14 things to do on the mystical Mendocino coast — like ride a railbike in a redwood grove

There will be no cell signal during most of your drive along the coast of Mendocino, and half the time, there won’t even be a radio station to tune in to. All you’re left to do is slow down and take in your surroundings.

Yet you won’t be complaining. This stretch of Highway 1 in Northern California is full of twists and turns, revealing a rocky shoreline on one side and giant redwoods on the other. The view is ever-changing, equally breathtaking when the sun is shining and when the coastal fog descends.

Mendocino coast starts from Gualala in the south, where it borders Sonoma County, and ends around Sinkyone Wilderness State Park in the north, bordering Humboldt County. The fastest way for Angelenos to get there is to fly to Santa Rosa Airport and drive two hours across the 101 Freeway (the new-ish budget airline Avelo flies from Burbank to Santa Rosa, starting from $44 each way).

Upon your arrival to the coastal town, you might be surprised by the lack of modern Bay Area conveniences. But you’ll quickly forgive. This is a place where coast-to-table and farm-to-table dining is the norm because it’s easier than trying to get produce delivered. It’s a place lined with charming seaside villages, beaches that are hardly crowded and unique ecological wonders. Along this coast is evidence of how the strength of the ocean has shaped this land: lush pygmy forests, sandstone concretions shaped like bowling balls and sea caves arched over blue-green waters.

Some newer residents say they made their way to Mendocino coast for a visit and its natural beauty compelled them to stay. Husband-and-wife duo Victor Passalacqua and Melissa Boon took on jobs as innkeepers for Elk Cove Inn during the pandemic, thinking it would be a temporary move. They arrived late at night, hitching a ride on a truck after their van broke down near Navarro Bridge. But once Boon woke up to a view of the ocean waves crashing on Gunderson Rock, she didn’t want to leave. They’re now co-owners of the inn.

“You don’t find Elk, Elk finds you,” Boon said, remembering a saying about the tiny town that has stuck with her.

A bit of Mendocino County history: For millennia, the Pomo Indians lived in the area, catching fish and shellfish along the coast until their forcible removal in the mid-1800s. On the southern side of the coast in Point Arena, the Spaniards arrived in 1542 and used the area as a navigational site. But the turning point for settlements happened in 1850 when a trading ship called Frolic was returning from China to San Francisco and sank near Point Cabrillo, a few miles from what is now the town of Mendocino. This brought salvagers up to Mendocino and while they weren’t able to recover the ship’s cargo, they found another valuable discovery here: the redwood forest. This spurred the start of the lumber industry in the area and led to a boom in economy and population.

In recent years, Mendocino has faced challenges from extreme drought to careless visitors. (Fort Bragg, the biggest town on the coast, is famous for its Glass Beach, which sadly doesn’t have many glass pebbles left as tourists keep picking them as souvenirs.) But with the rains offering a reprieve, it’s a good time for an escape to this slice of coastline. In addition to dozens of hidden coves and secret beaches that would take months to explore, here are 14 things to do, see and eat.