An Escape to Bragg About.
Tidepooling
Fort Bragg/ MacKerricher State Park, California
June, 2025
I bet this person was praying to open their eyes and be in the middle of a busy city, instead of chilling on a rock at MacKerricher State Park
Many of you may already know about the famous Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California, and it's worth a visit if you haven’t gone; But what I am going to implore you to do in Fort Bragg is tidepooling at MacKerricher State Park (just five miles north of Glass Beach!).
Trust me there are treasures to be found in MacKerricher’s tide pools which are hailed as some of the Best in Northern California. With an abundance of marine life that’s unmatched along the Mendocino Coast, the tide pooling area is massive – even on a summer weekend, there’s plenty of room for everyone to explore without feeling crowded.
The environment is whimsical and full of surprises – one moment you’re watching a starfish cling confidently to a rock, the next you spot a tiny fish darting away or a camouflaged sculpin still as stone. The key is to come at low tide (check tide charts in advance unlike us) so that these rocky grottoes are accessible. Wear sturdy shoes for the slippery rocks and step carefully; the little creatures at your feet are delicate and deserve respect- always remember to respect mother nature and practice leave-no-trace principals even in these rocky rugged pools.
Starfish galore if you catch the pools at the right time.
The park itself has everything from rocky tidepools, beaches, sandy dunes, and lots of healthy lush vegetation. We came for tidepools but found so much more to enjoy before we even got to the rough rocks on the shoreline. Driving to the parking lot at Laguna Point you pass a couple campgrounds in the area but I imagine they are reserved pretty early in the season, though online says there are 10 walk-in only sites available.
Once parked at Laguna Point we walked along the boardwalk over the wetlands to the beach and the start of the Ten Mile river watershed.This is where your adventure really starts. We highly recommend starting off by completing the Laguna Point Boardwalk Loop which is a 1.37 mile loop trail. It is level and well maintained, fully accessible for wheelchairs or strollers with a mild incline of only 25ft the entire time!
Take a break from tidepooling and take in the view!
You get stunning views of the ocean and the sandy bluffs.The trail has educational signage about the flora and fauna. After completing the loop you can return to Laguna Point and at low-tide head out for the tide pools. The park goes on for 9 miles along the coast and has a huge beach to enjoy a romantic stroll on... but back to why we were there- Tidepooling!
The rough rocks were covered in slippery seaweed making it very difficult to walk so wear good shoes that you won't mind getting wet, you're bound to slip up. As soon as we made our way far out enough the pools became ALIVE with sea creatures. I've written about the five we saw most abundant here. Remember while exploring, do your best to not disturb the area or the animals habitats, never take anything living out of the pools, and always scavenge responsibly!
Green Anemones
1. Green Anemones
The first few creatures we saw were the bright green sea anemones. I fricken love these guys! They always remind me of cartoon movies like Lilo And Stitch and the Little Mermaid, unrealistic expectations met with the brightest colors.These emerald-green flower-like creatures are named after the anemone flower and can get as large as a dinner plate! They look harmless but they are actually predatory invertebrates related to jelly-fish, and those green little tentacles have microscopic harpoons that sting and paralyze their prey. The prey then gets pulled into the center of the anemone to be devoured. These flowy graceful giant green blobs are doing more than you think sitting there looking all innocent.
2. Hermit Crabs
The next thing you'll probably notice is the ground of every pool is moving and there are HUNDREDS of hermit crabs everywhere! Often referred to as “the mobile homeowners” these little guys are always on the move. If it's a shell, I guarantee there is a little crab or snail living inside it. MacKerricher’s tide pools have many hermit crabs ranging from tiny ones in periwinkle shells to larger ones in whelk shells. If you gently pick up a shell and hold it the hermit crab will likely retreat deeply inside, but if you wait patiently and quietly soon you’ll see a cautious antenna or two, then little legs, and out pops the crab! Hermit crabs are omnivorous scavengers or the “clean-up crew” alongside sea cucumbers- which brings me to the next creature that caught my attention for far too long and made me question how much I know about the sea …
3. Nudibranch
2.Hermit Crab
Peltodoris nobilis, also known as nudibranch, or Sea Lemon- looks like a giant yellow slug with bunny ears and a fluffy tail…. I thought I was seeing an alien when I found this little guy. After taking too many photos I did a google search and realized it's not an alien, just a cool ass creature I had never seen in the wild! This slow moving slug lives only about a year and is the largest of the nudibranch species. They breathe through the rosette on their backs, which are its gills and not a cute tail. They are toxic and fragile and should never be poked or picked up.
4. Sea Urchins
If the Sea Lemon didn't impress you, I think you'll be dumbfounded by the sheer amount of purple sea urchins (strongylocentrotus purpuratus) absolutely covering the area. Urchins mow down algae on the rocks, like little gardeners they use their tiny tube feet and mouths to scrape off algae keeping the underwater landscape trimmed and tidy. Individually, urchins are great for the ecosystem; In overabundance they are a problem as they are so efficient they can starve the area of its resources for all the other creatures. At MacKerricher they are abundant but the vibrant purple color next to the bright green anemones looks like something out of a kids movie, pretty magical.
While I was gawking at the ocean of purple spikes, nearly hidden under a rock I spotted a RED sea urchin. I had no idea these guys got red so a quick google search told me they have longer thicker spines, and prefer slightly deeper water but occasionally show up in tide pools. Both purple and red urchins are harvested commercially for their edible golden roe (uni), but of course not in the park (the starfish and otters indulge on these ones!).
5. Ochre Sea Star aka: Starfish (Pisaster ochraceus)
3. Sea Lemon- This little guy held my attention for so long, I watched him slowly travel the entire length of the large tidepool he was in- a really unique experience!
Did you know starfish have thousands of tiny tube feet operating like suction cups to hold them on rocks and to move around the ocean? You might have known that, but what I bet you didn't know is when the Ochre Sea Star eats they push their stomach out through their mouth and into the shell of their prey to digest it- slurping up the meal before pulling their stomach back in… why evolution allowed that to become a thing we’ll have to ask God. Most starfish species also have the unique ability to regrow lost limbs as long as their central body disk remains intact; They have to be from a different planet. They range from purple to bright orange and even some reds and are abundant in the pools. Knowing more about how they devour their prey made me a little uneasy being surrounded by them, despite their beauty. A different common sea star is the bat star, (Asterina miniata) and ranges in color from solid orange, to yellow and even grey. I saw a few of these and one of them was nearly glowing in the water. He was so vivid and orange and just a different shape and texture than the ochre sea star you see everywhere else.
4. Sea Urchins-There are quite a few to be found.
5. Starfish- Grip Day for this little fellow.
Longggg story short there are so many beautiful creatures living in MacKerricher State Park you should go and see them before the warming oceans wipes them all out. We had an amazing time, I bet you will too!
