Dog-friendly Fort Bragg Adventure

Last weekend we decided to see some of what Fort Bragg has to offer. We camped at MacKerricher State Park and went to some beautiful places nearby. We were able to see parts of Russian Gulch State Park, Bruhel Point Tidepools, Point Cabrillo Light Station, and Glass Beach. The best part was that we were able to bring Zelda and Oakley with us!

Camping at MacKerricher State Park

We loved the camping at MacKerricher State Park. We stayed in the East Pinewood campground. The beach is a short walk from the campground but the sites are surrounded by trees which help block the coastal wind and provide shade during the day. We prefer camping farther back from the beach since we tent camp and the constant wind and sun can be a nuisance. We also prefer camping off the sand since it is a huge mess. The campground was well maintained, the sites were large, there’s were flushing toilet facilities with showers, and all the sites included raised cabinets to store food away from squirrels and birds.

The park is also within walking distance of Laguna Point, a short raised boardwalk trail that leads to Seal Rock, a great place to view Harbor Seals. There is a small section of beach off the trail where dogs are allowed.

Russian Gulch State Park

This State Park was absolutely gorgeous. We were only able to do the Headlands Trail with the dogs, but it was a beautiful, easy trail. The trail hugs the edge of the cliffs and offenses fantastic views of the Russian Gulch Bridge and the coastline. The water here was an amazing shade of blue and the trail took us by many wildflowers on our way to the “Devil’s Punch Bowl”. There is some poison oak in this park, so be careful and try not to touch the plants. There is a picnic area on the trail, so take a snack and enjoy the view!

After our short hike, we went down to the beach below the Russian Gulch Bridge. Leashed dogs are allowed on this beach, so Oakley and Zelda enjoyed some time in the water. There is a freshwater creek that flows into the ocean here, so there is also water available for your dog.

We drove through the campground to see what it was like for the next time we go to Fort Bragg. It looked very nice, but had less shade than MacKerricher. If you camp at any state park, you can enter all other state parks for free during your stay!

Point Cabrillo Light Station

This light station is very close to Russian Gulch and was a neat spot to spend an hour. There is a decent walk from the parking lot to the lighthouse, but if you need to park closer because you are unable to walk there is parking available at the bottom of the hill near the lighthouse. This park is free, but donations are recommended. We saw some seals to the left of the lighthouse and the history of the lighthouse and the homes there was pretty neat.

Bruhel Point Tidepools

These tidepools are located north of MacKerricher at milepost 74.09 on Highway 1. There is a vista parking lot and trail that leads to the pools.Time your trip during low tide, or better yet, negative low tide. The paved trail does not lead down to the pools, but there are several small trails that lead down to the pools – do not try to climb down anywhere but where these trails are located. The pools here are fairly deep and very clear. Dogs are allowed, but keep them on a leash and out of the pools to protect both wildlife and your dog.

Glass Beach

Most of glass beach is not dog friendly, but there was one section of the beach where the locals had their dogs, so we decided that it was okay to take the dogs with us. We saw a lot of glass and the dogs had a good time playing in the water. There were lots of pieces of abalone on the beach here as well, which we deemed okay to take as it is a natural item on the beach. Don’t take glass here though, whatever you take can never be replenished. Most of the glass that once existed on glass beach is now gone because people have taken it over the years. Wear shoes and socks to this beach, the glass very uncomfortable on the beach. Zelda and Oakley did not seem to be bothered by it, but we certainly were!