ANCHOR BAY CAMPGROUND / GLASS BEACH/ POINT ARENA AND MORE
Campground Information - Day Trips - Point Arena Lighthouse, Glass Beach, Bowling Ball Beach– Anchor Bay located appx 3-4 hours north of San Francisco on Coast Highway 1. It is a privately owned campground. They have 27 overnight camping spots. The rest of the area is long term renters.
December of 2017 – the day after Christmas – we headed up to stay at Anchor Bay Campground. The campground is located in a gulch with a nice private beach. From there we headed out to Fort Myers to check out Glass Beach and also Bowling Ball Beach. We also went and saw the Point Arena Lighthouse. The coast is just beautiful! Check out the galleries below with the photos of our day trips! If you’ve camped at Anchor Bay and would like to share some photos with us, please send them to – TheCampsiteCompany@gmail.com
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CAMPGROUND AND COVE PHOTOS
Anchor Bay Campground
Anchor Bay Campground Entrance
Anchor Bay Campground
Anchor Bay Cove
Anchor Bay Beach
Anchor Bay – Front Row
Anchor Bay Campground site 37
Anchor Bay Cove
Driftwood
Anchor Bay
Sunset
Site 37 – Ocean Front
Site 37 – Ocean View!
DAY TRIP TO POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE
A beautiful place for photos is the Point Arena Lighthouse. It is less than 1/2 hour drive up the coast. The lighthouse was built in 1870 and is celebrated it’s 151st Anniversary in 2020. Besides a Light Station Store, Fox Signal Building Museum and Outdoor Museum, there are seven vacation cottages available for rent. More info HERE
We parked and walked out onto the Point Arena Stornetta – From the website – “Situated along the rugged Mendocino County coastline adjacent to the town of Point Arena, the Point Arena-Stornetta unit offers spectacular views of coastal bluffs, sea arches, the estuary of the Garcia River and sandy beaches and dunes with eight miles of marked paths.” Website
Click here to view the California Coastal brochure with map of walking paths
Point Arena Lighthouse
Point Arena Lighthouse
Northern California Coast
Point Arena Stornetta
Northern California Coast
DAY TRIP TO GLASS BEACH
We drove up to Fort Bragg to visit Glass Beach. I LOVE to find Sea Glass and couldn’t wait to see Glass Beach. I found this map online showing where we should go. We parked in the Glass Beach parking lot and walked down to the beach. Per my map, we should walk down to the left. We followed a walking path but we couldn’t see where to get down to the beach. I was pre-knee surgery, so I was limited. We did see a beach to the left but with my knee I couldn’t climb down to it. So we went to the right and down a small hill and investigated that area of the beach. There wasn’t as much glass I had expected, but this is the beach that everyone visits. Next time I go, I will head down to the left!
DAY TRIP TO BOWLING BALL BEACH
When I go on a vacation, I like to see ALL of the sites. My husband would like to relax and kick back but I dragged him to Bowling Ball Beach! It was worth the effort! He loved it and was happy he went.
Make sure you visit this beach at low tide, it’s then you will see the “bowling balls”. They are lined up on the beach and are unbelievable! I read online they are concretions and they were at the bottom of cliffs and over time the cliffs have eroded away leaving the “bowling balls”.
This is the most unique and unusual beach in Mendocino County. It is about 8 miles north of Anchor Bay Campground.
Where to park? There are two trailheads and you can easily pass the parking area. We parked on the right side of the street on Schooner Gulch Rd. You walk down the trailhead and then turn to the right along the bluff. We had to climb down to the beach. You then walk down the beach until you see the “Bowling Balls”. Remember, go at low tide!
GALLERY
STOP AT ALBION RIVER CAMPGROUND
As we were driving north we noticed a campground down to our right. We decided to check it out and I am SO happy we did! I don’t usually tell anyone my secret spots, but I probably won’t be going here again so I will share what I found.
Keep in mind we went the week after Christmas and it was very quiet out .. not too many campers. We drove into the campground and I checked in at the office if they would mind if we drove around. We drove through the campground and then parked to walk out under the bridge out to the little bay beach. I found SO much sea glass I can’t tell you how excited I was. I was in heaven. We were supposed to be headed to Fort Bragg to Glass Beach and I told my husband .. nope I’m not leaving this spot. It was undeniably one of the best sea glass days I’ve ever had.
GALLERY
Bridge goving over Albion Bay
Fish Cleaning Station
RESOURCES
McKerricher State Park INFORMATION
Schooner Gulch State Beach INFORMATION
Albion River Campground and Marina INFORMATION
CONTACT US
Please let me know if you have any questions about our trip!