Ten Mile Beach and Dunes
Fort Bragg, CA
Ten Mile Beach and Dunes stretches four and a half miles as part of MacKerricher State Park, one of the longest continuous beaches on the Mendocino coast. The Ten Mile River itself crosses the sand near the north end, with a bridge overlook nearby offering a wider view of the river, dunes, and wetland together.
The sheer length of open, walkable beach is genuinely rare on this coast, though the lack of a single obvious entrance means it takes some figuring out on a first visit.
How we score beachesWalk south from the Ward Avenue access if you want distance from the crowd, the beach stays wide and empty for most of its length.
No fee, though the CCC records no formal parking area; use the pullouts along Ward Avenue and Highway 1.
A path leads from parking through dune habitat to the beach.
Dogs are not allowed on Ten Mile Beach and Dunes because it is a snowy plover nesting preserve.
Fall and winter bring the most birdlife to the river mouth wetlands, while summer keeps the fog pattern typical of the Mendocino coast.
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