Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2
A Two-Day Tour to Mendocino
A trip to Mendocino will take you along the rugged
coastline of northern California, through wild
and unspoiled country, to a small picturesque
town that was once a logging village. It became
a haven for artists in the 1950s, and was so well
restored that it was declared an historic
monument. Inland there are valleys with forests of
redwood trees, best seen from the “Skunk Train” out
of Fort Bragg, 10 miles (16 km) north of Mendocino.
Mendocino
1
29
Tomales Bay
2
,
one of California's
prime oyster
growing
estuaries. Beyond
the bay the road
winds inland for 30
miles (48 km) through
the dairy farms of west
Marin County, returning
to the coast at Bodega
Bay
3
, where Alfred
Hitchcock filmed
The
Birds
in 1962.
Point Arena
253
101
Hopland
Coastal redwoods
Russian River and Fort Ross
North of Bodega Bay, Hwy 1
continues along the Pacific
coastline, reaching the wide
mouth of the Russian River at
Jenner
4
, where there is a broad
beach. Guerneville, the area's
main town, lies up the river. The
road climbs up the steep
switchback of the Jenner Grade
high above the Pacific, where
you can stop to admire the
views. On a windswept
headland 12 miles (19 km) north
of Jenner you will find the Fort
Ross State Historic Park
5
, a
restored Russian fur trading
outpost that stood from 1812
until it was closed in 1841. The
original house of the fort's last
Western Marin to
Bodega Bay
Start the trip north by crossing
Golden Gate Bridge and then
continue on US 101 through
southern Marin County
(see
pp162-3)
. At Mill Valley take a
turn west on to Hwy 1, which
climbs up the 1,500-ft-high
(450-m) coastal hills then hugs
the coast through Stinson
Beach. At the town of Point
Reyes Station
1
, you can
detour left and follow the road
leading to Point Reyes National
Seashore
(see p162),
which takes
about two hours. Hwy 1
continues along the edge of
101
Guerneville
Jenner
Bodega
Bay
1
0 meters
0 yards
20
10
Key
Tour route
Other road
Johnson's Beach at Guerneville, on the Russian River
River
For additional map symbols
see back flap
