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California Highway 1: 17 Iconic Stops and the Places Most Travelers Miss

Road Trips & Scenic Drives aloo.paul -

Follow California Highway 1 for 656 miles from Dana Point to Leggett, with 17 iconic stops, 85 discoveries, coastal campgrounds, bay towns and verified salmon restaurant leads.

Point Cabrillo Light Station: Mendocino’s Working Historic Lighthouse

Hidden Places aloo.paul -

Walk across open coastal prairie to a restored 1909 light station where the original Fresnel lens still serves as an active aid to navigation.

Van Damme’s Pygmy Forest: Mendocino’s Miniature Woodland

Hidden Places aloo.paul -

Mature cypress and pine trees stand only inches to a few feet tall in Van Damme State Park’s remarkable pygmy forest.

California Highway 1: 17 Iconic Stops and the Places Most Travelers Miss

Road Trips & Scenic Drives aloo.paul -

Point Cabrillo Light Station: Mendocino’s Working Historic Lighthouse

Hidden Places aloo.paul -

Van Damme’s Pygmy Forest: Mendocino’s Miniature Woodland

Hidden Places aloo.paul -

Jug Handle’s Ecological Staircase: A Walk from Coast to Pygmy Forest

Hidden Places aloo.paul -

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Top 5 This Week

California Highway 1: 17 Iconic Stops and the Places Most Travelers Miss

Road Trips & Scenic Drives aloo.paul - July 24, 2026

Point Cabrillo Light Station: Mendocino’s Working Historic Lighthouse

Hidden Places aloo.paul - July 24, 2026

Van Damme’s Pygmy Forest: Mendocino’s Miniature Woodland

Hidden Places aloo.paul - July 24, 2026

Jug Handle’s Ecological Staircase: A Walk from Coast to Pygmy Forest

Hidden Places aloo.paul - July 24, 2026

Russian Gulch State Park: Mendocino’s Two Landscapes in One Stop

Hidden Places aloo.paul - July 24, 2026

California Highway 1: 17 Iconic Stops and the Places Most Travelers Miss

Road Trips & Scenic Drives aloo.paul - July 24, 2026

Follow California Highway 1 for 656 miles from Dana Point to Leggett, with 17 iconic stops, 85 discoveries, coastal campgrounds, bay towns and verified salmon restaurant leads.

California Highway 1: 17 Iconic Stops and the Places Most Travelers Miss

Road Trips & Scenic Drives July 24, 2026 0

Follow California Highway 1 for 656 miles from Dana Point to Leggett, with 17 iconic stops, 85 discoveries, coastal campgrounds, bay towns and verified salmon restaurant leads.

Point Cabrillo Light Station: Mendocino’s Working Historic Lighthouse

Hidden Places July 24, 2026 0

Walk across open coastal prairie to a restored 1909 light station where the original Fresnel lens still serves as an active aid to navigation.

Van Damme’s Pygmy Forest: Mendocino’s Miniature Woodland

Hidden Places July 24, 2026 0

Mature cypress and pine trees stand only inches to a few feet tall in Van Damme State Park’s remarkable pygmy forest.

Jug Handle’s Ecological Staircase: A Walk from Coast to Pygmy Forest

Hidden Places July 24, 2026 0

At Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, an overlooked trail links beach, prairie, redwood forest and pygmy woodland across ancient marine terraces.

Russian Gulch State Park: Mendocino’s Two Landscapes in One Stop

Hidden Places July 24, 2026 0

A coastal headland, collapsed sea cave, redwood canyon and waterfall share one park just north of Mendocino—if you know to explore both sides.

Mendocino Headlands: The Wild Coast Wrapped Around a Village

Nature & Outdoors July 24, 2026 0

A slow guide to Mendocino Headlands State Park, where blufftop paths, sea arches and the Big River estuary surround one of California’s most distinctive coastal villages.