Imagine going to a beautiful beach and seeing smoothed pieces of glass decorate the entire coastline. As far as one’s eyes can see, the sand is littered with small, vibrant, and colorful pieces of history. What was once a dumpsite is now a national treasure for everyone to discover.
This is what travelers can experience at Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California. The beach is littered with smooth-colored sea glass that has been refined by crashing waves for decades now.
History Behind Glass Beach:
The way the beach was created was quite unique. In 1906, San Francisco experienced a 7.9 magnitude earthquake, killing thousands, and destroying many businesses in and out of the city. Mendocino County, a town about 150 miles South of San Francisco, experienced the 1906 earthquake as well. Many houses, logging plants, and other buildings were destroyed during the quake. In order to clean up all the debris, the locals thought it would be best to dump it in the ocean. During this time, there were no dumping sites like there are today so they created their own.
The thinking behind it was the trash and anything else that had been destroyed, would go into the sea never to be seen again, but that was not the case. All the trash stayed on the coastline, constantly getting crushed by waves and other debris. Eventually, they created three different dumpsites, and even after the earthquake, the people in the town dumped their trash and other belongings into the ocean.
It was not until the 1970s that the North Coast Regional Water Quality Board and Congress stepped in to stop the trash dump and started cleanup efforts. People had to remove everything from cars and machinery to everyday garbage that would go into a trash can.
Why Glass Is There?:
During the cleanup efforts, it was almost impossible to clean up the small pieces of trash. Broken glass and other small artifacts were too small and very difficult to collect. Since they were left on the shores, the crushing waves naturally broke down the glass into smaller pieces, smoothed them out in the process, and left them on the coastline for anyone to see.
Where Visitors Can Find Glass:
For the travelers who want to know where to find the glass, this is the perfect spot. Once one enters Fort Bragg, the most simple way to get to Glass Beach is by turning onto West Elm Street, continuing onto Noyo Point Road, and parking in a parking lot near the coastline. The park area is not the biggest so plan accordingly, because it may be filled upon arrival. It is a slight walk to the stairway but definitely within eyesight.
This access point, also known as Site 2 and the middle site has a good amount of glass left on the shores. The long stairway down to the coastline makes it easy for anyone to access. The second access point is slightly harder to get to but will have fewer people and less glass on the shores. One can walk to Noyo Headlands Trail, formerly called Noyo Point Road which is south of Glass Beach. It is a very relaxing spot to enjoy for those who do not want to be bothered. The 3rd and final access point, which was the original dumpsite, can only be accessed by kayak, unfortunately. For those willing to make the difficult journey are left with a more colorful and undisturbed coastline.
All three access points have glass on them but vary in difficulty to get to and the quantity of glass pieces.
Dangers:
As beautiful as Glass Beach is, it still comes with a few dangers for civilians. A question many have asked is if it is safe to swim in the ocean around Glass Beach. Unfortunately, swimming here is rather dangerous as not all the glass has been smoothed out in the water. There are still plenty of shards being circulated through the ocean and the possibility of getting cut by glass in water is rather high so it is advised not to swim here.
The process of smoothing and refining the glass takes decades as one crash of a wave will not automatically change the shape of the sea glass. The other danger is the tide changes rather quickly in the area. Keep your eyes peeled for any changes in tide or any other dangers that may be present in the area.
Activities:
There are plenty of activities to do in Fort Bragg. If one wants to learn more about the history behind the beach, one can go to the Sea Glass Museum, located within Fort Bragg. In this shop, there are thousands of beach glass pieces displayed that anyone can look at. People back then threw away beer and soda bottles, as well as valuable pieces of china which is where the different colored glass comes from. The most common pieces of glass are colored brown(beer bottles) and white(soda bottles).
The rare glass colors are from the china or pottery where one can see vibrant pinks, reds, and blues. If one finds a red piece of glass, they are incredibly lucky as they are extremely rare nowadays. One person you will learn about, most likely, at the museum is Captain Cass Forrington. Over his time as a captain and now being retired, he has collected over 150 thousand pieces of sea glass. He has found an abundance of unique and rare glass. Some have uranium in the glass making it glow under black light.
Can you take the Sea Glass?:
As of today, there is a debate over whether or not it is legal for one to take pieces of glass from the beaches. Technically, no law prohibits one from taking glass from the beach, but there are discussions of putting policies in place that would try to stop people from taking glass. This has led to some divide within the county and beyond it, as some see it as preserving this masterpiece for generations to come whereas the other side believes they should be able to take some physical memories back with them, beyond pictures.
Other Information:
If one is planning to go to Glass Beach, the best time of year to go is after high tide, during a full moon, and either in the spring or fall. If one wants to see more beaches, one can go along the picturesque trails in the area and see the coast from afar. One trail even leads to a huge tidal pool which can be crossed when the tide is low and leads you to a “secret” beach known as Old Haul Road Beach.
In addition to the beaches, one can go to Noyo River Harbor and see commercial and sport fishing boats anchored in the harbor. Head more inland and you can find old miners’ cabins and The 1885 Skunk Train. Endless opportunities are waiting for you in Fort Bragg, California so plan your trip to Glass Beach now and experience everything that has made the county into what it is today.
