Location: County: Mendocino. Nearest City: Mendocino.
Campsites, facilities: There are 30 sites for tents
or RVs up to 27 feet long. Hike-in/bike-in sites are also available.
Piped water, showers, flush toilets, picnic tables, and fire
grills are provided. The facilities are wheelchair accessible.
Pets are permitted.
Reservations, fees: Reserve by phoning 1-800-444-7275
($7.50 reservation fee); $14-$16 per night, $1 pet fee. Open
mid-March to mid-October.
Contact: Phone the park at 1-707-937-5804 or 1-707-865-2391,
or FAX 1-707-937-2953.
Russian Gulch SP
P.O. Box 440
Mendocino CA 95460
Operating hours, seasons: Call the park for information;
open all year round.
Park Kiosk Hours:
Directions: From Mendocino, drive two miles north on
Highway 1 to the campground.
Weather, clothing: The weather can be changeable; layered
clothing is recommended.
Trip notes: Russian Gulch State Park is known for the
heavily forested Russian Gulch Creek Canyon, a headland that
features the Punch Bowl, (a large collapsed sea cave with churning
water), and a beach that offers swimming, tidepool exploring,
skin diving and rock fishing. Inland, there is a 36-foot waterfall.
Hikers enjoy miles of hiking trails. This camp is set near some
of California's most beautiful coastline, but the camp speaks
to the woods, not the water, with the campsites set in a wooded
canyon. They include some of the prettiest and secluded drive-in
sites available on the Mendocino coast. There is a great hike
here, an easy hour-long walk to Russian Gulch Falls, a wispy
35-foot waterfall that falls into a rock basin. While it's always
pretty, it's awesome in late winter. Much of the route is accessible
by bicycle, with a rack available where the trail narrows and
turns to dirt. The park also has a paved three-mile bicycle trail.
© 2001, Miwok Lodge 439, Order of the
Arrow, Santa Clara County Council Inc., BSA
Revision 1.2
