 Three miles north of Fort Bragg on California’s North Coast is the entrance to MacKerricher Beach State Park. This eight-mile stretch of beaches, dunes and rocky shoreline extends north from Glass Beach to Ten Mile River. Turn left at the entrance sign and drive to the end of the road, past all the campgrounds, and park at the last parking spot. Walk past the restrooms and follow wooden boardwalks beyond the cypress groves to some of California’s best accessible tide pools. Long stairways lead down to small sandy beaches at the edge of rocky tide pools extending out to sea, especially during the lowest tides of the year. This spot is on my list of Ten Best Tide Pools on the California Coast. Arrive here ready for some tide pool photography sometime in December or January during a low tide of minus one-foot or lower. Pack a long macro lens of 100 - 200 mm or a short telephoto zoom with close focusing. You’ll want a polarizing filter, too. Because of the rough and rocky terrain a monopod is easier to maneuver than a tripod. Rubber boots and wool socks are better than going bare foot and freezing your toes.
You will find more information on the Northern California Coast in Issue #133 of Photograph America Newsletter. Comments are closed.
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