Jug Handle State Reserve(Jug Handle Creek Beach)

Located midway between the town of Mendocino and the city of Fort Bragg, Jug Handle State Natural Reserve is a state park with an unnamed flat white sand beach - which is also sometimes known as Jug Handle Creek Beach - in Mendocino County. The beach is surrounded by oceanfront bluffs on both sides and the Jug Handle Creek meets the ocean near the northern part of the beach. There is a gulch present near the eastern part of the beach above which there is an arched bridge. 

While there are no lifeguards on the beach in Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, the state park area around the beach has picnic tables and restrooms. The beach in Jug Handle State Natural Reserve also allows dogs on leash. 

The beach in Jug Handle State Natural Reserve offers many fun activities including beachcombing, sunbathing, wildlife watching, swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, bodysurfing, boogie-boarding, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, boating, and jet skiing. If you are planning to go into the water near the beach in Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, we recommend being careful as it can have cold temperatures and dangerous rip currents. The water near the beach is home to many animals including seals, sea lions, and migrating grey whales (between December and April). In addition, the beach in Jug Handle State Natural Reserve is a great scuba diving spot - divers can explore the rocky reefs and the kelp beds around the beach that are home to a vibrant array of fish and invertebrates including cabezon, rockfish, various types of abalone, nudibranchs, sponges, anemones, greenlings, and kelpfish. The significant presence of abalone and fish in the water near this beach also makes it a popular beach for fishing. The blufftop area around the beach has hiking trails to explore the rugged northern California shoreline. In addition, the blufftop area above the southern part of the beach offers an incredible view of an offshore rocky archway known as "Jughandle." As an interesting fact, Jug Handle State Natural Reserve is named after the jug handle-like bent shape of an old road that used to be present across the Jug Handle Creek.       

There are many other hiking trails in Jug Handle State Natural Reserve that offer a unique insight into the local geography and biodiversity. The most famous hiking trail in this reserve is the two-and-a-half miles long Jug Handle Ecological Staircase Trail, which visitors can use to explore three out of five successive naturally formed terraces, each terrace having its own unique flora and fauna. These terraces were carved via changes in the regional tectonic plates and water levels. The first terrace has grasslands and wetlands and the second terrace has a woodland fir tree forest and many beautiful flowering plants. In addition, the third terrace has a pygmy forest (known as the Hans Jenny Pygmy Forest) consisting of Bolander pine, dwarf manzanita, and pygmy cypress trees. The size of the trees present in this terrace can be mainly attributed to the unique soil here which has very few nutrients. This pygmy forest was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1969.

Getting to the beach in Jug Handle State Natural Reserve is easy - the free parking lot for Jug Handle State Natural Reserve is situated along Pacific Coast Highway/California State Highway 1 around one mile north of the town of Caspar. From this free parking lot, you need to take a hiking trail that leads to the beach.

There are many attractions near Jug Handle State Natural Reserve. Larry Spring Museum of Common Sense Physics is dedicated to the work of Larry Spring, who was a resident of the town of Fort Bragg and who developed his own amateur understanding of scientific phenomena. Larry demonstrated his experiments using commonly available materials and constructed many erratic and interesting apparatus, models, and inventions that display a combination of outsider art and science. Beautiful Earth has interesting exhibits that display fossils, beautiful natural stones, and some local artworks. In addition, it also offers minerals, portions of meteorites, and fossils for sale. If you are looking for another attraction near Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, Water Gallery - Mendocino has interesting artworks, pottery, and sculptures on display.

If you get hungry, there are many restaurants near Jug Handle State Natural Reserve. The upscale 5200 Restaurant and Lounge offers a dining area with incredible views of the Pacific Ocean and serves delicious classic American dishes with a French influence.  Luna Trattoria is an Italian restaurant that is famous for its delicious pasta. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, the modestly priced Frankie’s Mendocino offers delicious pizzas, ice cream, salads, and falafel.

If you are looking for a hotel near Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, there are many great nearby options. The 4-Star Brewery Gulch Inn offers many amenities including lush gardens with ponds, a common area that has a fireplace, a small library, a DVD collection featuring more than 500 movies, and board games, and complimentary local wine, beer, light dinner buffets, and breakfast. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Emerald Dolphin Inn & Mini Golf which offers many amenities including a mini-golf course, a hair salon, and a video game arcade. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, the modestly priced 2-Star Ebb Tide Inn offers complimentary breakfast. In addition, the hotel offers free accommodation to kids under 11 staying with an adult family member.