View Jug Handle State Reserve - September 2012 in a larger map
What
- View of Pacific Ocean
- Beach
- Coastal hiking trails
- Deer
More Info
- Free parking
- Free admission
- Trails are not very well marked
Although the GPS did not take us to the exact spot, clear signs on CA1 highway led us to the right place. After parking the car, we headed on the trail that splits into two, the one to the right leads you to the beach and the one to the left leads you to the trails that run along the coastal bluffs.
View of a bridge and the lagoon from the Jug Handle Beach |
We took the trail to the right and within 5-10 minutes we were in the white sands of the beautiful, family-friendly beach. A small lagoon connects to the beach. We noticed a tenacious pelican curled up on the beach sands, completely undaunted by any of the humans around.
After
spending some time at the beach, we continued on our trail back to the parking
lot to take the other trail to walk along the coastline. One can see the beach
at Jug Handle from the top of the coastal bluff and as we walked along the
trail we noticed several hole in the rock formations. Our jaws dropped looking
at the beauty of the California coastline and the shades of blue in the water. The
water was so clear that we could see the ocean bed. The clear sunny day, revealing
the shades of colors in the ocean and added to the beauty of the Pacific.
View of the ocean from the coastal bluff |
The
so-called trail was way too narrow and bushy; there were certain times when we
did not even know whether it was a proper trail.
We continued walking and walking, just hoping that we would reach the parking
lot soon. Finally we saw the cars on CA1 from a distance. Phew! What a relief! However, the
trail did not lead us directly to the parking lot, it led us somewhere on CA1
and we walked for a bit to reach the Jug Handle parking lot.
We returned to the Jug Handle State Reserve the next day to watch the sunset.
We returned to the Jug Handle State Reserve the next day to watch the sunset.
Sunset from a viewpoint |
Tips
- Take the coastal trail, but do not continue on the trail that forms a loop; the trail is narrow, bushy and just not worth it
- Excellent viewpoint to see the sunset
Useful Resources
Nearby Locations
- Noyo Harbor
- Glass Beach
- Pomo Bluffs Park
- Russian Gulch State Park
- Point Cabrillo Lighthouse
- MacKerricher State Park
- Mendocino Headlands State Park
- Casper Headlands State Reserve
- Mendocino Bay Overlook
- Big River Beach
The sunset is got snapped beautifully....
ReplyDeleteAs you 've narrated the herd of deer are slightly noticeable!