The excitement level is low at MacKerricher State Park, but for its blubbery offshore residents, and the many humans who visit, that makes it highly satisfying. The slow pace and low-tech character of MacKerricher contrast with the increasingly commercial feel of Fort Bragg, a few miles south, and touristy Mendocino, another eight miles down the coast. It is also a place for drivers to rest their weary arms and shoulders after negotiating the region's curvy roads. On the south end are rocky bluffs, giving way northward to gentler slopes and tide pools, and stretching on with an uninterrupted, dune-bedecked beach of some four miles. Near MacKerricher's center are Lake Cleone and 143 nicely arranged campsites that are very popular in the summertime.
Portions are on a boardwalk that is handicap-accessible.
The lake is stocked with trout in April, May and June, Hoffmann said, and only non-motorized boats are allowed, helping to maintain the park's peaceful nature. Many whale watchers are drawn to MacKerricher. The tours begin at the visitors center at 10 a.m., March 21 and March 28. You don't need to register, but be sure to bring binoculars and appropriate clothing. There are no guarantees, of course, that you will spot any of the blue, humpback or gray whales that swim by on their journey between the Arctic north and tropical south.