Mendocino
A timber village on a Northern California headland, built by New England transplants and used as Maine in television for decades.
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Mendocino was founded in the 1850s on redwood logging, and many of the settlers came from New England, so they built what they knew: white clapboard, water towers, a Gothic Revival church, all on a headland over the Pacific. That resemblance is why the television series Murder, She Wrote used it as Cabot Cove, Maine, for twelve seasons, and why several films have done the same. The whole village is a historic district. Mendocino Headlands State Park wraps around three sides with a bluff trail over sea caves and blowholes. The village has no chain businesses. Water is a real constraint - the town runs on wells and has restricted supply in dry years.
What you actually see
- New England clapboard on a Pacific headland - built by transplants.
- Wooden water towers - a village signature.
- Headlands bluff trails - over sea caves and blowholes.
- The stand-in for coastal Maine - on screen for twelve seasons.
When to go
April to October; fog is heavy in summer. Half a day.
Honest expectations
It is a long drive from anywhere - four hours from San Francisco on a winding road. Summer fog can obscure the coast entirely. Lodging is expensive and limited. Water restrictions affect services in dry years.
Nearby
Russian Gulch and Van Damme state parks are either side; Fort Bragg is north.
What to pack for Mendocino
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.