Devil’s Kitchen Trail Colorado National Monument

By Kristen Lummis (enjoy her blog Brave Ski Mom, like her on facebook or follow her on twitter @BraveSkiMom)

My city-girl niece visited us this summer. She lives in the Denver area and we live on Colorado’s Western Slope. She is 8 years old, full of energy and loves to be outdoors. I am much older, but still full of energy. And, I too, love to be outdoors. We are a good match.

So on a cool Saturday, despite the threat of rain, my mom and I took her hiking at Colorado National Monument. Here is our report from the Devil’s Kitchen Trail.

Lots of Prickly Pear Blossoms: I am mom to two boys. Thus, I am used to spotting lizards, oohing and ahhing over rocks, and identifying unique shapes and uses for twigs and sticks. My niece pointed out the brilliant cactus blossoms and spotted lizards. Rocks and sticks, not so much.

Prickly Pear Blossom at Colorado national Monument

Plenty of Room to Run: And run she did. She ran, she climbed, she skipped and she balanced. An open trail, a beautiful day and nothing to do but enjoy being amidst the splendor of nature.

balancing on devil'skitchen trail at Colorado national monument

Time to Practice Trail Boss Skills: My niece is the youngest in her family. We let her choose the trail, set the pace, lead the way, and read the signs. We helped her find the cairns marking the trail and she became our official cairn-spotter. She was an excellent trail boss.

trail boss on Devil's Kitchen trail

While hiking with her, I was reminded of an article I recently read entitled Leave No Child Inside. Concerned about the trend of more and more kids spending their days indoors looking at TV and computer screens, a group of outdoor agencies and advocates in Chicago are urging families to turn off the technology and get outside. As one of the organizers put, “(Children) are excited to be outdoors.”

That is so true. No matter where you live, kids are excited to be outdoors. Some time in the sunshine, lying in the grass, hiking on a trail or chasing butterflies is exactly what our kids need.

No matter where you live, you can find the great outdoors. It’s just a matter of opening the door and walking outside: to an urban park, to a meadow, to a national monument, to wherever you can find nature.

When You Go: 2011 is a great year to get out and visit Colorado National Monument. Located near Grand Junction, approximately 250 miles west of Denver on I-70, the Monument is celebrating its 100th Anniversary as a unit of the National Park System with fireworks, special events and new displays in the Visitors’ Center.

Hiking: Comprised of 32 square miles of stunning red rock canyons and monoliths between Grand Junction and Fruita, Colorado National Monument has miles and miles of established and back country trails.

My niece, my mom and I chose the Devil’s Kitchen trail for our adventure. 1 and 1/2 miles long, the trail begins on sandy, clearly marked trail and after about 1/2-mile transitions to sandstone and slickrock.

devil's kitchen trail Colorado national monument

Climbing and switch-backing across slickrock, the trail offers enough adventure to keep kids engaged and ends in the Devil’s Kitchen, a sandstone “room” hundreds of feet above the valley. With rocks to climb on and ledges to peer over, kids can keep themselves busy in the Kitchen for hours.

hiking devil's kitchen Colorado national monument

Camping: Camping is available at the Saddlehorn Campground, along the upper rim of the canyons in the pinyon and juniper forest. There are no hookups for RVs, but there are flush toilets and running water, which in my mind, changes the experience from camping to glamping. Sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Finally, if you’ve ever wondered why some National Park sites are called Parks and some are called Monuments, here’s your answer: Parks require the approval of Congress. Monuments do not.

In 1911, with feelings in Congress running against conservation, Colorado officials didn’t think they had the votes necessary to create a national park. In May of that year, President Taft preserved this glorious slice of canyon country with the stroke of his pen.

Enjoy!

Chessman Ridge Overlook Cedar Breaks National Monument

To get the best overall view of Cedar Breaks National Monument, Chessman Ridge Overlook is the place to go. The overlook is directly in the center of the two main areas of the monument. To the left is the Amphitheater:

the Amphitheater at Cedar Breaks national monument

and to the right is Cedar Breaks:

Cedar Breaks at Cedar Breaks National Monument

There is a very short walk from the parking lot to the overlook which is wheelchair accessible. The overlook gives a wonderful perspective of the entire park where you can step back and see the vastness, or focus in on specific points to see the intricate details of the weathered rocks. A poem from the Cedar Breaks national Monument newsletter does a nice job summing everything up:

Clinging to the clouds at 10.350 feet
Cracks and crevasses, hoodoos and arches

Exposed limestone structures from the ancient amphitheater.
Elegant and profuse, wildflowers appear in July

Brushing the sub-alpine meadows in a rainbow of colors.
Bristle Cone Pine, twisted, stunted, ancient trees

Remain standing in drought and flood for over 1,600 years.
Raptors, ravens, California Condors soar and play on warm updrafts.

Nighttime approaches, campfires flicker, Rangers tell stories.
Night sky deepens, dark, vast. The stars appear.

Millions of stars, billions of stars, stars no longer hidden by city lights.
Monuments all. The great masterpieces of nature.

This is CEdar BReaks National Monument! — Park Ranger Teri Saa

Red Canyon Overlook Colorado National Monument

Next to Columbus Canyon (which can be seen from Cold Shivers Point) at Colorado National Monument is Red Canyon. You can get a wonderful view of Red Canyon from Red Canyon Overlook:

Red Canyon at Colorado National Monument

view of the double canyon at Red Canyon in Colorado National Monument

Red Canyon is also interesting because it is actually a canyon within a canyon. It’s described as such at the information sign overlooking the canyon:

Canyon in a Canyon

Red Canyon is really two canyons. Most obvious is the broad U-shaped canyon with the tall sandstone walls. But notice the smaller V-shaped cut in the middle of the canyon floor. Water has begun to carve into the hard metamorphic bedrock, but this old, pressure-treated and tempered rock wears away much more slowly than the fragile sedimentary canyon walls. By the time the small canyon reaches the depth of the large one, all of the sedimentary layers above it will probably be gone.

National Parks Yurt: Cedar Breaks National Monument

One of the things that I always find fascinating is the wide range of the unexpected I find when I go to a National Park. On my first visit to Cedar Breaks National Monument, I learned that there is actually a National Parks Yurt:

national parks yurt at Cedar Breaks National Park

This was the sign on the Yurt’s door:

What: Warming hut and resting spot for winter visitors (cross country skiers, snowshoers, snowmobilers). Wood stove, hot drinks, park information available. No restroom facilities. Cross-country ski and snowshoe trail marked on upper Alpine Pond trail, starting at yurt; 2 mile round trip to Chessmen overlook.

When: Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays from December 1 to about April 15, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, but only when highway 143 is open above (south of) Brian Head.

Who: Hosted by volunteers for Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Warning: Severe weather conditions possible, which may cause highway 143 to be closed without warning. Check weather forecast and plan accordingly.

The inside, although sparse, I’m sure is a welcome sanctuary from the cold for cross-country skiers and snowshoers:

a peak inside the yurt at Cedar Breaks National Monument

I may just have to take up snowshoeing to give the National Parks’ yurt a try…has anyone taken advantage of the yurt and, if so, what are your impressions of it?

Cold Shivers Point Colorado National Monument

Some things are so tantalizingly named that I have no doubt that I am going to have to stop and take a look at them no matter what. That was certainly the case when I saw the name Cold Shivers Point on my map. While I’m not sure how Cold Shivers Point got its name, my guess is that it came from the chill that you get while peering over the edge of Columbus Canyon which drops 2,000 feet. It’s certainly a grand preview of what’s to come when visiting Colorado National Monument:

looking over the edge at Cold Shivers Point at Colorado National Monument

view from Cold Shivers Point in Colorado National Monument

view toward Grand Junction from Cold Shivers Point at Colorado National Monument

Cold Shivers Point is a wheel chair accessible overlook along Rim Rock Drive. If you enter Colorado National Monument from the East (Grand Junction) entrance, it will be the first of many overlooks that you will be able to see. It’s certainly worth the few minutes it takes to stop and walk out to the canyon’s edge.

National Park Fees List

What is not commonly known is that the vast majority of the nearly 400 parks in the National Parks system do not charge any entrance fee at all. Of those that do charge an entrance fee, there is usually a fee per car and or a fee per individual entering the National Park. The following is a list of all the parks in the National Parks system that usually charge a fee to gain entrance to the park. The parks on this list waive the fee on National Parks fee free days.

Arizona

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Chiricahua National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $7 per individual adult
Grand Canyon National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult
Lake Mead National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Montezuma Castle National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Petrified Forest National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Pipe Spring National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Saguaro National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Tonto National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Tumacacori National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Tuzigoot National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Walnut Canyon National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Wupatki National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult

Arkansas

Fort Smith National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Pea Ridge National Military Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

California

Cabrillo National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Death Valley National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
John Muir National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Joshua Tree National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Lassen Volcanic National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Lava Beds National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult – Only accepts cash or checks, no debit or credit cards
Muir Woods National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Pinnacles National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Sequoia National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Yosemite National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult

Colorado

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $7 per individual adult
Colorado National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Dinosaur National Monument entrance fee:
No entrance fees charged in 2011 until after the Quarry Visitor Center and Exhibit Hall open on October 4
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per individual adult – Only accepts cash or checks, no debit or credit cards
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve entrance fee:
$3 per individual adult
Hovenweep National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Mesa Verde National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $8 per individual adult: May 29 – September 5, 2011. All other times: $10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Rocky Mountain National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult

Florida

Canaveral National Seashore entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per adult: San Marcos is considering increasing its admission fee to $7 per adult
Dry Tortugas National Park entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Everglades National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Gulf Islands National Seashore entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Georgia

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park entrance fee:
No entrance fee. Point Park at Lookout Mountain Battlefield: $3 per adult
Cumberland Island National Seashore entrance fee:
Entrance fee is $4 per adult. Ferry fee is $20 per adult round trip
Fort Frederica National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Fort Pulaski National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult

Hawaii

Haleakalā National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Idaho

Craters of the Moon National Monument entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Yellowstone National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult / $20 per snowmobile or motorcycle

Illinois

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Memorial entrance fee:
Varying prices for tram, movie and riverboat or combinations: see here

Indiana

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial entrance fee:
$5 per family / $3 per individual adult

Maine

Acadia National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle June 23-early October; $10 per vehicle May 1-June 22 and early October-October 31 / $5 per individual adult

Maryland

Antietam National Battlefield entrance fee:
$6 per family / $4 per individual adult
Assateague Island National Seashore entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $3 per individual adul
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Fort McHenry NM and Historic Shrine National Monument entrance fee:
$7 per adult
Fort Washington Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult

Mississippi

Gulf Islands National Seashore entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Massachusetts

Adams National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Cape Cod National Seashore entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Michigan

Isle Royale National Park entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Minnesota

Pipestone National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Mississippi

Vicksburg National Military Park entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult

Missouri

Harry S Truman National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Memorial entrance fee:
Varying prices for tram, movie and riverboat or combinations: see here
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Montana

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Glacier National Park entrance fee:
Summer: $25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult: May 1 – November 30
Winter: $15 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult: December 1 – April 30
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Yellowstone National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult / $20 per snowmobile or motorcycle

Nebraska

Scotts Bluff National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Nevada

Death Valley National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
Lake Mead National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

New Hampshire

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per adult

New Jersey

Thomas Edison National Historical Park entrance fee:
$7 per adult
Morristown National Historical Park entrance fee:
$4 per adult

New Mexico

Aztec Ruins National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Bandelier National Monument entrance fee:
$12 per vehicle / $6 per individual adult
Capulin Volcano National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Carlsbad Caverns National Park entrance fee:
$6 per adult
Chaco Culture National Historical Park entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
El Morro National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Fort Union National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per family / $3 per adult
Pecos National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
White Sands National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult

New York

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site entrance fee:
$8 per adult for Val-Kill Guided Tour
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site entrance fee:
$14 per adult
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site entrance fee:
$12 per family / $5 per adult
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Saratoga National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site entrance fee:
$8 per adult for Vanderbilt Mansion Guided Tour

North Carolina

Wright Brothers National Memorial entrance fee:
$4 per adult

North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Ohio

James A. Garfield National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial National Memorial entrance fee:
$3 per adult

Oklahoma

Fort Smith National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult

Oregon

Crater Lake National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult

Pennsylvania

Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Fort Necessity National Battlefield entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Johnstown Flood National Memorial entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Steamtown National Historic Site entrance fee:
$7 per adult, Train rides $5 per individual

Puerto Rico

San Juan National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult for 1 fortification, $5 per adult for both fortifications

South Carolina

Fort Sumter National Monument entrance fee:
No entrance fee for visitors who arrive by private boat. Ferry concessioner does not accept America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes. Ferry tickets are: Adults: $17 Seniors: $15 Children (6-11): $10 Infants (5 and Under): Free

South Dakota

Badlands National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $7 per individual adult
Jewel Cave National Monument entrance fee:
Enterance to grounds is free. Cave tours: $8 per adult / $4 per youth ages 6-16

Tennessee

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park entrance fee:
No entrance fee. $3 per adult for Point Park at Lookout Mountain Battlefield
Shiloh National Military Park entrance fee:
No fee for Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. $5 per family / $3 per adult for Shiloh Battlefield

Texas

Big Bend National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
Fort Davis National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Guadalupe Mountains National Park entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Padre Island National Seashore entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Utah

Arches National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Bryce Canyon National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult
Canyonlands National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Capitol Reef National Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Cedar Breaks National Monument entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Dinosaur National Monument entrance fee:
Entrance fees will not be charged in 2011 until after the Quarry Visitor Center and Exhibit Hall open on October 4
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $7 per individual adult
Golden Spike National Historic Site entrance fee:
Summer: $7 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Winter: $5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Hovenweep National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Natural Bridges National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Zion National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult

Virgin Islands

Christiansted National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult

Virginia

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park entrance fee:
Memorial Day until Labor Day: $10 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Off Season: $5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Assateague Island National Seashore entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle
Colonial National Historical Park entrance fee:
$10 per adult
George Washington Memorial Parkway’s Great Falls Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Manassas National Battlefield Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Petersburg National Battlefield entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Prince William Forest Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Shenandoah National Park entrance fee:
March through November: $15 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $5 per individual adult
December through February: $10 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $5 per individual adult

Washington

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per family / $3 per individual adult
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Mount Rainier National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Olympic National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Whitman Mission National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult

West Virginia

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult

Wyoming

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Devils Tower National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Fort Laramie National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Grand Teton National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $20 per motorcycle / $12 per individual adult. Good for both Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks
Yellowstone National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $20 per motorcycle / $12 per individual adult. Good for both Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks

If you know of any National Parks fee changes that have taken place, please contact me so I can update this list.

National Park Wilderness Photo Contest For National Park Service

If you have quality photos from your recent National Park trips, the National Park Service would love to take a look at them for possible inclusion for an upcoming wilderness section of Park Science. The beauty of the National Parks wilderness has inspired millions of people who have visited them, but it’s often difficult to capture the spirit of wilderness in words. The National Park Service is hoping to capture wilderness in photos to share in an upcoming issue of Park Science.

Photographers of the winning wilderness photos will receive full credit for their photo and their photo will be featured in a four-page color spread in the center of the Park Science edition. Winning photographers will also receive a handy item which can be used in the wilderness such as a trowel.

For those interested, you should attach up to three wilderness photos for consideration to Christina Mills at [email protected] in TIFF or JPG format by Friday, September 16, 2011. You should also include your name, where the photo was taken (what National Park System wilderness area), the date the photograph was taken and your contact information along with a short description of your thoughts when you took the photograph.

Photo Contest Rules

1. All photos must be digital.
2. All photos must be 3 MG in size or larger.
3. All photos must be in either TIFF or JPG format.
4. There is a submission limit of three photos per photographer.
5. Submitted photo must have been taken in a National Park System wilderness area.
6. Submitted photo must not have been retouched, optimized or had filters applied.
7. The photographer must license unrestricted use to the National Park Service if the submitted photo wasn’t taken on official National Park Service duty.
8. Photos should be emailed as an attachment to Christina Mills at [email protected]
9. Deadline for submission is Friday, September 16, 2011.
10. Please contact Christina Mills at (202) 513-7124 or email [email protected] with any additional questions.

Pfeiffer Beach National Forest

Pfeiffer Beach (run by the National Forest Service) is a hidden gem where you may be able to escape the crowds clogging up all the other beaches and state parks along highway 1 in the Big Sur area of California. There are a couple of reasons for this.

First, the Pfeiffer Beach isn’t marked with a sign along highway 1 so you would drive right on by it unless you knew exactly where to turn. Coming south on highway 1, it is 0.5 miles past the US Forest Service Ranger Station. You make a tight right turn when you see the yellow “Narrow Road” sign (which you need to be looking for because it’s hidden a bit too — there is no sign for “Pfeiffer Beach”). About 100 yards down the road you will get confirmation that you are one the correct road when you see this sign:

The second reason that less people go to this beach is that the next two miles of road down to the beach are mostly one lane so that campers and RVs can’t make it down it. Combine the lack of marking and the no RVs and you have a beach that, although beautiful, gets a lot less traffic than the other beaches in the Big Sur area.

The beach has plenty of sand with a number of rocky outcrops just offshore, many with arches and tunnels within them:

There is a small creek that runs down the beach and empties into the ocean. Sea lions playing in the waves just offshore when I was there and the many rocks outcroppings (which also make Pfeiffer beach part of the California Coastal National Monument) were the home of sea birds and resting sea lions. There is a $5 fee to enter. If interested, here are more photos of Pfeiffer Beach. It’s definitely a beach to visit, especially when the crowds at the other main stops are beginning to get to you.

Sea Glass Beach Fort Bragg California

While not technically a National Park (there are a lot of rock outcroppings along the shoreline which are all part of the California Coastal National Monument), Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, CA is definitely worth a visit. It’s not often that you see a beach that is almost entirely made of sea glass (also called beach glass, mermaids tears, lucky glass, ocean glass and sea gems) that is several inches thick in some places:

a beach made up almost entirely of sea glass in Fort Bragg, CA

Most people assume that sea glass comes from glass garbage dumped out at sea that eventually makes its way to the shore. In many cases, this is how sea glass arrives on the beach, but not in the case of Glass Beach in Fort Bragg. Instead, the glass has been there for up to 100 years getting churned by ocean waves and sand.

Towns along the sea coast used to dump all their garbage into the oceans. In most areas, the tide would come in and sweep all the garbage out to sea, but the rock formations at Fort Bragg create a unique wave pattern that kept everything on the beach. Basically, all the glass garbage that was dumped in the Fort Bragg dumps from 1906 – 1967 remains where it was dumped and over the years the sand and tides have smoothed the sharp glass into smooth, rounded sea glass pebbles of many different colors making the entire beach a “glass beach.” It also has resulted in Fort Bragg having the highest concentration of sea glass in the world.

beach glass from Glass Beach in Fort Bragg California

It’s a pretty incredible sight with the sea glass several inches thick in some areas. It also makes for excellent foreground photographs of the California Coastal National Monument outcroppings just off the coast:

seaglass beach

Here is a short video I took at Glass Beach:

There are actually 3 Glass Beaches in Fort Bragg. The one that is most famous is part of MacKerricher State Park (CA) and was the Fort Bragg dump from 1949 – 1967. I took these photos and video at the 1943 – 1949 dump site which is just south of MacKerricher State Park. There is another dump site that ran from 1906 – 1943, but it’s only accessible by sea kayak.

For those interested in directions how to get to 1943 – 1949 dump site, there is a Glass Beach Museum on highway 1 toward the south end of Fort Bragg where you can get a map of all the glass beaches in Fort Bragg (and see an amazing display of sea glass).

Natural Bridge at Natural Bridges State Beach California

If you are looking for a beach that has more than just sand, Natural Bridges State Beach (CA) is an excellent choice. In addition to Sandy Beach and the Natural Bridge, the beach also has wonderful tide-pools to explore during low tide and is home to one of the largest monarch butterfly over-wintering sites in the Western United States. The beach was named after three natural bridges that extended out into the ocean — now only one remains:

natural bridge at Natural Bridges State Park in California

Waves crashing through Natural Bridge at Natural Bridges State Beach in California

In the early 1900s, three arches carved by nature out of a mudstone cliff inspired the naming of Natural Bridges.

The arches were formed millions of years ago when water, silt and clay sediment combined with one-cell marine plants called diatoms. Heat and pressure solidified the mixture into a soft stone that formed the three arches.

Wave action against the soft rock formed the bridges and also undercut them, eventually wearing them away and leaving only islands. The outermost arch fell in the early part of the 20th century and the inner arch broke during a storm in 1980. Only the middle arch remains, but it is being slowly eroded by the waves.

With the last remaining bridge now fully cut off from the coast, it’s part of the California Coastal National Monument.

Natural Bridges formation at Natural Bridges State Beach in California

I arrived at high tide, so I was not able to explore the tide-pools. I have on other occasions in the past and they are quite interesting and an excellent place to take kids with quite a bit of tide-pool life to see.

The park rangers offer year round guided nature walks on such topics as wildflowers, birds and wetland explorations.

The monarch butterfly natural preserve walkway is currently being worked on, but should be ready when the monarch butterflies return in winter. Monarch butterfly tours are offered at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm on weekends in the fall and winter. The park also offers two special events related to the monarch butterflies: Welcome Back Monarch Day is on the second Sunday in October from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and The Monarch Migration Festival is the second Saturday in February from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.