Mendocino Headlands Trail is a 4 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Mendocino, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and birding and is best used from April until September. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
kid friendly
hiking
nature trips
walking
bird watching
beach
cave
views
wild flowers
Hiking in Mendocino is on my list. I did it yesterday (Nov/24/2019). I got lucky, weather so nice. I took Mendocino Headland State Park. The trail on another side of Mendocino town. It is more like walking and playing.I saw a lot of couples, kids, dogs. Plenty of play to sit. Watching the wave is my favor. I thought I having whole place for myself. I love ocean air, it smells so fresh, it heals my soul. A nice place to be,Wish I did not have to leave. But I’m heading to mountain ( Russian Gulch State Park).
Great trail with kids - lots of natural arches, caves
Awesome trail!! Beautiful overlooks of the ocean so many cool coves of private beaches!! Easy to access trail a little populated after noon. Amazing photos quick fun easy walk!!
Kathleen Whalon recorded Mendocino Headlands Trail
More of a walk in a park area than an actual trail. Really pretty views and good for walking the dog.
Maria F recorded Mendocino Headlands Trail
Dog friendly hike. You can either walk on the road (moderate car traffic) or in the brush along the cliffs. This area is quite overgrown and zig-zags between the cliffside and the road. Beautiful views, though.
Poison Oak galore.
beautiful view but totally overgrown in patches. ended up moving to the road to make it through the run.
Fantastic views of the Pacific, surrounded by wild flowers and succulents. Not too crowded. Be prepared for the winds.
More of a walk than trail hike, pretty ocean views
Lovely walk that is easily accessible from the town. Also if you just wanted to do parts of the walk there are several places you can start and stop. Lots of cliff tops to explore with great birds. Parts of the walk the paths were overgrown so I would suggest long trousers.
Very scenic trail, easy walk along the cliffs. Great for a morning or evening walk to watch the sunset. It’s also right by the town center so easy parking if you are visiting the area. Also a great place to have a picnic as there are some benches where you can sit and enjoy the view.
pretty
good for endurance biking
Spectacular coastal hike. Ocean waves have carved sea caves & arches. There's a beautiful beach. Mendocino is a historic town with picturesque "New England" architecture. This was the stand-in for Cabot Cove in the TV Series "Murder She Wrote." This is a hiking favorite! Watch a video of this hike at
Beautiful morning walk, with access from cliff to beach area. Directly across from Mendocino town for lunch.
Gorgeous hike! Just be careful about ticks! I got one and my dog got three!
wonderful views and easy to follow trail.
for its sheer beauty!
Lorena R.
Great family hiking with great ocean views and easy path.
It's a super easy. The views are some of the best I've ever seen. Something out of a movie. Really just go to see the views from the cliffs. the other half is a stroll through town.
fun easy beautiful
Beautiful views of the water along this bluff hike, reminded me of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.
Beautiful place with lots of birds!
Gorgeous. Stopped in briefly, wish we had more time to spend there! Terrific view, easy walking along the meadows and headlands. Can walk down some stairs to the beach at Big River as well.
Absolutely gorgeous easy hike along the coastline. Stunning views of the Mendocino coast. Pretty wild flowers growing along the way. It's a point to point so have a game plan for when you reach the end. I chose to run back to the trailhead through town.
This is such an amazing place to take a walk and just forget everything around you. You have a great view of the bluffs and you can hear the waves crashing on the rocks. When I lived in Mendo I would grab a coffee at Moody's Coffee Bar and walk down to The Headlands. So relaxing.
Easy trail along the bluffs. Great views
Amazing sunrise and sunset views of the coast. There were a few spots where you could get down to the beach as well. A very easy trail with almost no elevation change unless you go down to the beach.