Exerpted from 
Guide to Sea Kayaking Central and Northern California
Copyright 1999, The Globe Pequot Press. All rights reserved. No Part of this book may be reproduced or transmited in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording except as expressly permitted by the publisher.

MENDOCINO AREA

Route 4: Big River
This peaceful, emerald green estuary wandering through forested and undeveloped lands makes a great trip for novices or a sane alternative for all paddlers on those days when the sea beyond is raging. Due to turn of the century loggers the redwoods now begin two miles upstream and remnants of the logging operations act as landmarks along the banks. Few fishermen or powerboats venture here leaving only those in human powered craft to absorb the quiet, engulfed by serene lushness. When the ocean is calm, the mouth of the Big River offers excellent access to the area’s outstanding coves and sea caves for those comfortable launching through surf.

Trip Highlights: Calm water, solitude, redwoods; access to surf and coastal touring with excellent caves. 

Trip Rating:
Beginner: 1-16 miles very protected estuary.
Intermediate: 1-16 miles with access to open-coast sidetrips and surfing options when waves below 3 feet and winds to 15 knots for those with previous coastal touring experience or an advanced paddler leading. 
Advanced: 1-16 miles with access to coastal sidetrips and surfing options in waves to 6 feet and winds to 25 knots; excellent rock gardens and sea caves. 

Trip Duration: Part to full day.

Navigation aids: Big River map available from Catch a Canoe boat rentals on south side of Big River bridge. USGS: Mendocino (7.5 minute). NOAA marine chart # 18628. Wx radio: “Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena”; buoys: Pt. Arena. 
Tidal info: The river is tidally influenced for eight miles (we’ve seen a harbor seal 4 miles upstream). 

Cautions: Strong ocean-going currents under Highway 1 Bridge at river mouth during ebb tide. Near the launch site, afternoon winds blowing upriver are common during summer. Potential for flooding during winter.

Trip planning: Ride the flood tide on your way in and the ebb on your way out for an easier time. Save some energy to fight the upriver winds on the last mile or so of the return.

Launch site: Immediately north of the Big River bridge on Highway One, turn away from the ocean onto “N. Big River Rd” leading to the broad dirt pull out on the flood plain under the bridge which offers easy access to the river.  The easiest launch is at the farthest beach from the bridge, but it sometimes gets crowded; small trails through the grass make possible other launch sites along this large parking area. No fees or facilities.

Directions for the Trip:
Start  Head east, winding upriver. Conifers and rhododendrons line the banks. Caution: During a falling tide, potentially hazardous currents sweep seaward into the surf.  Sidetrips: On calm days, surf-savvy paddlers can play in the waves or explore the cliffs and caves in Mendocino Cove (see “Other Options”).
Mile 2 Large pilings and small landing beaches on either side of the river mark “New Boom,” remnants of a dam that gathered logs to be floated downriver to mill. Beyond here the alder and willow woodlands give way to redwoods and the river becomes more narrow and convoluted. 
Mile 3 Short pilings, the remains of logging train tracks parallel the left bank.
Mile 3.5 Just beyond the large landslide on the right bank and is a sandy beach with grassy area that can be a nice place to take a break but it can be a bit of a steep scramble for 5 or 6 feet. Sidetrip: Continue on through more beautiful forest another mile or so to Oxbow Marsh until eventually the kayaking is restricted by lack of water, approximately 6-8 miles from the mouth depending on the tide height. 
Mile 7+ The final mile of the return to the launch site can be against coastal winds funneling into the mouth of the river and under the bridge. Use the banks as windbreaks when possible. 

Other Options: On calm days, intermediates can launch through small surf and explore up to a mile in the protection of the cliffs on the north side of Mendocino Bay, paddling around sea stacks and into some of the area’s best caves, to find isolated beaches beneath the bluffs. Experienced open-coast kayakers can leave the bay and explore the rock gardens up to Goat Island and beyond, or do one-way coastal tours down to Van Damme, or down from Russian Gulch. 

Plan B: Big River Paddlers’ Refuge
Plan A that weekend was to paddle Mendocino’s famous sea caves, but the sea had other ideas: Saturday morning the weather radio was calling for a gale warning with winds in excess of 35 knots and swells to 15 feet. As we stood on the bluffs overlooking Mendocino Bay watching waves slam against cliffs in huge explosions of spray, the sea needed no sign to announce “Area Closed: Cave making in progress.” Time for Plan B. The best laid paddling plans, we tell our students, have fall-back options, and we often slide well into the alphabet in our quest for safety and fun. In a Mendocino gale, Plan B stands for Big River. Within a mile or so of the river’s mouth, the ocean’s roar muted as the river narrowed and we meandered into second growth redwood forest. On either side the towering wall of woods provided an eerie calm in the eye of the storm. After we stopped for lunch on a small beach, a light mist began to fall, further deepening the stillness. We pulled up the hoods of our anoraks, snug and warm despite the weather, and floated silently through the forest’s embrace.

Where to Eat and Where to Stay 
Restaurants
There are many fine selections in town, as a quick preview: Mendocino Cafe serves tasty Pacific Rim fare, Mendocino Market makes deluxe deli sandwiches for lunch, Mendo Juice Joint could supply the morning charge of espresso or smoothie starting at 6:30 am,  Bayview Cafe has tasty shrimp tostadas, fish & chips and other affordable delights for lunch or dinner.
Lodging
In addition to lodging, Sweetwater Gardens (800-300-4140 or 707-937-4140) has hot tubs, saunas, and massage available whether or not you are staying there. The MacCallum House Inn and Restaurant offers Victorian style lodging and fine cuisine (800-609-0492) and is also right in the village. For many other choices contact the Chamber of Commerce (707-961-6300).
Camping
Van Damme State Park, in the pine forest just south of Mendocino, and Russian Gulch State Park just north, have tent sites, hot showers and hook-ups; reservations through Park Net (800-444-7275). Mendocino Campground has showers, fish cleaning station, and lots of trees amongst the sites (707-937-3130). See “Albion” route 6, for more campgrounds.
 

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