Fort Bragg - Pudding Creek Trestle and Beach

Introduction:

What? :

Pudding Creek Trestle is a large bridge used for train and later a road crossing of Pudding Creek Ocean opening.

The large wooden structure span over the river opening and above the popular sandy beach below it.

 




The impressive wooden bridge is 527 feet long and 44 feet high, with 34 uprights columns holding the structure.

 

Fun place for a sunset walk along the ocean.


 


Where? :

To the trail crossing the bridge: From highway 1 at the north section of Fort Bragg you need to drive to down to Glass Beach and before entering the Glass beach parking lot turn right on the road going north, you can park right at the beginning of the bridge.

Google Map Link

 

For easy access to the beach, you need to drive on highway 1 north of Fort Bragg, cross Pudding Creek and turn right into the beach parking lot.

Google Map Link

 

 


When? :

Year round.

 

 



Due note 1: The bridge trail and beach access is free of charge.

 

Due note 2: The trail is connecting the popular Glass beach are to the Trestle.

 

Due note 3: Excellent place to see the sunset or to take night pictures.

 

Due note 4: Dogs are allowed on leash

 

Due note 5: Portable restrooms are available near the beach parking

 

Due note 6: As anywhere else in north California the ocean water is cold and it can be windy and foggy.


 

 

My thoughts:

Nice looking picturesque, long, tall and well-preserved Trestle. Excellent place to walk along the ocean front or to go and enjoy the sandy beach below.

 

 



The visit:

 

The old wooden bridge and the ocean beach, as well as Glass Beach area, is part of MacKerricher State Park.

The park covers 9 miles of coastline and contains several types of coastal habitat, including beaches, tide pools, bluff, headland, dune, forest, and wetland and even small a freshwater lake.

The park stretch as a narrow strip along the coastline from Fort Bragg (Glass beach) all the way to Ten Mile River to the north, and with that it protect the shores and the large dunes area on its north side.

 


At the peak of the logging area (mid 1800's and early 1900’s) there were many logging camps along the shore between Fort Bragg and 10-Mile River.

The Union Lumber Company built the 10-mile-long train trestle in 1916. The train replaced the horses hauling the logs out to ships.

 

The railroad ran from 1916 until 1949, when it was replaced by a haul road which ran for 8 miles along the coast.

This was the main transportation for logging trucks until 1983.

 


The California State Parks restored the historic Pudding Creek Trestle and Old Haul Road in 2010.

 

Today the old train/road trestle is well maintained walking path cross over Pudding Creek and continue north along the Pacific Ocean.

From the bridge you can walk north or find the trails leading to the ocean cliffs, from there you can walk back south to Glass beach.

 


You can also visit the sandy protected bay ocean beach that is under the Trestle.

There is no official trail that go from the Trestle to the beach below (there is one trail leading down just north of the bridge) and for that I do recommend that you will drive on highway 1 and get into the beach access parking lot.

 



The beach is very popular during warm summer days because it protected from the ocean wave with large flat sandy area. Many people come to spend the day at this beach so it can be crowded.

When I visit here, late January 2023, Pudding Creek runs below the bridge down to the beach into the ocean. I do not know if this is flowing stream also during summer days.

 

 

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