Skip to main content
Photo 1 / 5
State Park

Photo: David EppsteinCC BY-SA 3.0Wikimedia Commons

State Park

Jug Handle State Natural Reserve

California · CA

4

Trails

1

Campgrounds

Official sources & verification

Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation

Verify before you go

Source of truth

We display cached information from agency feeds. Hours, fees, permits, closures, fire restrictions, and conditions change without notice. Outdoors is not the permitting authority. Confirm current conditions for this park using the links above before you go — you are responsible for compliance. Last verified by us: Oct 14, 2026. Spot an error in our data?

About

A coastal natural reserve with a beach and the Ecological Staircase Trail, which leads through marine terraces to a pygmy forest.

Source: parks.ca.gov

From Wikipedia

Jug Handle State Natural Reserve is a state park unit of California, United States, preserving a series of marine terraces each exhibiting a different stage of ecological succession. It is located on California State Route 1 north of the village of Caspar, five miles (8 km) equidistant between the towns of Mendocino and Fort Bragg. The 776-acre (314 ha) park was established in 1976.

Source: Wikipedia — text licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Verify alerts and operational details with the managing agency below.

Trails

All trails in Jug Handle State Natural Reserve

Ecological Staircase Trail

0.1 mi
TrailLoop

Ecological Staircase Trail

0.1 mi
TrailLoop

Ecological Staircase Trail

1.8 mi213 ftgain
TrailDifficulty: Easy

Mitchell Creek Headlands Trails

0.3 mi36 ftgain
TrailDifficulty: Easy

Campgrounds

All campgrounds in Jug Handle State Natural Reserve
Jughandle Creek Farm

Jughandle Creek Farm

Caspar, CAPricing varies — check with the operator
Campground State Park Reservable

Reviews

No reviews yet

Be the first to share your experience and help others plan their visit.

Hunting in this park

This park overlaps hunting units

During hunting seasons, wear blaze orange and check regulations — see the California hunting page

Within ~100 miles

Parks near Jug Handle State Natural Reserve

Caspar Headlands State Beach

Caspar Headlands State Beach

California

ParkState Park
Caspar Headlands State Natural Reserve

Caspar Headlands State Natural Reserve

California

ParkState Park
Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park

Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park

California

ParkState Park
Russian Gulch State Park

Russian Gulch State Park

California

ParkState Park
Mendocino Headlands State Park

Mendocino Headlands State Park

California

ParkState Park
Mendocino Woodlands State Park

Mendocino Woodlands State Park

California

ParkState Park

Same state

More parks in California

All California parks
Death Valley National Park
Featured

Death Valley National Park

California

5,326 sq mi
ParkNational Park
Featured

Inyo National Forest

California

2,974 sq mi
ParkNational Forest
Joshua Tree National Park
Featured

Joshua Tree National Park

California

1,242 sq mi
ParkNational Park
Redwood National and State Parks
Featured

Redwood National and State Parks

California

217 sq mi
ParkNational Park
Sequoia National Park
Featured

Sequoia National Park

California

631 sq mi
ParkNational Park
Featured

Shasta-Trinity National Forest

California

3,438 sq mi
ParkNational Forest
Yosemite National Park
Featured

Yosemite National Park

California

1,190 sq mi
ParkNational Park

Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area

California

ParkState Park
Spot an error in our data on Jug Handle State Natural Reserve?