Glass Beach - Fort Bragg, California

Address:Fort Bragg, California

From a distance one could think that Captain Hook spilled a chest of jeweled loot on the colorful, sparkling coast of Glass Beach, nestled in the rugged cliffs of the Northern California coast. Littered with amber, indigo, sea green, and ruby shards of glass and pottery worn smooth by the waves, Glass Beach is a kaleidoscope of color and a coastal rarity. Once a public trash dump, the area was closed in the late 1960s when the North Coast Water Quality Board realized that polluting the coast was harmful. Since then, Creation has reversed man's folly to an enchanting effect. Today Glass Beach is a little-known secret tucked away in the unassuming town of Fort Bragg. An occasional sea lion frolics in the waves, and in and around crystal-clear tidal pools of crab, starfish, mollusks and anemones, you will find a treasure trove of sea glass trinkets.

How will you spend an afternoon or a day on Glass Beach? You can pick blackberries (in summer) on the dirt road that meanders its way down to Glass Beach. Photograph the glass, the cliffs, and the sea to keep the images crisp and clean. Glass Beach photographers recommend using small apertures. Peer into the tidal pools at Glass Beach for a miniature, natural Sea World. Climb over the rocks and paw through the colorful glass for unusual shapes, vibrant colors, and interesting shards. The automobile industry began making tail lights out of plastic after World War II. As a result the red sea glass is rare. Be sure to wear shoes and look where you leap; an occasional sharp or rusty scrap of rubbish often pokes through the glass-pebbles, remnants of Glass Beach's less illustrious past. One of the gems of the Northern California coast, a visit to Glass Beach is a reflective and vivid experience.