Jug Handle State Natural Reserve - National reserve in Fort Bragg - CA-1, USA

Definitely one of my favorite locations on Mother Earth. Beautiful views, loved our campsite (we've stayed twice in the same spot), the trails are excellent, and the beach is awesome. Gorgeous flora, fauna, and fungi.

Yet another great place to hike song the Mendocino coast. The beach is one of the best in the area and the trail leading inland is cool too. The pygmy forest is an interesting place to checkout. I’d say the hiking is on the easier side.

We visit the beach and walk the headlands every year. The stairs to the beach are steep but recently improved a lot. The beach is one of the most beautiful in the world in the sun. It is often windy. The best view of the coast and the beach is from the headlands. June 2023 wildflowers are amazing. No ticks this week. There is a porta-potty and a picnic table at the parking lot. Dogs are allowed on the beach and headlands.

A gorgeous cove with exposed tide pools. Not handicap accessible beach. River run off

Had a great time at Jug Handle. This preserve offers a variety of ways to explore nature such as coastal bluff trails, a beach and a forest trail to a pygmy forest. The beach and coastal trails are very nice but my favorite part was definitely the Ecological Staircase Trail which meanders through 2.5 miles of forest where you can experience the majestic redwoods, spectacular mushrooms that don't seem real and the pygmy forest where old growth trees are stunted due to the acidic soil. I spent about 2 hours on the trail, taking my time on the way out to stop at all of the numbered markers and explore the pygmy forest. The hike is pretty easy as I did it with just two water bottles and some running shoes. I suggest downloading the trail guide to your phone or printing it out as there weren't any available at the parking lot. Had no issues with mosquitoes since I went in December. Overall a very nice experience and I highly recommend visiting if you're in the area.

Love this beach! My son absolutely loved it and enjoyed getting dirty in the sand. We had it all to ourselves the whole time. Lots of rocks to climb and explore, and water is the clearest I've seen! The river literally runs straight into the ocean there...so there's a little lagoon-ish area that's shallow too. And if you take the immediate trail to the right coming in, it takes you through a pygmy forest. It's absolutely beautiful!

Had a great time here! The ecological staircase is an easy and nice trail with redwood forests, pygmy forests, and riparian habitats. Well worth it!

It is a vast area with a beautiful view of the ocean. You can walk down to the ocean or walk the ecological staircase. I recommend grabbing a map if you don't have a natural sense of direction like me. The ecological staircase was somewhat challenging but still fun. Definitely will be back again.