Just two miles north of Mendocino, Russian Gulch State Park combines a three-mile leafy canyon with windswept headlands and pristine beaches along the park’s rocky coastline. Inland, a 36-foot waterfall plunges down into a bower of redwoods, mosses, and ferns. Along the coast, waves crash into a collapsed sea cave called Devil’s Punchbowl, and the photogenic Frederick W. Panhorst Bridge rises gracefully 100 feet from the bottom of the gulch.

In the spring, the park’s foggy headlands bloom with acres of wildflowers. With nearly a mile and a half of ocean frontage, the park is often compared to Point Lobos on the Big Sur Coast. Visitors come to camp, hike, bike, fish, dive, kayak, ride their horses, or just marvel at the park’s beauty.