Manchester Beach

Where the San Andreas Fault meets the Pacific Ocean Manchester Beach State Park has a five mile long beach, sand dunes, and flat grasslands. It is an excellent place to find a wide variety of coastal wildflowers and a diverse selection of dramatic sea birds. Steelhead and salmon fishing is possible in the park’s two streams – Brush Creek and Alder Creek. The San Andreas Fault runs through the park and into the sea here. (This undoubtedly explains why the 1906 earthquake hit nearby Point Arena even harder than it hit San Francisco.)

Calm summer days and wild winter waves reflect the ever changing mood of the place. It is one of our very favorite places for a walk – no matter the time of the year, the state of the tide, or the nature of the weather. If you were ever to decide to swim to Hawaii this would be the best spot to start – it is the closest place in North America to the Islands and that is why the Trans-Pacific undersea telegraphic cable starts here. This is another place to take a short hike or pack a lunch and spend the day.