Relaxing Coastal Getaway in Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, California
This trip was unexpected and I have to thank my partner for taking me here. It was exactly what we both needed. We were so wrapped up in work and every day we were working late. We needed a relaxing and quiet get-away, mainly somewhere where we could stay away from big city crowds and just be by the ocean and enjoy nature. If you’re looking for a nice quiet getaway and be around nature but get a little bit of an old downtown vibe, this is a great little town to check out. Plus, if you’re driving from the bay up to Fort Bragg, the drive is absolutely gorgeous! Full of tall trees and windy fun roads.
Glass Beach
Our first stop was Glass Beach and it really is what it sounds like. No, you’re not going to step on the glass and hurt yourself BUT there are glass-like pebbles. You’re not allowed to take any without so don’t plan on taking home a souvenir aside from beautiful photos :) The beach is pretty big so you can spend a good 2 hours or so just roaming around checking out the different areas. There were plenty of people just relaxing by the beach having a picnic and sitting on the huge fallen tree trunks.
Pudding Creek Trestle
We happened to be driving by and see this beautiful wooden bridge that a cute hotel was near one of the ends. You can head down to the beach and walk along the shallow area that heads to the beach. From afar, it looked like a railroad track, and turns out it used to be! They just turned it into a bridge after the track wasn’t necessary anymore. There’s plenty of parking in that area and it’s only about 2-3 blocks away from Glass Beach.
MacKerricher State Park
This was the highlight of the trip! If you visit Fort Bragg, you definitely need to have this on your list. Prepare for ultimate chill time, hah! I would love to go back and just go run the trail but we’ll save that for another time. When you drive up to the state park, there are different sections so make sure to follow the google map directions before you wind up in another part of the park. It’s still worth checking out but this is definitely the main destination. Once again you’re by the beach and you can relax on some fallen tree trunks and there are picnic tables for you to enjoy the scenery. But, the best part is when you walk up and see the wooden trail. The trail takes you all around the park and the views are stunning! The grass gets taller as you walk in and it just looks gorgeous! I’ll stop describing and just let y’all check it out, scroll down!
Point Cabrillo Light Station
I’m a sucker for lighthouses. I love how far away they are from everything and just how creepy they come off to be so when I googled this one, we had to make a stop. It is a 15 min drive from Fort Bragg but totally worth making the drive to check out! It was far more than we expected. The view of the beach around the lighthouse is an amazing sight to see! If you walk to the right of the lighthouse (facing the lighthouse) you’ll see these beautiful caves where you can see and hear the huge splash of water hitting the rocks. The current was extremely heavy when we were there. Walking to the lighthouse is a good 10 min walk from where the parking is. Before you hit the lighthouse, you’ll see some cute houses that apparently are available for rent. So, if you want to experience living by a lighthouse, this might be a cool spot to do so.
Downtown
Fort Bragg’s downtown has a mix of historic and new. You can definitely expect to see the good ol’ local book store, cafes, boutique shops, bars, and restaurants. I didn’t photograph most of these because my camera battery was dead but we checked out a pizza spot, a bar, and an Italian restaurant and they were all pretty cool. You can get the small-town vibes from everyone there for sure!
Golden West Saloon
Piaci Pub and Pizzeria
Cucina Verona
Jenny’s Giant burger
There’s a ton we didn’t get to do and see while we were in town for the weekend so a trip back would be awesome to do soon! It’s amazing even in a small town you still don’t have time to check everything out. But, the main focus of this trip was to take it easy and really just have no plan. Fort Bragg is one of those perfect places to do so. So, if you’re into that small town vibe and really just love the outdoors, add Fort Bragg to your list! In the meantime, on to the next adventure!