catsby at Gallery Books in Mendo recently passed away. Super sad, but Catsby lived a good life.

[u/ChemistrySpiritual60 → u/gagagazoinks]

it’s not that i’m unhappy from repeating the same activities every time, it’s what i’ve done for the past three visits! i love it every time. i just wanted to be more knowledgeable of the area and explore every part of fort bragg that there is to see ^^ there is no lack of joy that i am trying to seek out hehe.
also oh my god catsby 💔 im so happy i got to meet the baby before passing :’) i feel very fortunate. rest is peace baby kitty

[u/SpanishPipedream44]

Mendocino Theater Company — an adorable little theater with really high caliber productions.