Mendocino area highlight reel

Best trail: Anyplace on the California Coastal Trail

Best day hike: Pygmy Woods/Upper Fern Canyon loop, Van Damme State Park

Best guidebook: The hiker’s hip pocket guide to the Mendocino Coast, by Bob Lorentzen

Best coffee shop: Moody’s, Lansing St., Mendocino

Best beach for collecting abalone: Van Damme State Beach, Little River; Mendocino Headlands, Mendocino

Best beach for collecting driftwood: Navarro Beach, south end.

Best beer tasting: North Coast Brewing Co. taproom, Ft. Bragg

Best wine tasting: A Taste of Redwood Valley (June and October)

We didn’t eat out very much, but had a nice dinner at Mendo Bistro, Main St., Ft. Bragg.

Best fish: Whole salmon caught the previous night, purchased Noyo Harbor, Ft. Bragg

Best pizza: Piaci’s, Redwood Ave., Ft. Bragg

Best barbecue: The Q, S. Main St., Ft. Bragg

Best bread: Ft. Bragg bakery (There is no bakery storefront–the bread is available at the grocery stores and farmers markets.)

Farmer’s Market: Wednesday 3-5 pm, Ft. Bragg; Friday noon-2 pm, Mendocino. Expensive but local and freshly picked. Try the strawberries.

Best fruit: Organic apple farm, just outside the entrance to Hendy Woods State Park

Best pick-your-own fruit: Himalayan raspberries and/or California huckleberries, anywhere along the California Coastal Trail, or try the east side of the main street through Leggett, CA.

Best summer music festival: Mendocino Music Festival (July)

Best botanical garden: Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Ft. Bragg

Best garage sale: Pack Rat Sale, benefit for Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens (July)

Best benefits: Art in the Garden (first weekend in August), Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

also, Bob Fest, benefit for Mendocino Environmental Center (August).

Best bird watching: Audubon society walks through the Botanical Garden on the third Wednesday of each month at 8 am.