PO Box 762 - Lansing & Ukiah Streets
Mendocino, CA 95460
800-707-0423 - 707-937-0423 (fax 707-937-2308)

Being There & Getting Here... to THE MENDOCINO COAST

The Mendocino Coast covers a large area (north to south) and is comprised of many towns and villages. Listing directions and mileage to each of them would be impractical; we’ve chosen, instead, to show them all as leading to Mendocino, a central point on the long coastal line. Reader-travelers may adjust their particular destinations -- north or south -- to the Mendocino location shown in the directions below.

Towns or villages north of Mendocino are: Caspar (4 miles); Fort Bragg (8 miles); Cleone (13); Westport (24). South of Mendocino are: Little River (3 miles); Albion (7); Elk (18): Irish Beach (22); Manchester (28); Point Arena (33); Anchor Bay (43); Gualala (46).

Being there… wherever you are… and getting here is easy. Really! Of course, some people will need a little more help than others. Just for the record, however, we’re in northern California and, yes, we're on the coast. Since northern California may not be descriptive enough to some, we’ll try to narrow it down a bit:

The Mendocino Coast (at Mendocino) is:

• 150 miles north of San Francisco (3.5 hours)
• 285 miles west of Lake Tahoe (5 hours)
• 188 miles northwest of Sacramento (4 hours)
• 537 miles south of Portland, Oregon
• 440 miles south of Newport, Oregon (on the coast)
• about 225 to 250 miles from the Oregon border (5 hours?)
• a few thousand miles east of Tokyo (figure a day or two.. or longer if you're windsurfing) and
• a couple of inches east of the Pacific Ocean (how long does it take to inch forward?)

Does that help? Just in case, we’ll throw in a few fancy directions to follow. Of course, we assume you’re driving; that’s about the only way to get here from there... unless you’re flying in with your private plane, but more on that later. We’ve selected a few starting points which you’ll recognize; you can match or adjust your own starting point to what’s given here.
As Roy and Dale were fond of saying, "Happy Trails"!

Destination: The Mendocino Coast (at Mendocino)

From San Francisco (150 miles):

• Go North on Van Ness Ave. for 3 miles to US 101 (& across the Golden Gate Bridge)
• Go Northwest on US 101 for 87 miles, through Santa Rosa to State Rte 128 (at Cloverdale)
• Go Northwest on State Rte 128, through Boonville, for 52 miles to State Rte 1 (at the mouth of the Navarro River on the Mendocino Coast)
• Go North on State Rte 1 for 9 miles (through Albion & Little River)...
• ...to Mendocino

From Sacramento (188 miles):

• Go South on I-5 for 1 mile to I-80
• Go Southwest on I-80 for 46 miles to State Rte 12 (near Cordelia)
• Go West on State Rte 12 for 19 miles to State Rte 121 (Napa area)
• Go Southwest on state Rte 121 for 1.5 miles to State Rte 116 (west of Napa)
• Go West on State Rte 116 for 19 miles to US 101 (south of Petaluma)
• Go Northwest on US 101 for 41 miles to State Rte 128 (at Cloverdale)
• Go Northwest on State Rte 128, through Boonville, for 52 miles to State Rte 1 (at the mouth of the Navarro River on the Mendocino Coast)
• Go North on State Rte 1 for 9 miles (through Albion & Little River)...
• ...to Mendocino

From South Lake Tahoe (286 miles):

• Go West on US 50 for 97 miles to I-80 (Sacramento area)
• Go Southwest on I-80 for 48 miles to State Rte 12 (near Cordelia)
• Go West on State Rte 12 for 19 miles to State Rte 121 (Napa area)
• Go Southwest on State Rte 121 for 1.5 miles to State Rte 116 (west of Napa)
• Go West on State Rte 116 for 19 miles to US 101 (south of Petaluma)
• Go Northwest on US 101 for 41 miles to State Rte 128 (at Cloverdale)
• Go Northwest on State Rte 128, through Boonville, for 52 miles to State Rte 1 (at the mouth of the Navarro River on the Mendocino Coast)
• Go North on State Rte 1 for 9 miles (through Albion & Little River)...
• ...to Mendocino

From Portland, Oregon (537 miles):

• Go South on I-5 for 242 miles to State Rte 99
• Go South on State Rte 99 for 4 miles to US 199
• Go Southwest on US 199 for 43 miles (to the California Border)
• Continue to go Southwest on US 199 for 36 miles to US 101 (north of Crescent City)
• Go South on US 101 for 166 miles to State Rte 1 (at Leggett)
• Go South on State Rte 1 for 45 miles (through Westport, Cleone, Fort Bragg & Caspar)...
• ...to Mendocino

From Newport, Oregon (on the coast) 440 miles):

• Go South on US 101 for 213 miles (to the California border)
• Continue to go South on US 101 for 182 miles to State Rte 1 (at Leggett)
• Go South on State Rte 1 for 45 miles (through Westport, Cleone, Fort Bragg & Caspar)...
• ...to Mendocino