The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens are located on 47 acres in Fort Bragg, California, United States between California's Highway One and the Pacific Ocean. The garden property includes canyons, wetlands, coastal bluffs, and a closed-cone pine forest.
Located along California’s scenic Highway 1 in Fort Bragg, the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden is a must-see on any north coast itinerary. Not only does it have one of the best rhododendron collections in the state, but it’s also one of the few public gardens with an ocean view. And although the 47-acre plot is well tended by an army of volunteers, capital expenditures and improvements are hard-won for this small non-profit. In short, they manage every penny they receive in the most judicious way possible, and they try to spend their funds in ways that benefit the community as a whole. Gladly they have made wheelchair access a priority over the years, which has greatly improved the whole garden experience for everyone.
Previously, one of the biggest access obstacles at the garden was the grade of the North Trail and the South Trail, which lead from the garden entrance out to the ocean. In a word, both trails were extremely steep. That all changed though after some major renovations along the South Trail.
Formerly this narrow trail was bumpy, with ruts and other obstacles along the way. It was particularly difficult after a rain, as mud and standing water added additional challenges for wheelers and slow walkers. Access improvements to the trail included widening it, paving it, leveling out the steep spots and adjusting the grade. The result is a very accessible half-mile trail that meanders through the forest, and leads out the a coastal bluff which overlooks the Pacific Ocean.
Admittedly, there are still some steep trails in the garden — including the aforementioned North Trail — but they are all clearly marked with signs that indicate they are too steep for wheelchairs. Truthfully the signage is excellent, and it would be nearly impossible to mistakenly take a steep trail. Additionally, there are lots of benches and shady resting spots throughout the garden.
Most of the theme gardens — including the vegetable garden, the woodland garden an the perennial garden — also feature hard-packed dirt trails with a level grade. And looking to the future, additional access improvements to the trails will be added as the budget allows.
Slow walkers will also be happy to know that there’s a large fleet of scooters available for rent at the garden. Over the years many used scooters have been donated to the garden, and energetic volunteers refurbished them and made sure they were in top operating condition. Additionally a brand new scooter was recently purchased and added to the rental fleet. Today, the rental scooters are available for a very reasonable daily fee.
And when a scooter is retired from the fleet, its life is not over yet. A garden volunteer refurbishes these scooters and they are distributed to local people in need. That’s just one more way that this organization supports their community.
Dogs are welcome and enjoy free admission. Please clean up after your dog and keep them are leashed at all times. The Garden Store (gift shop) and Nursery are open dialy, no reservations required to shop. We have a number of electric carts available for guests with mobility issues on a first-come, first-served basis. A $10 fee will be charged for rental. A cart rental agreement must be signed in order to rent an electric cart. For your safety, electric carts are not available on wet/rainy days.
Well-behaved dogs on leashes no longer than 6 feet are welcome and enjoy free admission. Please note, there are a handful of special events at which we do not allow dogs.
