Starting out from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, we drove north to find Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California. Our family was on an epic road trip throughout the southeastern United States and an interesting place like Glass Beach (actually, you had me at beach!) made it onto our two week itinerary.
Google maps gave us a route inland that would’ve been much faster, but we love a good view and opted for the route along the Pacific Coast Highway!
Driving the Pacific Coast Highway
As we headed north from the Golden Gate Bridge, we were in the city area for awhile, but cut over towards the coast as soon as we could. Taking Highway 1 was an absolutely stunning drive! We tried to keep the drive going as we had quite a ways to go, and we were trying to make it to Glass Beach before sunset! (Otherwise, the whole purpose would be defeated!) There were a few places that we just had to stop to take in the view, though! Beautiful blooming flowers and rocky cliffs above the ocean were a delight around every corner! And there were a LOT of corners! Drive carefully, take your time, and enjoy the views!
Now, one thing that surprised me a little bit about this part of our trip, was that the crowded California that was in my head… was NOT this part of California! Once we were north of the San Francisco area, the population thinned out and charming small towns replaced the city feel! And then… eventually… it was mostly nature and some farms/ranches… and not a lot of gas stations or places to stop to go to the bathroom! So a bit of a word to the wise about planning this part of your trip… make sure you have gas before you leave the populated areas. It does get pretty sparse along a pretty big chunk of the drive! As I was starting to get a bit nervous, (and one in our car REALLY had to go to the bathroom!) we did come upon open businesses, and yes a gas station in Gualala! So, if you’re traveling north, make sure you are planning around this for gas and… ahem… other… needs! If you’re traveling south on Highway 1, stop here for gas, as there will not be another stop for awhile!
Glass Beach History
In the early 1900s, the area in Fort Bragg, California now known as Glass Beach, was actually used as a dump site for the local’s trash! Garbage, appliances, cars, and anything they didn’t want was just thrown over the cliff into a giant trash pile! Yikes! In 1967, the California State Water Resources Control Board and the city closed the area as a dump site and started working on clean up. It took awhile, but the pieces of glass that fell down to the bottom of this trash pile, were slowly transformed by waves into smooth pieces of sea glass that decorate the shoreline. Glass of different colors can still be spotted in the pebbles on the beach.
Visiting Glass Beach
Glass Beach is now a part of MacKerricher State Park. We were able to find a parking spot easily and take the short trail to the beach area. This part of California has cliffs that rise above the beaches. There is an area to enjoy the view from the top of the cliff, but also a few places that are used to climb down to the beach area.
As you climb down, you’ll get to the pebble filled beach and be treated to one of my favorite sounds: water washing over rocks. As you look down, you’ll see pebbles but also many colors of sea glass that are mixed right in. It is really a unique treat to see! I think it is illegal to collect the glass. Many people have collected the glass, so I’ve heard that there isn’t as much as there used to be, but it is still beautiful!
One thing I’d try to keep in mind if I had some time flexibility in visiting is the tides. If I could choose to visit at a lower tide time, I think I’d plan around it so as to have the most space to look for the glass! It was an incoming tide when we visited and we had to keep hopping out of the way as the waves came in. The water was a bit chillier than we are used to in Florida!
A few of the pieces and various colors of sea glass you can find at Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California.
As I mentioned above, we were trying to get there before dark, which meant that we were treated to watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean! On the top of the cliff was a lovely bench that we were able to cuddle together on to watch the sun as it lowered below the horizon.
There is a rocky area in the water that has a hollow in the middle of it. It was fun watching the incoming tide slowly fill up that bowl in the middle of the rock as we watched the sun sink low.
Where to Eat
Well, it was after sunset and we were all pretty hungry after a long day, and the closest thing to us was a Denny’s just down the block from the parking lot. We had amazing service and a great dinner there. We hadn’t really planned out exactly this part of the trip so we still needed to book a place to stay… I had planned to get a little further north because we were going to see the Redwoods the next day. We were talking about our plan to drive through the mountains to get there that night (in the dark) and made the staff a little nervous! If any of them read this someday, please know we made it! 🙂 The staff there that night really were the sweetest!
Where We Stayed
Before we left Denny’s, I called up to a motel in Garberville, California to make sure we’d be able to check in since we were getting there around midnight. They said they’d leave the key for us (yes, a real key!) and I just set up payment over the phone. We drove north from Fort Bragg through the mountains, over the river, and through the woods! We did see some wildlife along our drive… a fox, a coyote, a raccoon, and some deer!
We arrived at the Humboldt Redwoods Inn, and as promised, the key was waiting for us under the doormat, and we crashed for the night! The room was comfortable and had what we needed. We were up early again in the morning, dropped off the key and were on our way! A quick stop at the super cute Getti-Up Coffee on the way out of town got us started with our day, ready to be amazed by the redwoods.
