Dates for Accessible Walks
Friday, January 24 @ 1:00 p.m. Bird Sightings: shore birds, waterfowl, and land birds 101. Pomo Bluffs Park in Fort Bragg (Southern bluffs above Noyo Bay. From Highway 1, take Ocean View Drive to Cliff Way) Meet near restrooms and disabled parking spaces. Check this webpage for a weather update.
Wednesday, February 5 @ 2:00 p.m. Glass Beach with Retired Ranger Ron, Volunteer Caretaker of Glass Beach and the Headlands Trail for the City of Fort Bragg, Meet at the west end of the Glass Beach parking lot at the picnic tables. Check this webpage for a weather update.
We’re partnering with CalFire on one of their Forest Flora, Fauna & Fungi Forays. On Monday, February 10th we’ll gather @ Rd 900 off Hwy 20 in Jackson Demonstration State Forest at 9:30 a.m. We’ll split into 2 groups – one will venture into the more uneven terrain off the road and the other will be following an unpaved dirt road.
Be prepared for a 3-hour adventure learning about forest mushrooms. Plan for wet weather and bring lunch and water. To do your own foraging, you’ll need to obtain a permit at www.fire.ca.gov or call 707-964-5674
What are Leslie’s Accessible Walks?
I moved to the Mendocino Coast in August of 2021. Shortly after I moved here I fell during a walk in the Town of Mendocino and realized the progressive neuromuscular condition I’ve lived with had entered a new stage. I could no longer trust my balance and required mobility assistance. Now I use a walker or wheelchair in the house and out in the world.
Thanks to the Mendocino Land Trust, I had the opportunity to use a beach wheelchair. Gradually, I’ve learned more about accessibility and what I can do here on the Coast.
I became involved with the Blue Zone Project and challenged myself to organize a series of Walk & Roll Moais (a series of 10 mostly accessible walks). I’ve decided to continue with free monthly walks around the Mendocino Coast area. I hope you’ll consider joining us. Hey, I won a contest!
Past Walks
Wednesday, December 11 @ 11:30 am Fort Bragg Alleys. Featuring Lauren Sinnott — artist/muralist — creator of From Finland to Fort Bragg who will join us to talk about this mural. Meeting location: Coast Hardware parking lot in Fort Bragg.
Wednesday, October 30 @ 12:00 p.m. The Guest House Museum in Fort Bragg. Meeting location: 343 N Main Street. Meet near the clock in this photo.
Thursday, October 24 @ 2:30 p.m. Art Murals in Downtown Fort Bragg. Meeting location at the Be the Light mural at the South facing wall of 300 N Franklin Street. (along Redwood Ave.)
Tuesday, October 15 @ 11:00 a.m. (approximately 90-minute walk/roll with stops). Cal State Parks Senior Park Aide-Led All Access Trail at Hendy Woods State Park in Philo. Join Park Interpreter, Anica Williams, for a short accessible walk through the old-growth redwood forest of Hendy Woods State Park. In the Big Hendy Grove we will discover some of the incredible connections that are vital to the survival of this unique ecosystem. Around 12 pm we’ll relax and explore nature journaling; feel free to bring a sketchpad and pens/pencils/paints along with a snack. Meet at Hendy Woods State Park Day Use area. Bring water, sturdy walking shoes, mobility aides, dress in layers and only service dogs are allowed on the trails. Parking fees: $8/car; for seniors over 62 years old the day use is only $7 – if you have a Disabled Discount Pass for state parks Day Use is half price ($4) – you can get the pass at the district office (Sonoma-Mendocino Coast District12301 North Hwy 1, Box 1 Mendocino, CA 95460) before 4:30 pm on weekdays – info on the website: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30959 Parking is limited, consider a carpool.
Wednesday, September 25 @ 12:00 p.m. Nature Journaling on Jefferson Way. We’ll meet in the parking area and walk/roll to the coastal bluffs. Bring drawing materials and something to sit on (chair, mat, blanket).
Saturday, September 14 @ 2:30 p.m. Totem Pole Time at Mendocino Headlands. Meet in front of The Ford House in Mendocino town/village.
Friday, August 30 @ 12:30 p.m. All About Pudding Creek. Meet in Haul Road Silvergate parking lot north of Pudding Creek, between the Beachcomber and Surf & Sand motels. Video from walk.
Thursday, August 15 @ 10:30 a.m. Forest Therapy in Otis Johnson Wilderness Park. Otis R. Johnson Wilderness Park is located at the east end of Laurel Street, directly southeast of Fort Bragg Middle School. Here’s a short video of our time in the forest.
Sunday, July 28 @ 1:00 p.m. Fundraising Walk for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Noyo Headlands Coastal Walk, Fort Bragg. Online donations accepted on MDA webpage. Location: Hwy 1 at Cypress Street, drive through fenced entrance of Noyo Park Headlands. Meet near bathrooms adjacent to parking lot and coastal walk.
Thursday, July 18 @ 3:00 p.m. Black Oystercatchers with CalParks biologist, Alison Cebula. Among the mussel- and barnacle-covered rocks of the Pacific Coast lives this stout shorebird with a gleaming reddish bill, yellow eyes, and pink legs. Apart from these highlights, their dark bodies—black on the head and neck, chocolate brown elsewhere—disappear into the dark rocky background. Look for them foraging on falling tides, when exposed marine organisms are vulnerable to quick strikes from their sharp, stout bills. Oystercatchers remain paired year-round, and often fly in duets over water and shore giving their pleasant whistling calls. Location: Meet at picnic tables near the path to the Point Cabrillo Light Station (photo above on the right) on the Mendocino Coast, between Mendocino village and Fort Bragg, about halfway between Russian Gulch State Park and Caspar Beach, on Point Cabrillo Drive.
Thursday, June 27 @ 11:00 a.m. Downtown Fort Bragg Quilt Walk. Meet in front of The Outdoor Store, 247 N MAIN ST.
Wednesday, June 19 @ 12:30 p.m. Sidewalk Gardens to Bragg About 2024. Meet in front of Chapel by the Sea: 445 E Fir St in Fort Bragg. Map Route. Meryl, one of the prize-winning gardeners will be able to join this walk and talk about her garden. Here’s a short video clip from the Awards Ceremony. Recording from our wonderful walk.
Wednesday, May 8 @ 1:30 p.m. Hiding in Plain Sight: The Western Snowy Plover Meet in Ward Avenue Parking Lot by Old Haul Road. With their sand-colored feathers, speckled eggs and chicks, snowy plovers blend in perfectly to their beach and dune environment. Despite this clever camouflage, snowy plovers are a threatened species due to habitat loss, predation, and human-caused disturbance.Join local State Park biologist Alison Cebula for a guided walk and talk about these remarkable little shorebirds and the challenges they face. Learn not only how to tell a plover from other shorebirds, but also how you can help protect one of our most charming wild neighbors.
Wednesday, April 10th @ 1:00 p.m. Native Coastal Plants. Pomo Bluffs Park in Fort Bragg (Southern bluffs above Noyo Bay. From Highway 1, take Ocean View Drive to Cliff Way) Meet near restrooms and disabled parking spaces.
Saturday, December 23 @ 5:00 p.m. Fort Bragg Holiday Lights. Please light yourself up. Rossi’s and The Dollar Store have wearable holiday lights. Check this website for more details and weather update. The Meeting location is on the sidewalk in front of Skate Park around the corner from the CV Starr Community Center. We’ll go south on South Sanderson and turn down both streets on Lonne Way into Deer Meadows and Return along S Sanderson to the meeting location near CV Starr.
Tuesday, December 12 @ 2:30 p.m. Pomo Bluffs and Sea Gulls. Pomo Bluffs Park in Fort Bragg (Southern bluffs above Noyo Bay. From Highway 1, take Ocean View Drive to Cliff Way) Meet here:
Thursday, November 16 @ 11:00 a.m. Pygmy Forest Bathing Walk/Roll. State Park Pygmy Forest Boardwalk. 42500 Little River-Airport Road, after approximately 3 miles on this road from Highway One there is a small sign that points to a left-hand turn into a small parking lot (free). RSVP email: elkrong@yahoo.com
I’ve learned a lot from a variety of people who have been using a wheelchair long before I needed to use one and experience the world in a different way. One of those people is Bonnie Lewkowicz of BORP who has paved the way for many of us with her Access Northern California program.