MacKerricher State Park Reviews

I recommend going at low tide. The park is easily accessible by boardwalk with an area of beach containing many tidal pools with crabs and sea anemones. The views are stunning and some of the dirt paths further down off the boardwalk down to the beach were fun to explore and our favorite part of our visit. The park was fairly crowded but it was easy to find parking on a Sunday. There are also multiple restrooms next to the entrance.

We enjoyed the elevated walkway nature walk and the sweet beach with tide pools. Check the tide chart for low tide if you want to explore the tidepools.

Day use of this park is free as that was the stipulation by the person who gave the state the land. The day we were there was very very windy and cold. We ate our picnic lunch but had to hold everything down as we ate. They have a nice boardwalk loop that goes out to some viewing areas and circles back through a meadow. It was a nice walk, although windy.

Dogs on leash are welcome in this park. There is a nice level Boardwalk that takes you to different viewing stations. You can look for seals, all sorts of Shorebirds, gray whales, and lots of squirrels. Visiting on a weekday in October was delightful as the weather was perfect and the crowds non-existent. Worth a stop if you are nearby.

When entering the State park we were pleasantly suprised that there was no charge for day use. The ranger at the entry station was very friendly. We drove to the parking area and walked on the boardwalk which gave us wonderful ocean views. This is a very large park which goes for many miles. Unfortunately we did not have the time to do much exploring. We enjoyed a picnic lunch looking at the ocean. It would be nice if they had more picnic tables. We didn't get to see any seals, otters or any other ocean residents, but did see lots of squirrels. Looking down from the boardwalk it looked like they had many tidepools. Wish we had more time to explore!

A lake and the ocean? Very cool. Board with scenic platforms? Groovy. Good recreational beach? Check. Ample parking? Roger that. Can't comment on the camping aspect, but if you are a day visitor, all this and more is absolutely free. Great!!!!

Great way to spend the afternoon when there is no fog. Lots of tide pools. You need to have fairly good balance to step on the rocks in between tide pools.

This park is always so pleasant. There are no day use fees. The views are fabulous and we were able to see gray whales and harbor seals. The seals had pups on the beach and on nearby rocks. There are tide pools as well, although I was not able to find much in them. The ground squirrels are fun to watch and the bluffs have wild flowers in bloom. This is a great stop if you are in Ft Bragg/Mendocino or just driving along Highway 1.

Worth the time. Parking can be a problem during popular times. You can spend a few minutes or a few hours here, just depends on what you want to do. The black beach is fascinating to me and I always enjoy walking ailing the boardwalk.

Beautiful CA State Park, many RV spots to accommodate our 36-footer. Clean, level sites, short walk to the dunes and beach.

This area has fantastic views and a restroom at the entrance where we parked by glass beach. Saw many folks biking, hiking and dog walking. Wonderful views no matter where you went.

This little spot has interesting historical information. The beach views are exceptional. There's camping available for those extra warm blooded people, because I think I would freeze to death. Hiking and horseback riding they also have a large beach area. Oh and the day use area is free.

We had a blast visiting MacKerricher beach. Beautiful, peaceful and worth going again. They even had a killer whale skeleton.

We came to MacKerricher State Park and it was just simply beautiful. The boarded path goes all the way around with areas that have information about the area,wildlife and a stairway that goes on to the beach...our only regret was that we didn't come here first... IT is definitely a must see...

We have been to this park a number of times over the past 20 years. It's easily accessible and provides visitors with an opportunity to camp at the edge of the beach or just simply enjoy the area for the day. The campgrounds are well maintained and there is a large variety of camp spots available, from more private to out in the open (good for family groups) and large group spots. And there are lots of trails for hiking and biking and enjoying wildlife viewing. I especially love the boardwalk around Lake Cleone, on which non-motorized boating is allowed. This park is close to town (Fort Bragg) for those who prefer to eat some meals out or just do something different as a part of their trip.

Love the walk on the boardwalk and walking out to the lookouts (previous visit we saw whales in the distance). Bathrooms clean, beach walk fun and always enjoy climbing on rocks and tide pool. Only negative creepy guy hanging out further down the boardwalk. Will definitely keep coming back. Also entering was free the day we went.

It is a beautiful beach with a lot of tide pools that you can check out. We even saw a few abalone shells. The view is amazing.

Water was great. Not too cold for October. Light surf made wading along the beach possible. Good day to get wet.

MacKerricher State Park: A Coastal Gem for anyone who loves stunning coastal landscapes and diverse wildlife. It is along the Mendocino Coast, and has something for you if you are a an avid hiker, a wildlife enthusiast, or simply seeking a peaceful retreat in nature.

This coastline is breathtaking. waves crash against the dramatic rocky outcrops, and tide pools teem with life. You can walk along the boardwalk to Laguna Point, and there is expansive ocean views.

The trails here are well-maintained and cater to various fitness levels. The Ten Mile Dunes are perfect for a serene hike, offering a unique ecosystem to explore.

For wildlife lovers, the park is a paradise. Birdwatchers will enjoy spotting a variety of species, and the wetlands are home to a rich diversity of plant and animal life. The tide pools, in particular, are a hit with kids and adults alike, offering a close-up view of sea stars, crabs, and other marine creatures.

I just love California's natural beauty, Don't forget your camera—this park is as photogenic as it is memorable!

What can you say about the beautiful Pacific Ocean? Enjoyed walking the beach and seeing those majestic rocks standing so tall out of the water.

We arrived early in the morning with only couple joggers. The morning fog still lingering on top of ocean and the sun bean shine through trees. What a beautiful view. You can enjoy tide pools or watch tiny squirrel running around. However we did not see seals but many water birds on rock. It is free entrance and easy walk/hike on board walk.

The location of MacKerricher is perfect. You are under the trees and just a walk to the beach. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the only perk. This camp area was noisy, with camp sites all pretty close to each other. The bathrooms were unkept and just gross. So bad that I decided I could do without a shower that day.
You are close to the beach and have access to the Seal Watching station. Those were the only perks for us. I would not choose to stay here again.

we enjoyed walking under the canopy trees, we watched the birds and sea lions and some people will tell you that if you're lucky you can watch some whales crossing the ocean

A friend and I stopped for 90 minutes during a drive. The park gift shop folks were very helpful as we learned one could see baby seals at the coast. A short drive later we were there and the walk and views were wonderful. Highly recommended!

The geology of this part of the coast is very cool. This beach has black sand and just a little north, the next one has light brown sand.
I would not recommend swimming at this beach as the shelf drops quickly, but tide pooling at low tide is very fun!
If you want to swim on this colder part of the California coast, ask the locals and get yourself a wetsuit and boogie board, because Caspar Beach is where it’s at;-)

not the place to frolic on the beach - unless you like gusty weather in the 50's or 60's - but it's gorgeous and you can occasionally see sea lion pups and whales.

We used to walk our dog along this boardwalk. He would jump up and down off of it. However a few years ago they raised it by building right over the top of the older one. Now it is a bit too high to take the dog. We hardly ever go on a walk without the dog so this path seen in the photo above is not one we take. That being said the park itself is a wonderful place to walk and the various trails are almost all fabulously scenic. We come here a few times a month the enjoy the view of the water, the dunes and the beautiful nature.

A must go if you are in the area. There is a beautiful board walk along the coast with cypress trees and awesome ocean view.

I have been to MacKerricher, I don't RV so I just go for the stunning view. Loads of camping spots. I have friends that camp there several times a year, they love it. It has been a couple years since I last visited.

This Park has it all - - large beach, campgrounds, accessible boardwalk along the waterfront, through woods and grassland - - at a beautiful, historic location. There are well-designed educational signs along the boardwalk, and a state park ranger posted at a strategic location for viewing seals on the rocks. A lovely way for families to learn about the northern CA seacoast and some of the history associated with it. Definitely worth several hours if not several days in the campground.

We enjoyed this area. It's late spring but there were some wildflowers in bloom. We walked over the trestle bridge and the view was great! It was a bit warmer here because it wasn't as windy and we actually saw the sun for a few minutes!

Took this ride many years ago when I had a young child. Went again by myself and it was nostalgic. Fun old authentic train and good views of the redwoods. A must if you have tong children!

Easy to use walking trails along the beach with wonderful views of rocks, sea birds and waves. Parts of the trails are paved. Easy to access tide pools. Just a great outdoor experience. Found a ranger offering information at one of the viewpoints. Spotted a grey whale in mid July!

We biked over to the boardwalk and enjoyed the amazing view. There were harbor seals in the water. The clear blue skies and the soft ocean breeze made this beautiful hike a wonderful memory for me and my family. Easy parking at the entrance and an easy walk out to the point.

There is no daily use fee here, which is not the case in other state parks. They have made a beautiful walkway out along the ocean. Really worthwhile for a picnic lunch or morning walk. Seals were playing in the surf at their farthest point of the walkway .

This is a lovely pet friendly park just north of town. It’s a great spot to walk the beach and explore but layer up and bring a warm jacket with a hood. It can be windy and the ocean breeze is quite cold. There’s lots of ground squirrels and other critters. A bear sighting was reported May 12.

Lots of beach area and rocks to explore. Free use of binnoculars at lookout to see seals on a rock. Museum of whale bones, etc.
But so sunny, no shade, so we didn't stay long.

Not much to see here. The visitor center is not worth stopping at except to see the whale bones. The boardwalk was nice. The tide pools did not have much to look at, just a few anemone and few (we found 2) starfish - that's it. Good place to spot whales though.

MacKerricher is a bit under the radar as state parks go. There’s no quick or easy way to get to Fort Bragg, which is why you don’t hear about the park as much. With free admission, it is an enjoyable place to visit. The beach is accessible and you can reach the rugged promontories via boardwalks. Part of the park is the oceanfront trail, which is fantastic.

From the dark sands to the rocky cliffs, from the amazing views of the coastline surf to the wildlife, this is a wonderful walk. Coming back to whale watch in the winter. Accessible boardwalk, as well as trails along the coastline, and lots of places to sit and enjoy the view.

This is a gorgeous stretch of coastline covering a pretty big area. Mackerricher is a great place to stop into briefly or to stay awhile (free for day visitors). I do wish the lake loop trail wasn't in such a state of disrepair, as that is the only real trail in the whole park and people used to walk/run it regularly. The short boardwalk to the point and the beaches are nice, and on sunny days it's great to sit and watch for wildlife.

We spent 4 nights this trip and had a wonderful time. Park is overgrown, but pretty nonetheless. Campsites are beautiful, yet in need of some TLC. One would think that for $45/night they could keep it up a bit better. Nonetheless, it is still beautiful and very dog friendly. Lots of friendly and courteous campers too!

Many great trails to wander. Park staff was quick to respond to waves washing sand into roadways. Able to take dog on a leash. Saw many deer. Waves and tide pools so beautiful.

FREEEEE! Great info and helpful service. Nice parking areas and the kids will like it too. Great views and some whale skeletons to look over close up. Clean and fun for all!

Excellent place to explore Nature, take a hike and enjoy the beautiful coastline. The boardwalks were especially welcome as a pet friendly feature.

The boardwalk is not the purpose of the visit, but it does make the visit a bit easier. Interesting tidal pool exploration at the right time. We also see resting seals on nearby rocks.

My husband and I visited the park for a few hours during the off season in November. Fortunately we had a sunny day, and the views were really lovely. We walked along the main paths and found the informational plaques, which talked about the flora, fauna and history of the area, very interesting. It wasn't low tide, so we were disappointed that we weren't able to explore the famous tide pools, but we did see several seals hanging out in the coves. A worthwhile stop on beautiful highway 1.

Here’s the place to go to watch the ocean, the sea life, and feel the renewal of your soul!! Mackerricher State Park has the best views of the Pacific Ocean AND great places to sit and watch nature! If you want a closer encounter, you can make your way down to the tide pools!! I love it!!!

This beautiful park is free. We visited with our dog, and walked along the beach. He had to be leashed at all times. This is due to seals and other wildlife near the shore, which are sensitive to any disturbances. There were many wildflower in bloom, and impressive rock formations. There was also a bicycle path.

Second year in a row we picked up sandwiches and salad from the Harvest Market in Mendo, and dined with the birds, squirrels, and the surf on the park's picnic tables with amazing view! We mentioned to park employees that we had rented boats on the stocked park lake. They pointed out that was over 30 years ago...this was my 79th birthday trip....most years to Mendo.

This is such a beautiful place to spend time outside. The scenery is amazingly beautiful. I could spend hours there.

Mackerricher has dramatic ocean frontage and access to a long stretch of dunes as well as some storm-damaged roadway just above the beach. The campsites are scattered around a small lake which is pretty much choked with weeds but provides great bird habitat with an improved trail around the lake itself. Hot and cold running water in the restrooms. ravens and raccoons but no bears to raid the campground.

We took our 6 year old explorer for his first tide pool adventure and he (and we) loved it. Unlimited rocks to climb, tiny coves to explore and with a little patients and persistence you can find dozens of different sea creatures. If you are nearby, you should definitely make the trip.

3 days camping in a beautiful place. Campground was awesome with plenty of hot water for showers! A short walk to the beach and quiet at night . Lake Cleo e is still a big disappointment , however. It's been in disrepair for many years. Lots of friendly campers and park employees. Like to camp? Stay here!

Amble parking, board walk ish area makes for very easy and quick walking! Tons of overlooks to check out the coast too bad we only got to visit one overlook before the rain took over! Nice beach area also.

Depending on your walking ability you can also watch the coast/ocean from the parking lot!!

This is a state park, and it is free for day visits. That was a surprise to us but we were very happy about that. Drive in and skip the lake parking and keep on the road to reach the parking lot by the boardwalk near the beach. From the boardwalk you can take steps down to the beach to view the tide pools. Walking the rocks was not something that we felt comfortable doing but we really enjoyed the boardwalk. There are several places where the boardwalk juts out so you can get better views. This was a good 60 to 90 minute stop.

We visited the MacKerricher Beach located by the parking lot. We wanted a beach that didn't require much walking to get close to was water.. Access to the beach was several easily navigated steps and a very short sandy trail, maybe 20 feet at most. The descent was not very steep so it wasn't hard to walk down. It isn't a path that would be considered ADA compliant but it was easy for our limping dog to actually be on the beach. The slope of sand by the water was very steep though and the waves looked pretty dangerous but it's still nice to sit at the beach to see and hear the beautiful ocean.

If you are in the area, do not miss a visit to this park! We visited 3 times during our 2 day stay in the area. Recommend exploring the trails that are off shoots of the raised walkway. The views are stunning both at sunrise and sunset. A photographers and/or plein air painters dream. Can't wait to visit again in the future!

This state park was across from my beach riding experience so we drove over to check it out. We rceived a map at the entrance and was able to take a photo of an actual whale skeleton. We followed the road until we came to a parking lot with access to the beach and the ocean. So powerful! It was our first chance to be near the water.

The MacKerricher State Park has wonderful beach and boardwalk. We had lunch in our car there. It was cool on the day we visited. The vista points on the boardwalk are beautiful. The restrooms are near the parking. It is free to enter the park.

I was hoping for a longer path on this elevated portion. There are some overly friendly squirrels who will happily eat your crumbs. End of elevated walkway does take you to a stair case to the beach. Bathrooms at this stopping point.

We stayed at 6 Oregon state parks during the month of September. This campground appeared old and neglected, especially compared to the other state parks. The camp sites at MacKerricher are small and short, modern bigger rvs will not fit here. There are no hookups and no individual water is available. The ranger at the station was very friendly and nice and the park trails are nice, but the campground just looks and feels old and rundown.

It is early May, and there are more than 30 baby seals laying with their mothers on the beach, sunning themselves while protected from a somewhat pounding surf stirred up by the winds on the day we visited. What a wonderful opportunity to see nature, with some moderate safeguards to keep us humans from venturing too close. It was unfortunately windy on the day we visited, but it didn't cause us to be any less awed by the awesome views. It's free for day use, and an easy walk to the rookery. Highly recommend this stop on the coastal highway.

MacKerricher State Park is a jewel, in color, in climate, in the variety of offerings for visitors. hiking near the ocean, around the lagoon, and under the trees is available, with sightings of sea life potentially off the point, and beautiful picnic sites. Recommend this Park as a must-see for Northern California appreciators!!

Glorious. Exhilarating. A very special place. The extreme weather just aded texture to the experience.

Was glad that my son suggested this . the walk along the board walk was relaxing and the ocean view was amazing . I was fortunate that the day Nov 4 , 2017 was perfect day. Sun, small breeze and the ocean view what a perfect day.

We took a walk on the boardwalk at Laguna Pt. The wildflowers were beautiful. We saw a whale, harbor seals, and birds.

Long stretches of beach and walking trails. Huge crashing waves. Wildlife everywhere.....
Windy but exciting. A great place for beach therapy:)

We parked here and walked the haul road toward Fort Bragg to the end of the trail. Went to Glass beach...Took pictures but no glass...as others were doing.

You can also walk north a few miles along the haul road trail. We drove around the open campgrounds and looked ok. Having not stayed there...cannot rate that.

But, there are good hiking trails from this park

We want to come back.

We were advised by a local to check this out. We are not campers, but there are plenty of camping / RV sites within this park. The beach looked beautiful and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Walked the path like every other tourist. Got down to the beach and got our feet wet. Very nice views. Worth it.

This State Park is right off the main road, well marked signs. The park is beautiful because of the trees , flowers & ocean. There is plenty of room for large gatherings. The park was quiet, & peaceful . I recommend this park as a great meeting point, party area, dining place. Go for a walk!!!

Excellent place to visit with lots to see and learn, well kept and with large beach, and nature preserve.

You can take a nice long morning walk and then go in to town for breakfast. I believe you can also camp here but am not positive about that.

Camped here one night on our way from the Avenue of the Giants to the Golden Gate. The park is right off of Highway 1, just a few miles north of Fort Bragg. The sites are well-maintained, with amenities typical of state parks--a spot to pull in 2 cars, a table, food locker and a fire ring, plus a level spot to put your tent. Bathrooms were clean, and warm showers available if you remember to bring quarters.
Since you are only minutes from Fort Bragg, it is easy to head into town for food or essentials. What sets this place apart, though, is the beach access. We spent all afternoon just playing and lazing about on the beach, then watching the sun set.

Pleasant park, free for day visitors. We stopped for a picnic lunch and thought the camp spots were attractive. Trails need work but a great stop. Whale skeleton is an interesting display, worth a stop.

From sandy beaches, to tide pools, to bird watching, and sight seeing MacKerricher has something for everybody. If you're camping the sites are all amazing and well forested giving you some privacy. There are hiking trails, and lots of rangers that make it very safe for the kiddos to get out and play around the grounds. Most nights educational fun get togethers are offered around the campground fire pit where there is plenty of seating and an area where activities re set up and taught by rangers. The day use beach area offers parking, bathrooms, and bike racks. the board walk overlooking the ocean has different stops along the way with informative signs about the history etc. of MacKerricher, and is easily accessible for handicap or special needs people. The tide pools are amazing and filled with loads of crabs, star fish, sculpin, sea anenomes and so many other little creatures. They are definitely the best tide pools in all of Fort Bragg. If you venture down the boardwalk to the last outlook spot and go directly down at low tide, you will end up at a shallow pool that runs from the rocks out to sea. In this pool you can find tons of amazing shells for all the people who love to beach comb and shell hunt like me! My favorite campsites are #44 and #139 they both offer spacious private campsites that can fit atleast two 6 person tents and are near the bathrooms.

We went tide pooling at this beautiful park. The entrance was free for day use, but there's also campsites all over the place. If you park toward the end of the street, you'll be closer to the tidepooling areas as well as the hike to the look out to see sea lions and their pups. If you're going for the tidepools, make sure you check the tide levels online so you can go during low tide, because going at high tide in the area is very dangerous. There are a lot of fun areas for kids, lots of rocks to climb, lots of sea creatures to marvel at. Overall, a highlight in our trip to this beautiful town.

we went here for our Anniversary it was away from town which we enjoyed clean bathrooms, my only complaint was there was no fire pit on the beach we love to have a place to roast hot dogs and watch the sunset. The walk was very nice through the trees along the beach.

Great place to spot seals, sea lions and whales! Another wonderful place to go for a walk along a broad walk to the beach area and bluffs. Went out in the late afternoon and walked to the end of the broad walk and was able to see many sea lions and whales spouting water in the air. Great place to go and easy walking conditions.

I had an awesome adventure with my best friend, family, world Riley. We loved every bit exploring Mackerrier State Park, and found a newly undiscovered species, we think. What is it?

Beautiful quiet fun place to bring the kids.Had a wonderful time exploring the trails and running the beaches.

We actually rode our bikes on the haul road and ended up in this beautiful state park. Had a chance to explore the newly paved road on our bikes and saw the various campgrounds which looked wonderful. There is a large group camp area also with a shower. Visited the small visitor center and had a chance to talk with the volunteers working there. They were very helpful with information for the rest of our bike ride. This looks like a great place to stay with a small RV or camping in a tent. North of Fort Bragg just a couple of miles

The drive from Fort Bragg was well worth it. The coast is beautiful with big waves splashing over huge rocks. There are numerous birds and sea lions to enjoy. There's a boardwalk which is very convenient for walking or biking.

Beautiful beaches, miles of walking trails, places to sit and watch the whales swim by, huge skeleton of whale at entry to Park.

We went to MacKerricher park on our last night for sunset! So many different vistas to see in this park!!! There are excellent raised wooden trails throughout, with sitting areas at the beach areas so people don't trample the grasses. The rocky coast is beautiful! The sunset awesome!!

Stunning ocean views and historical information provided at each viewpoint! The beach and boardwalk are wonderful, great place for taking pictures.

It was very nice to walk along the boardwalk to the furthest viewing area where we saw several whales-their sprays and part of their back, fin or tale! Free day use.

There is ample parking, and a boardwalk around Lagunas (?) Point. But the outstanding feature of this park is the old paved road that intersects it and you can access both the northern end and the southern end of the trail here. We rode our bikes on the entire trail along the beach, and up on the bluffs, and it was the highlight of our trip to the Mendocino area. The trail is paved, a little rough in spots, but easy for the whole family, with access to empty beaches all along the way......

We arrived over the lunch hour. Self registration was in effect. We registered with the help of the campground host who welcomed us and told us a bit about the park. We felt that the fee was a bit much, given that there are no services. There is a shower building but it was not heated. They say they have internet but it is only at the visitor center. We enjoyed our time there because there is a cycling trail that runs for ten miles along the coast. We cycled into Fort Bragg and found the Glass Beach.

It was very cold and windy when we were there but it is a beautiful park with great views. There is signage letting you know information about the area.

As we did so often on our trip along the coast, we ended up walking along the coast and saw a beautiful beach. We read that we could see whales and dolphins but we didn’t have any luck. Perhaps we just don’t know where to look? In any case, MacKerricher State Park is lovely and I highly recommend you too make this a must stop on your road trip along the coast.

Lots to do and see here. Interesting tide pools and beautiful outlooks over the ocean. It was a lovely spot to bring a lunch. Very peaceful.

Although there were very few seals this time, this is the best free place to visit in the area. Can’t believe it’s still free! Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. Wonderfully full of life

This state park has free admission and pet friendly. It has beautiful walkways thru the coastal woods right out to the ocean. We have been there many times and always love it.

Beautiful easy access boardwalk trail. Plenty of benches to rest on to take in the superior ocean views.

Absolutely beautiful park. Very rugged coastline. There were seals on the rocks and a very nice walkway out to view points. If you drive a little further down the road you will come to sand dunes. My teenagers had a blast on the dunes.

Easy and free access to the coast with a boardwalk that takes you along the coast and tells the story of the place and the animals. Highlights:

1. Tide pools
2. Seals
3. Sea Palms
4. Coast Line and Views
5. Great walk along the shore

We stayed here a week with family and really loved it. It is dry camping (no hookups) but some of the sites are big enough for an RV (ours is 32 ft.) and there is a dump station (they charge $10 per dump) and fresh water. Some of the sites are very shady like our son's family's and some are quite sunny, like ours. The beach is not really very good for swimming but it is so beautiful and not crowded. There are paths to the beach from the various camp areas and a nice day-use area. Some sites are much larger than others and there are lots of trees everywhere. The campground staff is friendly and helpful. It is only about 5 miles to drive into Fort Bragg if you need anything. Mendocino is not that far either.

We stopped here on a whim while we were vacationing in Fort Bragg. We were so happy that we did. Got an opportunity to see seals and other wildlife.

Stop by, you will be glad that you did.

We have come to this state park for years and love the wooded campsites and access to the beach. Shore birds and seals come here and areas are protected. A great example of our great state parks and the wildlife they protect and educate about.

The only reason we came to this park is to see the size of the gray whale. There is a skeleton the you can touch and step inside to get a real feel for the enormous size of the gray whale. I loved it. Had no idea it was as large as it is. So fun!

Its a nice place to walk,or just to enjoy by the beach. They have some picnic tables and very friendly squirrels.my kids and i love this Beach.

We stopped by this beautiful park on the ocean. Beautiful vistas of the ocean and the park ranger gave us very good information. You should definitely stop by.

For the past 10 years I have travelled to Fort Bragg for worldd largest salmon BBQ and we never miss our walk thru MacKerricher park.One of the most beautiful walks I have been on and very clean and well maintained, seems like each year you see something different!

We visited several parts of this park, visiting the main park. The visitor center was closed as we were there mid week. We took the tide pool and seal viewing trail - it did not disappoint. The boardwalk trail was easy to travel on. The view were amazing. We went down to the tide pools and saw seals at the viewing area. We watched the fog roll in, which was a cool experience. Definitely recommend, it's free.

The park ranger at booth was helpful upon entry. There is ample parking, well-marked trails. We saw a porpoise and seals.

Love the view and the history. Great walk for all ages. Absolutely gorgeous. We come here every year and the dogs love it too!

Absolutely stunning. Easy walk even for the cane and walker adventurist Lots of benches along the way with breath taking views. .

My husband and I love visiting Fort Bragg and the Mendocino coast. The coast line is so beautiful and tranquil. It stole our hearts years ago, and each year brings a new adventure.

One of the beaches we came across this trip was MacKerricher State Park. We went because of the glass beach, and ended up walking the board walk for miles. So many different little trails you can take. We loved every moment.

Loved all the views, the historical facts along the boardwalk, the preservation areas, and of course, the seals. This park provides great bike riding/jogging trail(s), picnic spots, places for the kids to play (and learn a thing or two), etc.

This beach will be one we will come back to time and time again.

The park is amazing. Access to beach and tide pools. There is an accessible walkway that does a loop out to Laguna Point with stunning views along the way. There is a staircase down to the tide pools. I saw several people surf fishing at the main beach. We came for day use but there are several campground areas. Make sure you stop off at the gift shop, great souvenirs at very reasonably prices. The staff manning the kiosk and volunteers at the gift shop can provide a wealth of information about the park and the Fort Bragg area in general. There is an extensive bike/walking path on Old Haul Rd. We only walked the portion closer to downtown. Stunning view along the way and great to be away from traffic.

We parked at day use and walked the long beach trails - a gorgeous day and beautiful beaches. The park is clean and well-maintained. I imagine this would be a wonderful place to camp as well.

Wonderful coast access - beach - tide pooling - seal watching - bird watching. Also areas to camp and for RV's. Sand dunes - walking area around a pond. Just one of our easy access best coastal ocean visits.

I visited some family who were camping at MacKerricher and got to spend some time with them at their campsite and also on a short hike at the beach. It was a beautiful park, well-maintained, and looked to be very popular with campers. They had shower and bathroom facilities for the campers as well.

I stayed here for two nights in a tent at spot #45. The sites had wonderful shade to light balance (looked like each spot had a nice shady spot for a tent). the spots for tent camping are not small either. The ground was flat and not too hard. Fire ring, food storage box and picnic tables available at each site. Not to far from the Cleone market, day use areas and paths. Not to far from the town of Fort Bragg either. Horseback riding across the street from the entrance that passes through the park.

Staff was friendly, helpful and gave us great information on things in the area. There is a full sized whale skeleton near the ranger station. I stayed here at the end of a 2 week camping excursion. Would come again, as I enjoyed my stay.

We enjoyed our trip to the coast so much and everytime we come to Fort Bragg MacKerricher is a must see. My family had lots of fun discovering at the tide pools and the black sand is very therapeutic for my feet and my eyes.

We have been to MacKerricher many times both as a couple and as a family with children in tow, both as campers and for day use. We've seen people dive for abalone from these beaches (in season, of course) and have observed various types of birds and marine life.

We were here in early June when green, angry waves beat the shore and again in early July when the Pacific was sky blue and as peaceful as its name. We will no doubt return again and again.

The highlight of this trip found us standing on an observation deck with other awed visitors watching a juvenile gray whale hunt for its dinner a few dozen yards off-shore.

We took a day trip to MacKerricher with our two miniature schnauzers. The park is dog friendly, but only in certain locations. We walked the Haul Road until we were past the campgrounds, then took one of the many trails off the Road that lead to the bluffs. There is a trail that follows the bluffs that provides magnificent views and occasional opportunities to climb down. Absolutely beautiful!

We used to take the kids camping here. There are lots of things to keep them busy, but they really liked playing on the beach the best. Besides the beach, there are hiking trails, a small lake, and my favorite activity: relaxing on the beach and watching the waves and wildlife. The water is cold, so swimming is for the very hardy (or the crazy!) Camping is by reservation so plan ahead.
We usually make use of the many hotels now days but we still enjoy going to this park. This park is simply beautiful and day use is free, so visit this place and enjoy it!

Lot of great walking paths around the Park. We had plenty of good views and picture taking opportunities. Nice picnic areas with views.

My husband and I only had one day to explore, and it happened to be very windy and raining! We hiked all through the (muddy) paths, and took a ton of photos! We will be back for sure

We are native Californians who have relocated to another state. This past week we returned to enjoy some of our favorite camping spots that we enjoyed years ago. Mackerricher state park was such a huge disappointment. The boardwalk around the lake was broken and unusable. The lake itself was overgrown with marsh grass and very low water levels making kayaking, or even enjoying the lake impossible. The campsights were okay, but the bathrooms were always dirty and never had soap or paper towels. We we're so disappointed to see one of our former favorite campgrounds to have gone so far down.

The beach here was beautiful. Horses can be on parts of the trail here. The tide pools here were so much fun to explore. My family had so much fun here. We were disappointed that the glass beach was not really accessible from here anymore. However, I\it was a great camp ground and we would love to stay here longer next time.

Great place for watching the ocean with a chance of seeing whales (we didn't) and playing in tide pools. My wife is disabled and we thought the clifftop boardwalk would be nice. It was, but the planks going crosswise made for a bumpy wheelchair ride. Might have been smoother in a big-wheeled chair. Bring a jacket as the wind was quite chilly even in August. There was no day-use fee when we went - Tues Aug 15, 2017. Maybe that is a midweek thing but I think there is usually a fee.

MacKerricher seems to offer something for all sorts of folks. We wanted tide pools, and we got a large swath of tide pools both near a beach and alongside a rocky cove. We saw campers, swimmers and nature walkers. There are observation points with interpretive signs informing you about the local ecosystem and wildlife. Parking is easy, paths are well paved, and restroom are clean (if a little stinky).

This great spot is just North of Fort Bragg on Highway 1, and very easy to find. It has nice, flat wooden walkways across the marshes, just like in the photo. Beautiful views! Some said that they saw juvenile grey whales from the farthest-out deck, migrating North. We didn't see them, but this is a spectacular spot.

The boardwalk to Laguna Point is an easy handicap accessible walkway. You can leave the boardwalk and explore the tidal pools amd beach area. We were able to watch a couple whales.

This review is about the Surfwood campsite experience, for families.
We booked site 124, which is on a small loop. These loop sites (121,122,123 and 124) are excellent for families with young kids who want to scoot and bike around. They are spaced away from each other. There is a path from this loop towards the beach, a mere 5 minute walk away. You can see the ocean from all the sites.

124 has the best shade, as it includes a large grove of trees (good for hammocks). The ground is a little lumpy, but not noticeable with sleeping pads.

123 is probably the best site in the loop, having some shade, and the shrubbery creates a cozy, enclosed nook, with trail access to the lake straight out of the campsite. No-one's trekking through to access the lake; it's a private path. Good site if you're bringing a kayak. A grove of trees behind the site provides a play area for kids.

122 and 121 have less shade but are just fine. The spigot is at 122.

This was perhaps the LEAST buggy of my camp experiences, despite lake proximity. No-one received any mosquito bites! There were a few yellowjackets; just a mere rare nuisance. No raccoons nor squirrels. The ocean was loud at night. The night sky was amazing.

Bathrooms were very clean, spacious and airy. The shower is quarter operated, $1 worth of quarters buying you 5 minutes. There are longer increments for more quarters. The water temperature was at least warm-ish, ranging to hot.

The lake has a marshy border, with lots of plants between the path and the water. There is a path that goes alongside the lake by Surfwood camp, but it is quite overgrown. There are fish in the lake, and one can go fishing with permits and a kayak. Not possible to fish from the shore due to shrubbery. Lots of blackberries here! Kids had the best time picking them.

Quick walk to the beach. This beach is NOT good for swimming. The surf is rough. Experienced, wet-suited swimmers only. However it's perfectly fine for sitting upon. The sand is grainy, like tiny pebbles. Not the kind of tiny sand that gets into every nook and cranny. The nature area boardwalk is also close to the beach. The boardwalk is lovely and scenic, with access to tide pools.

FANTASTIC tide pooling! Even at +1ft low tide, there was a lot to be found. Bring your high rubber boots or water shoes. Get out far enough and you'll find huge green anemones, bat sea stars, ochre sea stars, crabs, sculpins, abalone shells, and even gumboot chiton! Tide pooling was the highlight of my visit.

No complaints. Surf wood campsite is a clean, safe and fun place to enjoy the outdoors in times of Covid and non-Covid.

Our tent site had no power or water and there was no communal washing station that I found nearby so that was the downside, but other than that it was a good place to stay and watch the sunset nearby.
The beach is pretty steep so walking on it wasn't as nice as other beaches but we saw seals popping up as we ate dinner at sunset.

I love this place so much! It's got so much going on. Wave watching, walking around on the cliffs below, access to the beach, wooden boardwalk that take you to outlooks and have informational stops to education on what to look for. Tide pools, etc. During the first visit here on the furthest outlook, I sat and watched the waves for so long. I thought, "If I have a care in the world, I don't remember what it is." It's that mesmerizing. Go, enjoy yourself and relax.

Great headlands hiking here. You can park for free within MacKerricher then take the short walk out to the ocean where a main walkway goes both north and south. From there are short bursts out to the headlands with incredible views and scenery. We walked from the park all the way to Glass Beach (ugh. Not worth it!) and back on a beautiful day this summer. We were tempted to take the three block walk into Ft. Bragg for a cold beer and lunch, but instead opted to head back to our car. Great easy walking, no real elevation changes. Bring water though!

We visited and took a nice walk around the boardwalk. It was a beautiful place right next to the ocean where you could see seals splashing around in the water. The trail wasn't very long though we were done pretty quick

A must see! Free entrance, easy walk to seal watching, and you can also walk along the bluffs, and check out tide pools.

Day use is free, which was a great perk. Started the day early in the morning exploring the tide pools which were so full of life. We had a dog with us on and off the leash and had no issues. Lots of beach to play, swim, explore. Well made boardwalk that has a great trail through the park with informational signage. We found a spot off the boardwalk path that was secluded for fishing, and a hot spot for spear and other fisherman. The bathroom facilities are sufficient, and grounds well maintained. There are fountains and a shower station by the parking lot as well to rinse off salt water & sand. There are about 6 picnic tables. There is a campground close to the beach, but the park ranger we encountered was a total B****. I highly recommend the place for day use.

This is a really great park to stop and stroll through. The boardwalks make it extra easy and fun to navigate around. There are scores of cool ground squirrels to watch and breathtaking views of the jagged rocks. Adventurists can get out there and climb all over the cool formations as well. You can camp, rent bikes, fish, walk on the sand, stroll on the boardwalk, climb on the rocks, etc. Lots of ways to have fun here.

Spent some time here with grandkids. Hiking on raised trails, playing in the tidal pools ( not a lot going on but small hermit crabs kept them amazed) We saw two whales off of the northern observation point -plumes and tails! Great picnic lunch and restrooms albeit a little odorous.

After a night halt at the Ocean View Lodge at Fort Bragg , we visited the historical MacKerricher State Park on State Route 1 3 miles North of Fort Bragg City.The park cvers nine miles of coast line with some very rugged coast line with an area of around 2300 acres and offers hiking trails,camping grounds ,tide pools with a rich flaura and fauna. A good place to relax with very good walking trails and footpaths on the sea shore with some breath taking views of the ocean . The only thing which we did not bargain for was the dirty rest rooms !

We were staying nearby with our dog so we decided to check out this park. We were pleasantly surprised to find it free for Day use. Camping was available but I can not speak to that.

The park was impressive. Very beautiful views and lots to do. Clean restrooms were available. There is a six mile beach to walk on, as well as a boardwalk that is perfect for wheel chairs or unsteady walkers like toddlers or elderly. The boardwalk meanders above tide pools and several viewing areas. There is an area to see seals and sea lions but we were there at the wrong time of the year. We were lucky enough to see a whale spouting just off shore. This would be a great viewing area for whale migration season.

You can go down steps and explore the tide pools which we did and really enjoyed. Kids would love this but it would not be suitable for young, unsteady children.

Next time we plan to bring a picnic lunch and the grandkids with toys for beach play. The water was cold and quite rough so swimming here wouldn't be a good idea but the beach has endless possibilities for fun.

No charge for day use was a perk. Took the road to the beach park all the way by the trails walked the very maintained trails looked for sea life in the tide pools and watched the waves crashing on the rocks. Loved our time there we went around 5pm most families were gone for dinner time so we had most of the beach to ourselves.

This is a great place to walk a long the coast, it has a nice boardwalk so the walk is very easy. Some days you can see whales off shore

The views were amazing. There were well kept walkways and trails for exploring the beach and watching the ground squirrels.
Can't wait to visit again.

My family and I stayed here during a recent trip to Calif. This park was really awesome! We had a tent site in the Surfwood campground. The shaded campsite was surrounded by vegetation so we had some privacy. And the foliage surrounding us was infested with swarms of hummingbirds! Flush toilets and pay showers a short walk away.
The star of the show was the beach. Long sand beach 5 mins away from our tent. Listening to the crashing waves at night, and if a nighttime stroll on the beach is your thing, you can see the lighthouse to the north. 5 minute drive to the other end of the park gets you to Laguna point and some great tidepools. The kids especially loved this.
All in all, we loved this park and will definitely go again!

One of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. The northern California Coastlines is as beautiful as they come. From the jagged cliffs, mountains in the distance, to the huge ocean swells. It just doesn't get any better.

The boardwalk right out to cliffs edge is handicapped accessible, Fantastic! Beautiful views, ocean, whales, birds. Free for day use

We recently spent a week in the Fort Bragg/Mendocino area. We went to MacKerricher State Park three out of the seven days we were there and absolutely loved each time there. The boardwalk to Laguna Point/Seal Rocks as well as other vistas is not only beautiful, it's very efficient as well.

We had read that the whales would be gone by late April/May, so we were just expecting to see the seals. Fortunately, the whales don't keep calendars and we saw them each day and they put on quite a show! The seals were plentiful, but mostly rested on the many rocks. When they were in the water, they were like otters, enjoying the swim. The views along the coast in either direction are beautiful and spectacular. Being from Indiana and its cornfields, soybeans, and wheat, it was hard to leave the park at the end of each day.

We spent a lot of time on the beautiful beaches and were genuinely surprised at the amount of shells there. We saw numerous jellyfish, many crabs that came ashore to bury themselves in the sand, starfish, and seagulls everywhere. The stars of the show each day were the whales. One day as we were at the observation post at Laguna Point, we were viewing the seals/sea lions with the binoculars. Part of the view included the ocean just beyond the rocks where the seals were resting. As I was viewing the seals a whale suddenly appeared just beyond the rocks! It was an incredible sighting without the usual spout! The whale kept up the appearances for more than an hour. In total, there were at least six whales the days we were there.

I highly recommend visiting this beautiful park. We were very pleasantly surprised how great our days were there. You will be also.

Nice place for a walk! Good views of harbor seals and the ocean, nice boardwalk which would be good for people with mobility issues or kids, and some nice trails.

We go to Fort Bragg many times each year and we have stayed several places, but something always bring us back to this state park. We camped this weekend and saw whales, seals, big buck deer and so much more. Always trails to go on and it is just beautiful.

If you go to ward ave, park at end and walk to north you can find sand dollars everywhere. It was very exciting

This great (free for day use!) area has it all; beach walking, a nice boardwalk that passes by bluffs on the coast, tide pools and an area to watch harbor seals and California sea lions... and if you're lucky - whales!

The boardwalk itself is a really nice walk and well maintained trex (and would be easily accessible to those with mobility issues who can't climb or who can't easily walk on sand) and there are wildflowers all around as you pass by the beach vistas. - Plus tons of adorable California ground-squirrels.

For those who can walk on uneven surfaces and rocks, the tide pools are awesome and we saw turban snails, hermit crabs in borrowed shells, striped shore crabs, and a cool purple starfish (ochre sea star)

On the beach, you'll see driftwood and brilliant pieces of abalone shell. - highly recommend!

Yes ⛺️ camping! Yes 47+ years!
42 family members, 20+/- bikes, 1,000 marshmallows, 500 chocolate bars,250 boxes graham crackers and priceless memories!! On 3rd generation campers!

We enjoyed our visit to MacKerricher State Park. We were welcomed by a gentleman, who gave us a summary of what we could see at the park. We drove over to the beach, which was beautiful. The views were terrific. Definitely a place to visit while one is in that area.

If you go for a day it's free. There are paved paths to explore in the wilderness. We were also able to go climbing on rocks to get closer to the ocean. My 5 and 7 year were able to keep up and really enjoyed the adventure. There are public bathrooms there but they are still portable (so pretty smelly as my kids continued to tell me). They were clean for the most part. We would definitely go back again and possibly camp there. It looked like the camp sites were pretty spread out but have bathrooms and showers.

If you haven't been to the glass beach, it's a must see. It was amazing. The view, the Beach, and the tiny bits of colored glass was so beautiful. We will definitely be coming back.

On the surface, the park is in a great location with a small lake, many secluded campsites, and nearby ocean, hikes, and bike trails. However, they also have broken showers, a gorgeous but closed and decaying trail around the lake, and rangers that either hate their jobs or are too lazy to do them. Some of them even lie. We asked one about taking our dog to Glass Beach and he vehemently told us no dogs were allowed there. So we locked our dog in the RV and went to visit only to find lots of dogs and signs saying they were allowed on leashes.

Finally, let’s talk about price. Having previously lived in CA, I know many Californians are inured to paying a lot for nothing, but this is ridiculous. For $45 a night you get an unpaved, uneven place to park and, for a couple bucks more you can have a shower. But, no electrical, water, or sewer hookups. Why is that overpriced? At Oregon State Parks for $33 a night you get a full hookup and a free shower, a paved and level site, and a beautiful and well-maintained park. Needless to say, we won’t be back to try this or any other CA state park.

We found this beach while visiting Fort Bragg. It was our favorite beach in northern California. It has nice trails to walk without the crowds of Glass beach. Plan to visit during low tide to explore the tidal pools. We could have spent all day there!

Wonderful views. Lots of picnic areas. Scenic to the max. Long easy walkway to the coast. Disability friendly.

Nice park along the ocean. Campground had some really nice spots, then a number that were like big open fields with lots of spaces, which may be good for groups. Spots under the trees were nice and more private, but oddly set up in that you had to park your camper by your vehicle, not inside by the picnic table. Convenient short walk to nice beach and a convenient dump station (for a fee). Make sure you look at directions carefully for the dump station, or you'll have to pay again if you let the hatch close between tanks.

We rented a house near the northern end of the MacKerricher beach and some of our family are runners so they enjoyed that 5 mile beach in the morning for their run. I went to the southern end of the park where they have a boardwalk to get to the tide pools and overlooks where there are colonies of seals. I so enjoyed that walk on a beautiful day. Saw many seals and checked out the tidepools, but just being able to get to these sites so easily was wonderful. I'm older and have mobility issues so was happy that they have made it accessible.

Arrived just before sunset and were given directions to the perfect viewing spot nearby. The park rangers were very helpful. Restrooms were nice and the showers were wonderful. Nice to sleep hearing the ocean waves.

Try tidepooling near the beach/boardwalk area. Lots to see during low tide. You can see anemones, starfish, urchins, and a ton of hermit crabs!

We spent most of our time at this beach on our most recent trip. It was beautiful! Not super crowded! They have an area to rinse off your body after being in the sand. There are trails to hike as well in the area. We didn’t personally take any, but I saw a few people heading out on them. Will come back to this beach on any future trips.

We hadn't heard of this place, we were just looking for a place to eat our lunch. A sign indicated that there was a state park so we pulled in. Amazing describes this low key park. There are walkways with fantastic views of the ocean. There is a point where you can easily view harbor seals playing in the ocean and on the rocks. Th e walkway was easy for all ages and levels. There is a beach and possibly overnight camping, we weren't there for that. Free entrance for the day.

Beautiful park with beach and tide pool access. We were pleasantly surprised to find that day use was free.

Make sure to check the tide charts!!! This was one of the best Tidepooling experience we had on our trip. They have a great display to help identify the animals. My kids saw almost everything on the list. We spent about 2 hours fascinated and mesmerized by the beauty. Wear appropriate footwear for slippery rocks and slow down... If you don't see anything right away be quiet and just watch - things will start to move!!! The boardwalk also offered great ocean views. Best of all - it is FREE!!

Just north of fort Bragg. Saw sea lions and a whale. Walked along the beach. Wooden walkways and viewing points. A must place to visit.

Like Jim Gaffigan said: “camping was okay till they came up with a house” This state park just isn’t pretty enough to warrant a return, camping in the dirt with no view of the ocean was a disappointment, yet I know I have plenty of friends who like this place and enjoy camping there, no if I ever come back to this area I’ll consider staying in a house for rent at Point Cabrillo

Very beautiful place. Boardwalk wonderful to see ocean and wild flowers. Will definitely be back soon.

Initially came here to explore nearby Glass Beach, but the tranquility of the park was too hard to resist. We spent a good amount of time throughout the park and along the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Not sure how many photos were taken, but left refreshed.

You can hike along the beach or up above for expansive views. We saw harbor seals and whales. The area by the parking lots were pretty busy on a Sunday early afternoon. You can easily spend a full day here. It was cool, so i would suggest a jacket or sweatshirt.

Truly amazing, visited here as a youngster and to return 30 years later with my children was amazing!!! Free for the day, campgrounds are available.
There is a nice boardwalk with three different areas to stand and take pictures at. If the tide is low, visit the tide pools - just don't take anything home!!! Saw a large sand crab while looking at the tide pools, scared me to death, didn't see any starfish. Had a blast enjoying the wonderful coastal ranges!!! Very peaceful!!! The boardwalk trail was about a mile long - definitely worth it!!!

A foggy cool day but classic for the northern coast. Nice easy walk to the overlook and down to the tide pools. Great picnic sites with wonderful views to the north.

Nice place to stop for a picnic lunch and take a walk on the well kept wood pathways or on the beach. Good spot to do some tide pooling also. You may be fortunate enough to find some sea glass!

this state park has it all -- gorgeous views, hiking trails, plenty of explorable coastline, whale viewing (in season), tide pools, camping... and all for the low, low price of FREE. yes, that's right, there is no day use fee; you pay only if you're camping there.
the park is stunning -- a wooden walkway makes it also accessible for mobility impaired, and bathrooms are clean and well-maintained. there are ranger programs that are interesting and informative -- i recommend the seal/sea lion talk highly; they even provide binoculars! -- and the little gift store at the entrance is full of fascinating hands-on stuff.
the park is peaceful and beautiful at most times of the year, and it is well worth a visit for anytime from an hour to a whole weekend. it's definitely a gorgeous way to experience the beautiful Mendocino coast.

Have driven by this park many times but had not ever turned off highway to explore. While doing laundry at a Ft. Bragg laundry mat, we met a lady who worked at the park. She told us to be sure to see the park. The drive into the state park is paved and leads to a lovely oceanside viewing area. Nothing not to like nice area to walk and enjoy natures beauty.

Love this park. The photo opps were wonderful. Camping is great also. I will return when I can. Beautiful scenery.

I love this Park. I often just go to the park to walk around, however this past weekend my friend and I camped there. An annual adventure. It is hard to get a reservation, but so worth it. There are flush toilets and showers as needed. It is close to the beach. The people that camp there respect the rules. No one was too noisy and were really nice. Saturday afternoon my church sent about 25 people over for dinner. We had a nice campfire where people could roast their dinner. Everyone left before 8pm, so we did not interrupt other campers either. I love being able to watch the surf from my favorite campsite. There is a great old logging road for nice long walks or bike rides. There is also the boardwalk out to where the seals like to hang out. Great for families. Pretty pet friendly as well.

We arrived at MacKerricher park. There are bathroom accommodations to the left as we arrived. We followed the boardwalk to the ocean. It was well maintained and an easy walk. At the end were were greeted by Sam, volunteer with state parks. He was very informative. The park supplied binoculars so you could watch the harbor seals. The harbor seals were sunning themselves to balance out their body temperature. One whale was spotted off shore. There are also paths off the boardwalk that will take you along the bluffs. This is dog friendly and easy access for most disabled persons. We really enjoyed our visit.

we really love this state park there are plenty of trails to explore and gorgeous ever changing coastline to explore

A beautiful beach as well as a boardwalk trail to the headlands. Migrating whales and seals visible when in season.

On our yearly trip to Fort Bragg we decided to visit MacKerricher State Park and we were very happy. the weather was mid-70's; met lots of nice people with dogs, had a nice walk on their walkways to the ocean; and saw some seals. Just a short trip from Fort Bragg. Great to take the kids. Be safe and go down to the whirlpools.

You won't be able to get under this boardwalk, but you won't want to. This is a good walking spot and at the end of the trail is an observation deck on which you can see and hear the sea lions and harbor seals sunning themselves on the rocks and/or swimming in groups.

At the park entrance there is a whale skeleton which washed ashore several decades ago and an interactive learning center. There is a board walk out to Laguna Point for whale watching, seal veiwing, shore birds, guide pools and people watching. Signs explain about indigenous peoples lives, plants and animals. A trail around the lake is usually passable but can be muddy or slick in wet months CAUTION for poison oak in addition to the numerous native and invasive species along with some really BIG peanut butter sports and their georgous orb webs a top the vegetation. The lake is stocked and fishable with your California fishing license (unless under age and a license is not yet required). Great year round activity,p. Wear layers and sunscreen (you can get sunburned when it is foggy). There are camping facilities and free day use entrance to the park and parking.

Quick stop on my way from Portland to SoCal. Beautiful scenery, clean, well maintained campground. Lots to see and do nearby.

We enjoyed anoth visit to this park. Been visiting for years. I've camped and simply visited for the day. Its easy to lose track of time watching the ocean, whale watching and cruising the tide pools.
My only disappointment is seeing the trash some of us leave behind. Eh hem...people please, if you pack it in, pack it out and dispose of it properly.

We stopped here to check out the beach. The walk from the parking lot is short and the coast is beautiful. I loved it.

Super nice boardwalk that anyone should be able to manage. A meandering stroll through a pretty grassland, past some ancient looking pine trees, rolly-polly little ground squirrels, a beautiful coastline. There's a colony of seals sunning themselves on a rock just off the coast. People who are agile and sure footed can get down on the rocks and explore the tide pools. Amazing

We walked from the Pudding Creek Trestle along the haul road, stopping at various beaches along the way, until we got to the whale watching platform at MacKerricher Point.
Whales were not plentiful on this particular day, but we did see a number of spouts and two or three full tails. Lots of seals near the shore, appearing to have as much fun watching us as we had watching them. And lots of shells, including abalone pieces, to look at along the shoreline.
Easy access, comfortable boardwalks, viewing platforms, and restrooms. A great place to spend the afternoon!

We love walking this boardwalk after dinner, around sunset. Pretty views, seals to see, and friendly squirrels!

This is a great place to walk around and enjoy the ocean. Walk the board walk then head down to the tide pools. Good place to watch the sunset also. Highly recommend a visit to the park.

There were no RV spots, but upon entering we found an empty site in the walk-in section, which we were allowed to stay one night in. It is a beautiful spacious park with a nice handicap accessible walking trail to watch the whales and dolphins. $45 a night with no E/W/S.

Stopped at this park briefly over the 4th of July weekend. Did the boardwalk to the Harbor Seal rookery. Loved the ocean views from the beach and boardwalk. Saw a small group of seals resting on a distant rock.

Visited looking for dog friendly trails. Ranger was very pleasant and helpful making suggestions at other parks as well. Did the 5 miles round trip on the asphalt trail from Fort Bragg to McKerricher which I wouldn't recommend for dogs in the summer due to the rough asphalt and heat. But there was adequate shoulder for the dogs to walk on. Once at the park the views are spectacular and the facilities very well maintained.

Very nice state park with a boardwalk to the cliffs overlooking the beach. Very cool to wind your way through the many different trees.

The wooden walkway makes it easy to stroll along & stop to enjoy the views. Take a moment to read the helpful signs that have been added to the point lookout decks. Great bits of trivia & history can be found on each of them.
Give yourself plenty of time to visit the tide-pools! Hermit crabs, starfish, birds, sea anemones, seals are just some of the residents you'll find there. Please remember to leave them there, it's their home & they like where they live.
Bring binoculars so you can scan the sea for any of the larger residents!
Be prepared for the wind, it is the Coast.
As of the writing of this, April 2017, not many camping spots open. The area took a pretty big hit from storms over Winter. Lots of activity cleaning up & repairing the damages so I'm hopeful they will open more spots as Summer gets closer.
Enjoy this park, whatever you choose to do here.

Great area for looking at tide pools, there are a ton of little crabs and sea anemone. Seals can be seen here at times too. Nice place to take a walk.

Cool decks to walk on and free day use parking. We saw a whale at a look out point. Great panorama views. There is a ten mile walk but it started to rain so we didn't take that path. Totally worth a stop. The campsites looked pretty good too.

The boardwalk out to the cliffs is very easy for anyone. The scenery is wonderful. lots of little creatures like the chipmunks scurrying around.It's a very easy place to go and watch the ocean without walking forever in the sand. We take a picnic and sit at the beach at the parking lot and read and relax and people watch for hours.

There is a boardwalk to different lookouts, on one we saw harbor seals. There is a nice beach to swim at or to relax on. Did not get to the visitors center.

I've visited beaches from San Diego to Crescent City, and while each one has its own personality and attractions, MacKerricher stands out as particularly dazzling gem in a basket of beauties. It's not just the physical beauty of the place, either; there's a palpable atmosphere to it that's just delightful. It's peaceful, yet it's exciting. Hard to explain; you need to experience it for yourself.

Our family and dog enjoyed a quick pit stop to this beach & boardwalk trail. Like many others in the area, there is no entrance fee. It’s a beautiful stretch of coastline and the beaches are perfect for exploring.

I suppose the fact that it's free for day visitors tells you it's a good park to enjoy the sea, but not a stellar experience. Nonetheless, nice beach. Good walking trails

After many visits to Fort Bragg, this small park continues to intrigue and excite. A wonderful boardwalk leads down from the main parking lot, with a semi-dense forest to the left and beautiful views of the ocean and beachfront town to the right. The boardwalk quickly opens up to an isolated rocky beach, where tidepooling is a rewarding must do. There is also a large stretch of beach adjacent to the parking lot, where one can find a nice place to relax and watch the marvelous ocean. Never too crowded, a very worthwhile stop for anyone visiting Fort Bragg.

This place is amazing. The views are spectacular. The boardwalk is wonderful but can be a bit tight with lots of people and dogs. We didn't camp just used day use with the dogs. Great place to walk and picnic!

Although the weather was never sunny our entire visit, this beach was one of the highlights of our time on the Northern California coast. There are lots of boardwalk accessible trails but don’t feel you have to stay on them. Hop off at any point onto one of the many connecting dirt trails and go off the beaten path (so to speak) where you’ll find more solitude, lots of cool rocks, hidden beaches, tide pools, and harbor seals. We saw anemone, sea stars, periwinkles, and lots of hermit crabs. Bring lunch and spend the day exploring all the hidden nooks in this fabulous park!

Stunning boardwalk hike including a small beach. Appreciated that we could bring our dog. Picturesque views.

Nice black sand beach. Beautiful rugged coast line! Even though we couldn't make it during the lowest tide, we still got to see a few tide pools with tons of hermit crabs, anemones, and urchins. Great boardwalk to tide pool area.

Camping, day use and a boardwalk leading to the rocky shore make this a place you can enjoy for hours. You can see birds and wildlife, visit the tide pools and take great pictures. Very educational, too!

Be sure to go there when the tide is almost out. I have watched and kids really love it. Sort of an outdoor science class. Be VERY careful, the rocks and seaweed are slippery.

Bring a good jacket unless your traveling in the fall which is the least windy time to visit, or so they say. The park is stunningly beautiful, though can be crowded at times at the beach.

We always picnic here and just love to watch the waves crash into the beach. We saw many sea birds while there and always are glad we came.

rViews are spectacular, sign say San Andreas fault 10 mikes off shire. You may see some sea lions . The beach is black sand, and there are some agate treasures to be had.

I love that we were able to take my handicapped mother to this Park. I am please with the boardwalk type walk way that is in the park. The weather is always cool and pleasant.

We only took the boardwalk hike, which on our day was extremely windy. But the views were beautiful! There are many more paths available to take, both right off the main boardwalk trail and on the other side of the parking lot. This park has campsites as well as beach access/paths, and we saw plenty of young deer with their mamas as we drove out.

This is a spot where you can spend quite a bit of time. The ocean is awesome and the walking areas are safe and clean. Interesting facts to find out about.

The State Park is very beautiful and the people working there are super friendly and dog-friendly. Drive up north a piece and come to Ten Mile River and bridge. Get your camera ready.

The coastal scenery is simply beautiful! I could not see enough of it. Well maintained trails lead the way to the beach and there were also good signs explaining the local plants and birds.

We were greeted at the gate by friendly and helpful Rangers. The place way packed with a long line waiting to get in but the Rangers were so helpful. We followed the driving instruction the ranger gave and found parking right away. Beautiful walk to the cliffs and tide pools. Some are easily accessible and some are steep and difficult to access, but all the beachs and tide pools are excellent!! If your adventurous, you can climb out on the penninsula for a nice shower from he waves crashing on the rocks. Oh, I forgot, we were greeted by squrrels Everywhere...! There are signs everywhere asking that you not feed the wildlife but most squirrels we saw were very fat, so I'm guessing not everyone follows this rule... ;-)

There is a small fresh water lake in the park where we saw several kids fishing. The camp ground is spread out over a large area, so nothing looks too cramped. There is no day use fee but camping spots are a different story. You must book camp sites early during the summer months because this place fills up fast.

I would never have discovered the MacKerricher State Park if I wasn't hoping for a gray whale sighting. During whale migration season, they have free whale talks before giving guests directions of the best spots to try to spot them. We missed the talk but did drive to the wheelchair accessible Laguna Point Boardwalk to some overlooks in hopes of being rewarded with some tail slaps or breaches. Unfortunately it was not to be, but the easy hike along the ocean side passed some viewing platform with informative panels and a tide pool area was a peaceful respite and a nice consolation.

The trail is a loop where you can experience both the ocean views and the grasslands or you can choose to go out and back the same way along the ocean.

To get to the trailhead, from Highway One, three miles north of Fort Bragg, turn west at the MacKerricher State Park entrance sign onto MacKerricher State Park Road. After you pass the entrance station turn left at Mill Creek Road to the trailhead at road’s end where there is a parking lot.

Breathtaking ocean views, great trails and easy hikes. We enjoyed all the coves and tide pools. This would be an excellent spot for whale watching. We toured the campground but didn't stay here. The sites are mostly small, our 32 foot RV would not fit here.

This place is breathtakingly beautiful. The boardwalk was so easy to use and the look out areas are awesome. My dog and I even went down to the tide pools via steps rather than down a trail!

I just went for the day, but camping is available. The park is bordered by a super long beach to the north, and craggy rugged points to the south. If you are driving north on vacation it's a good place to get out, stretch your legs, and smell the salt air.

While staying at Fort Bragg I had some extra time and drove to the State Park. I'm so glad I did. Beautiful place to walk along the coast on a boardwalk. I saw seals and several whale spouts.

My wife and I took our daughters here and we had a great time walking along the trail. We went to the furthest point lookout and had a great view of the ocean! This was made even better by the many whales we able to see. The kids would go nuts each time they were able to see a tail come out and splash in the water! Plus, in the tide pools below we were able to watch a sea lion play in the surf! Great place to enjoy the majesty of the sea.

Always love staying here because of the proximity to the beach. They could use an update to their bathrooms-several of the showers were broken the week we stayed here.

We read some reviews that indicated this park was a redwood park. It's not.

This park goes have amazing beaches and coastline walking trails. Most of the trails are covered in walking boardwalks which makes them easy and comfortable strolls.

The squirrels are too friendly as a result of visitors feeding them. It makes for cute pictures. Enjoy!

A very well managed State Park with numerous camping sites, right on the coast. Very good stop for family camping.

5 day stay under the trees- lots of shade, can hear the sea, protected from the wind. Nice fire pit, and picnic table. Good showers and toilets. Will go back.

Very cool walk through garden that will take you to some spectacular views of the ocean and surrounding area

The squirrels approach and follow you. They are not afraid of humans. What a wonderful sequel this would be to Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” I noticed some people feeding the squirrels. Are you really supposed to be feeding the wildlife at a state park? Where are the signs to inform and educate the visitors to do otherwise? Anyway, the boardwalk trail is really nice. Harbor seals and tidal pools abound. This is a good visit for people of all ages. Just be aware of those squirrels.

The park is free for day use. The ranger at the gate was friendly and helpful; she gave us a map and explained where to go, where to park, and where things are.
The boardwalk makes it for an easy hike. There are lookout spots all along the walk with information posted around the lookout. The best part in my opinion was the tide pools. I suppose you'd need it be there during low tide to be able to see the beauty we got to see. You have to take stairs down to the beach and walk around the rock formations that are covered with sea grass. If you stop and look into one tide pool for a while, you'll discover life that usually hides and is not noticeable at a quick glance.
I got to see crabs, baby star fish, anemone, hermit crabs, fish, etc. I was enchanted and spent a while walking around, stopping and looking into different tide pools.

My favorite part of this park is the history of the logging in the area and the MacKerricher family that the park is named after. It was low tide on a sunny summer afternoon when we stopped at the park. There were many families enjoying the black sand beach, the walkways, and perusing the tide pools. There are public toilets, which are always nice when you are traveling.

Visiting this state park was a fun way to spend some time outdoors even in the cooler weather. I quite enjoyed the different views of the ocean and cliffs depending on where the path led you. I highly recommend MacKerricher State Park for its beautiful views!!

We visited the park for only a day and walked the wooden boardwalk at the point. Great views of the ocean and nice places to sit and rest along the way. We drove through the campsite area, most sites were close together but a few offered some privacy. We'd visit again if we were passing by.

There is so much more to this park than we could get to in the five hours we had to explore here. It is definitely worth a return trip when we're in the area.
We accessed the park at the Laguna Point area and walked along the boardwalk, then bluff trails, and explored the tide pools along rocky shores. Magnificent. To sit and watch the harbor seals sun themselves is amazing. It can be windy and chilly so dress in layers.

I've been coming up here since childhood ( I'm 68). Just north of Fort Bragg, CA, MacKerricher is a wonderful, quiet coastal park and campground. The highlight though for me are the incredible tide pools that are rich in marine life; nudibranchs, octopi and more.

Spent some time at this wonderful park. Excellent access for those with disabilities. Great views of excellent scenery and wildlife.

Beautiful beach, picnic tables and a great boardwalk out to viewing areas. We saw multiple whales spouting and enjoyed the coastal views!

Easy parking for a beautiful stroll along the ocean on a perfect boardwalk. Plenty of areas to see tidepools and sea lions. You can picnic and walk and have ocean views or even stick your toes in the water if you dare to do so. This place is beautiful.

Lovely parts of the coastline an easy 5 minute walk along a boardwalk led us to a viewing area where we met Sam a volunteer with the local team. Very nice chap explained about the Whales and was a nice guy to chat with. Loaning of binoculars was particularly helpful if you flew and decided bringing your own would be heavy

Great place and a fun place to see Whales and seals at Zero cost. Highly recommended

Park is right on the ocean. Camped here between Christmas and New years for years. Cooked fresh crab with ocean water on the campfire...Awesome

We were exploring the California coast and decided to stop at this state park based on wheelchair accessibility. We entered at Cleone where the visitor center and campgrounds are located. There was a small entrance fee- I think it was $8/car. We parked at Laguna Point and walked the .6 mile accessible boardwalk along the bluff overlooking the rocky beach below. It was a cool and foggy morning and there was hardly anyone there. Visibility was poor, but the fog hushed the sound of the surf and it was very tranquil. There are tide pools visible below the viewpoints but they aren't accessible by wheelchair. We saw squirrels, rabbits and many waterfowl, but no seals or whales. Wildflowers were plentiful. Next we walked down the Haul Road Trail, the remains of an old roadbed that hugs the coast for several miles. We followed it about 1.5 miles to the south and it's paved, but the asphalt is disintegrating so the going was rough in some places. There was a restroom available at the parking area. We enjoyed exploring the coastal dunes and spent about 90 minutes at the park before we had to continue our journey.

Goodness, the park has changed, especially this year. The "haul road" is completely washed around the parking and camping area. Sand all over. This trip, the road to the day use area and the boardwalk was closed...too much damage. Lots of flooding in the campground sites. Going to be a long time before the park will be back to good use, if at all. So much repair to be done. An extremely popular park...lots of folks will be disappointed this summer.

This is a fantastic park. There are trek deck walkways to three or four different viewing platforms. There is ample parking and restrooms along with picnic tables. If you like to tide pool this is your beach. Day use admission is free. There is a sand beach and several rocky beaches. You may see harbor seals, sea lions ad deer. Visit at the right time in the spring and you will see migrating whales. A little slice of heaven on the central coast. Come and enjoy.

To begin, Fort Bragg is not a charming town...it’s dirty, and has high crime rates, and it’s cold and so cloudy/foggy in the summer. Not a destination. But this park is a great stop on your way somewhere else. We walked out in the water to explore tide pools. Saw anemone, crabs and a starfish. Spent maybe 2 hours and had fun. And the best part was that it was easy and quick to get down to the beach here. There are also large rocks to climb, kids enjoyed that too.

Like the title says, this place is huge, but is organized very well to maintain a sense of nature. There are some excellent tide pools in the area, and Fort Bragg's attractions are all well within reach.

We love MacKerricher! When our children were little, we ca,e here to camp. Now we sleep in real beds, but still visit the park. Day Use is free and allows visitors to stay until 10:00 p.m.

Stop in for a day or a couple of weeks. This park just gets better and better. We enjoyed watching the harbor seals. Early October is the wrong time of year for the gray whales, but people were spotting humpbacks and even an occasional blue while we were there. We're going back to see what we can see.

After a long day of navigating US101 and CA1, it was great to sit on the rocks and watch and listen to the ocean roar in. It was foggy, but still so beautiful.

It is really sad that they don't maintain the beaches at this park anymore. Access isn't easy for those with a handicap. They also took the rentals away from the pond where people use to fish. The boardwalk is a nice walk but very over crowded at times. Along with difficult access to get off the board walk and walk around. The stairs to the area to explore are also difficult to maneuver if you have multiple littles or are older with handicaps.

Every year we take a trip to the coast with the family for a week. It’s absolutely beautiful there. The do have this one Ranger Zack that made the stay very uncomfortable. We’ve been going to this park for over 20 years and never had any issues in the past. But apparently this Ranger was running around not just to my site, but the majority of the sites talking very rudely to everyone. It’s a shame they have people like this that work in the public and should have to attend some sort of people skills course. He literally left a message on my phone hoping I get a ticket. Unreal!!!

We were there when the weather was not that great. The tide was pretty high so we did not see the seals in the morning. The boardwalk to the viewing area is very nice. There was a volunteer out there to help find seals. Nice visitor center with very informative volunteers. We returned again later in the day, lower tide, and saw seals and enjoyed the park again.

This was a friendly campground. It's employees, volunteers, and visitors were all very personable. Clear short walking trails to the beach that were conveniently located.

We have visited MacKerricher twice. Once in the winter when the whales and seals were more abundant, and once in the summer. We love the long board walk and the beach area, and the viewing spots out on the rocks. It is one of the best viewing places that we have found. Next time, we will bring chairs and stay longer. The photographs are amazing. Of course, in this coastal area, you couldn't take a bad picture.

This park was very welcoming and pet friendly. We walked the boardwalk out along the bluffs which were outstanding. Then we walked the trail/boardwalk combo around the small lake and thoroughly enjoyed the flora and fauna. Folks in the nature center were very friendly.

We went with my son's class in the evening. We went straight to the tidepools so didn't see much else, but the tidepools we excellent.

MacKerricer has something for everyone. There are beautiful trails, a gorgeous beach and many varieties of wildlife.

This is a very extensive park where you can hike for miles ... lots of camping as well. The boardwalk provides some wonderful views. Quite popular so weekends can get quite crowded. DO NOT miss the famous blue whale skeleton ... it is right at the entrance and we almost missed it till I asked a ranger and she pointed it out! Interesting history as to how it got there.

Love this place! There is a full boardwalk which is perfect for strollers and wheelchairs, restrooms on site and historic markers. Beautiful views and the seals hang out on the off shore rock beds awesome place to watch the sunset! Beaches and cliff views great hiking if u decide to step off the boardwalk. One of the best places we visited on our trip.

We visited a number of state parks in Mendocino County and this was by far our favorite! Day entry was free and it was easy to find parking. The park features a long boardwalk trail that goes through a meadow and forest with views of the Pacific. It was very easy to walk on and there were a number of vista points along the way. The park was very clean and had a fair number of visitors midweek. Beautiful scenery!

A lake, a point thrusting far out into a raging ocean, seals AND sea lions, miles and miles of trails, as ten mile long beach, sand dunes ... within walking distance of a great little town. This park has it all.

We only did the walk way to the three look out points and short walk to check out tide pools. Very informative park ranger was at the seal watch with binoculars which was a nice surprise.

This coast is spectacular, and the fog just added a mysterious layer to the experience. The hike along the cliffs is easy, and the views are spectacular.

I came here on my last full day in town & the walking path here is designed for everyone to enjoy the views

Beautiful place to take a walk or ride a bike, just north of Glass Beach, much smaller crowd, a family environment.

The trails here are lovely and quite easy. Level, many wheel chair accessible and lots of benches. walk to the end of the trail to see seals. We have seen eagles here fishing and sometimes whales. There is also good birding at the lake. Also a nice beach.

What a beautiful place to visit and see the rugged shores of Fort Bragg. The pathways are off the ground and well maintained. They definitely spent some money to keep the coastline undamaged and usable.

There is a lot to see and if you are lucky, you can catch some whales cruising through. Notably, there a lot of ground squirrels that are very human friendly. Don't feed them! Just enjoy their "cuteness."

We spent a good amount of time here, looking at the ocean watching the crashing waves and looking for sea otters. You have several opportunities to get up close to the ocean. The tide pools were not great for us, maybe we visited at the wrong time. We got a lot of great video.

Really enjoyed walking my dogs on the boardwalk. Good information at the ocean overlooks about all the wild life. It's just beautiful and I prefer it to glass beach. The park is very large so if you want to spend the entire day there you could. Camping is also available. The ranger at the gate was so friendly I was astounded at how helpful and nice he was.

The man at the gate was very helpful about where we should go in the park as day visitors. There are miles of beach, and a lovely boardwalk with several vista points to view the sea life and waves crashing on the rocks. It is a beautiful place to experience the power of nature.

All-around nice facility. Good parking, a beach to the right and the boardwalk to the left. The restrooms are not dreadful. We skipped the beach and only did the boardwalk along the bluffs. I was pleased that there were no "stay on the boardwalk" signs, so one could drop off at any point and follow the narrow trails through the tall grass to the rocky shore.
We spent about an hour on the rocks peering into the extensive network of tidepools. Strangely, we saw little animal life. Lots and lots of various seaweed, but few crabs, fish and things that move.
There are helpful docents mingling about, and one pointed out a whale blow, which I surely would've missed without his help.

The boardwalk offers stations (decks) to view sea lions and whales when in season.Also access to the tidal pools.

one of our favorite places if not our favorite in ft bragg. TIde pools are awesome. Great to place to relax and admire Gods creation.Great place for camping or day use. If in Ft Bragg and never been here highly recommend you stop by..

My wife and I decided to visit the park because we heard they had a upgrade in one of their trails. It had a trail that easy to walk and wheelchair accessable. The trails led to different points of interest with benches to rest on. It was a easy stroll throughout the trail.

We loved hiking the boardwalk and spent a great deal of time at Laguna Point watching the seals bobbing about in the waves. The park is clean and the trails well marked.

Mac Kerricher State Park boasts a seal viewing platform, hiking trails, camping and picnicking areas!
And get ready for this.....you can visit for day use free!
I haven't camped there, so I don't know what the camping fee is.

Great little boardwalk with info stations. Great views. Hung out at the beach. Lots of tidepools. The bike path is great.

Amazing coastline and great boardwalk. Seals (and pups in April May) and maybe you'll see some whales too. No charge for day visitors.

We always make sure we hit MacKerricher, and this year did not disappoint.
We believe we saw 13 different whales this year, which was a special treat, and a great spot to take an evening stroll.

Take time to walk out the boardwalk. Fantastic views. Ease of access and well taken care of. Wheel chair accessible.

This is sad that the State doesn’t improve this park and make the camping sites compatible with modern RV’s. With very little effort they could move the logs back so longer rigs could enjoy the park. Oregon by comparison has beautiful well maintained parks and campgrounds that surpasses those in our state in every way. The beach is nice and a part of it is dog friendly.

Beautiful and relaxing place to be. One of our favorite places to visit when we are in Fort Bragg/Mendocino.

Beautiful stop. Tons of hiking and biking trails along a gorgeous part of the norcal coast. Don't miss the boardwalk, interpretive trail that ends at a harbor seal sunning area. Beautiful wild flowers and a bird watchers haven.

Day visits are free, we walked the board walk and the views were amazing. It was worth the stop. The rangers were very helpful and friendly. We didn’t get to see any whales, but we did see sea lions.

We arrived mid-afternoon, without a reservation, were fortunate to find an ample selection of available tent campsites to choose from, and the only sounds at our site were the pounding ocean waves. Sites equipped with above-ground food storage box (bring your own lock), fire pit, and picnic table. The tent pad was flat and large enough for our three-person tent, bathrooms with showers a short distance away, and Lake Cleone also close by. Trail to the beach was an easy walk, and thankfully clean, especially after a long holiday weekend. Weather was sunny and warm (cool at night); we were surprised there were so few people at this park, fee seemed higher than we remembered for a state park.

I've been coming to MacKerricher for 30+ years and the park is beautiful. Before this last trip I would have given it 5 stars without hesitation. Unfortunately this past weekend when I camped there with family I encountered two of of the rudest rangers (possibly humans!) I have ever met. The man in particular was downright nasty to me when I asked about our options for campsites. If his goal was humiliating me, he succeeded - I was shaken for the first 2 days of our trip. I really hope management begin monitoring their staff, as it is a shame for such a beautiful place to be clouded by mean spirited people.

The 5 mile route took us an hour each way. The waterfall at the farthest point is a pleasant photo opportunity but not worth the walk if that's your sole ambition. The walk itself is pleasant enough and largely trouble free even in unsuitable footwear. The redwoods are not at their best here.

Lots of great camping spots. There are trails for biking and walking within the park and along the coastal area. Beautiful views of the ocean and coastline.

We were in town for a family wedding and had a few hours to spare. We drove into the park, expecting to pay a fee, but were pleasantly surprised that day use was free. We walked along the boardwalk and viewed the beautiful scenery, saw some seals (or were they sea lions?), birds, and squirrels. Wish we had had longer!

Fun day love the tide pools. Seals were there. Beautiful scenery. Trails are easy and wheelchair accessible.

This is an outstanding shore line ocean experience. Not your typical sandy beach there is beach but lots of moss covered rock. Acces is easy because of the wooden walkways.
There are no day use fees and there is a California state park very near the beach

fantastic park and great for a lovely walk along the ocean. Most folks are preoccupied going to Glass Beach don't waste your time go here.

Wonderful day despite the grey sky. We first started with the boardwalk, which was a nice walk with easy access and great views of the ocean and we had fun looking at the tide pools. There are also a few picnic tables, which was handy.
We then followed with a great hike along the sand dunes, that are a little further north of the park. Beautiful beach and quite a few seashells. Also got very nice pictures of the dunes. the park entrance was free the day we went.
I would highly recommend this park.

Don't go to Fort Bragg without spending at least an hour or two here. There are well maintained boardwalks that traverse along the cliffs giving you great views of the ocean. If your lucky, you'll also be treated to excellent what watching here. Although July isn't high time for whale spottings, we did see one in the distance.

This is a great place to bring your kids. Lots of beautiful land and sea scapes and easy walking. Bring a coat as even in the Summer and can be breezy and chilly. There is one area where you can walk down the stais to see the tide pools. Make sure you have tennis shoes or water shoes so you can walk around the rocks and the pools. There is so much to see here.

Nice bathrooms there at the start of the walkway and the parking lot.

After completing your walk, stop by the car and get your towel and sunscreen and proper shoes for a stroll on the beach. Beautiful beach and good waves crashing in. Dogs are OK on a leash here.
After you

It's great fun and exhilarating to stroll along the path that runs by the beach and going on to the sand and rocks .Lots of interesting bird life

Beautiful views, great hiking around the park, long boardwalk through a good portion of the park for those disabled, sea lions, tide pools, sand, an loads of sea shells!

I work for State Parks and am partial to seeing many of the parks we have in the system. I remind people the walking trails especially along boardwalks are for enjoying the scenery without doing damage to the surroundings. STAY ON THE BOARDWALK, and do not jump off to get a quick Pix. Be aware hundreds of people doing this ruin the environment for our future.

Not very far from Fort Bragg and lots of things to do, or stay in camp and let the world go. Great tide pools, lots of beach, beautiful sunsets. Bring your bikes and ride along the ocean road. Great place for kids!!!

MacKerricher State Park is a great place to camp. During the warmer months you need to reserve early to get a spot. We like camping in the off season, it's much easier getting a campsite close to the beach. Lot's of walking and viewing available. Good small sites for walk in or bike riders.

by on a Monday morning to check out the park. Day use was free that day. The main attraction for us is exploring the tide pools, which are thriving withe numerous species of plant and animal life. Beautiful ocean views and easy board walkway access. A must see!

Peaceful trip! Nice paved walking path through park, great bicycling, dog walking, etc. Walk in sites perfect for recluse visits. Sites all appeared maintained.

Take a stroll along the beach, peer into tide pools, scan the horizon for migrating whales, spend a night camping or just take in the sea air on the edge of the Pacific. This is a lovely park with not just the ocean vistas but a lagoon with ducks and egrets, a raised wooden walking path one can traverse along the bluffs and through a meadow, hidden campsites and benches for taking in the best of Mother Nature. Good for families, couples and singles.