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.
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Jug Handle Beach
4.7
(228)
The hike to the pygmy forest is wonderful. There is a smaller walk out to the bluffs that also is beautiful. The signage is a little confusing. To get to the pygmy forest you follow the trail toward the right instead of the one the arrow points to. Stay on the path to the right instead of going down the stairs toward the beach. It will take you to the pygmy forest trail. One sign says dogs allowed on a leash; another says dogs aren't allowed on the trail. We took our dog and saw other dogs on the trail. Once you get to the pygmy forest, make sure to walk the boardwalk loop at the he top. it is a lot easier to navigate now that there is better signage at the pygmy forest. The hike is about 4 mles round trip. My 9-year-old and 6-year-old hiked with no problems. Be sure to use A bathroom before you go. There is a porta potty, but it was stuffed to the toilet lid. That is my main complaint about this location. It would be nice to have some bathrooms that...
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Had a great time at Jug Handle. This preserve offers a variety of ways to explore nature such as coastal bluff trails, a beach and a forest trail to a pygmy forest.
The beach and coastal trails are very nice but my favorite part was definitely the Ecological Staircase Trail which meanders through 2.5 miles of forest where you can experience the majestic redwoods, spectacular mushrooms that don't seem real and the pygmy forest where old growth trees are stunted due to the acidic soil. I spent about 2 hours on the trail, taking my time on the way out to stop at all of the numbered markers and explore the pygmy forest. The hike is pretty easy as I did it with just two water bottles and some running shoes. I suggest downloading the trail guide to your phone or printing it out as there weren't any available at the parking lot. Had no issues with mosquitoes since I went in December.
Overall a very nice experience and I highly recommend visiting if you're...
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Gorgeous place for both beachcombing and hiking. We visited three times - twice to walk the beach and once to hike the “Ecological Staircase” trail. The beach is lovely, and trail is an easy and gorgeous hike that takes you several miles inland (we went an hour in and didn’t reach the end; sadly, time constraints meant we had to go back at that point). The only downside is that the Ecological Staircase trailhead is poorly marked from the main parking lot; we only found it because we picked up a trail guide from Jughandle Creek Farm a bit down the road. But it is so well...
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