Manchester

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=437 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_State_Park_(California) Manchester State Park includes 18,000 feet (5,500 m) of protected beachfront on the Pacific Ocean in Northern California on State Route 1, 7 miles (11 km) north of Point Arena. The park features sand dunes, flat grasslands and five miles of gentle, sandy beachfront. The park is noted for steelhead and salmon fishing in the park's two streams, Brush Creek and Alder Creek, as well as the driftwood that collects in the catch basin created by the gently curved coastline.

Our Mission Manchester State Park The mission of California State Parks is to provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. Once a hazardous area for shipwrecks and a home for dairy ranches, this park’s rare dune habitat and miles of sandy beach offer visitors a magnificent California State Parks supports equal access. Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who need assistance should contact the park at (707) 937-5804. If you need this publication in an alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov. CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS P.O. Box 942896 Sacramento, CA 94296-0001 For information call: (800) 777-0369 (916) 653-6995, outside the U.S. 711, TTY relay service www.parks.ca.gov Manchester State Park 44500 Kinney Road (Off Highway 1) Manchester, CA 95459 (707) 937-5804 or 882-2463 © 2010 California State Parks (Rev. 2015) coastal retreat. M anchester State Park offers visitors one of the few remaining “wild” landscapes along California’s northern coast. More than four miles of pristine beach backed by undulating dunes, wetlands, and coastal bluffs provide opportunities for recreation, exploration, and inspiration. The park consists of 1,500 acres onshore, with a 3,782-acre adjacent underwater lease. The mild coastal climate is generally cool, windy, and foggy. Temperatures range from winter lows in the high 30s to summer highs near 70 degrees. PARK HISTORY Native People For centuries before European contact, the area surrounding Manchester was the territory of the Central Pomo. The local people were called the Bokeya Pomo; their village, Pda’hau, was near the mouth of the Garcia River. They, like other California Indians, were primarily self-sufficient, drawing from plentiful resources of the ocean, rivers, forests, and coastal shelf. Early in the 1800s, Bokeya Pomo contact with Europeans was limited to the Russian colony at nearby Fort Ross. The mid-tolate 1800s saw a period of white settlement and development of towns, agriculture, and the logging industry within the Bokeya homeland. Efforts to resettle local Indian populations sent the Bokeya Pomo people to the Mendocino Indian Reservation near Fort Bragg. When the reservation was disbanded in 1867, the surviving people tried to return to their native area. Much of their lands had been claimed by settlers, so the Pomo labored on farms or did seasonal work. In 1936, with the approval of their constitution and bylaws, the Bokeya became the Manchester Band of Pomo Indians. They had jurisdiction over their rancheria land and operated a dairy business until 1959. While their participation in modern society has increased over the last 200 years, they still retain many of their traditional values, beliefs, and cultural identity. Becoming a State Park The William Barns Davis family owned land in this area during the mid-1870s. In 1930, California’s State Park Commission set aside 295 coastal acres for public recreation. In 1961, then-owner James Biaggi granted the State part of a dairy ranch built by Sylvanus Hoyt in the northern portion of today’s park. The combined land was named Manchester State Park in 1991. In 1987, a 500-acre offshore section around Arena Rock was established as Arena Rock Marine Natural Preserve. The area is now part of the larger Point Arena State Marine Reserve, created in 2010 by the statewide Marine Life Protection Act. The Act prohibits disturbance or collection of marine creatures. Treacherous Arena Rock sits in about 100 feet of water off the southwestern tip of the park; its sedimentary top has a jutting vertical portion visible only at very low tide. Before the nearby Point Arena Lighthouse was built, six known shipwrecks were attributed to the hazards of Arena Rock. An additional 34 ships were presumed lost at sea in the area. The lighthouse exhibits some artifacts recovered from wrecks. NATURAL HISTORY Wildlife and Vegetation Manchester State Park hosts rare and atrisk creatures in its wetland and coastal dune habitats. On land, tread carefully. Watch out for threatened snowy plovers This state park is home to threatened Western snowy plovers. Allowing any dog in an area where snowy plovers nest can cause the parent to use precious energy reserves to flee or seek cover—abandoning a nest with eggs or immature chicks and exposing them to predators and the elements. Staying a safe distance from sensitive species and their habitats is vitally important. Western snowy plovers Fishing—Steelhead may be caught in Brush Creek and Alder Creek. Please check with the Department of Fish and Wildlife for seasonal closures and restrictions at www.wildlife.ca.gov/ regulations. All anglers 16 and over must possess a valid California fishing license. on the beach, threatened red-legged frogs in the wetlands,

Manchester State Park 44500 Kinney Road • Mendocino, CA 95459 (707) 937-5804 Manchester State Park has 760 acres of beach, dunes, and flat grasslands. Five miles of gentle, sandy beach stretches southward towards the Point Arena Lighthouse. One of the main attractions is the excellent steelhead and salmon fishing in the park’s two streams, Brush Creek, and Alder Creek. PARK FEES are due and payable upon entry into the park. Use self-registration if entrance station is closed. Fees include one vehicle and one legally towed vehicle or trailer. Extra vehicles will be charged a fee, with a maximum of three vehicles. OCCUPANCY: Eight people maximum are allowed per campsite. VEHICLE PARKING: Vehicles may only be parked in your assigned campsite. They must remain on the pavement and must not extend into the roadway beyond the campsite number or limit line. You may park 2 vehicles in each campsite. in your campsite only. Dogs are not permitted on fire roads or trails (except for service dogs). Dogs must be confined to a vehicle or tent at night. Please clean up after your pets. SPEED LIMIT: The maximum speed limit is 15 mph. When pedestrians are present even 15 mph might be too fast. Use good judgment. QUIET HOURS are from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Radios and other sound-producing devices must not be audible beyond your immediate campsite. To ensure an enjoyable experience for everyone, please do not disturb other campers, regardless of the time of day or night. Pa cifi CAMPSITES are equipped with a table and a fire ring. Piped drinking water and pit toilets are GENERATORS may only be operated between available nearby. No hookups are available. Ten the hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. environmental campsites are available; a 1.1-mile ALCOHOL and glass containers are not allowed walk from the park entrance. No water is available. beyond your campsite. The group campground — for groups of 9-40 — is FIRES/FIREWOOD: Fires are only allowed in fire available by reservation only from the end of April rings provided. Collecting through the end of June. dead or downed wood is to Eureka It is essential that tents and MacKerricher SP prohibited. Firewood is other equipment be confined Fort Bragg 101 Jug Handle SNR available for sale with the to the space assigned. For Caspar Mendocino Woodlands Caspar Headlands SB/SNR SP camp host. All fireworks are information on the campsite Point Cabrillo Light Station SHP 20 prohibited Russian Mendocino Headlands SP limits, please ask a ranger or the Gulch Montgomery Mendocino Van SP Woods SNR Damme camp host. LOADED FIREARMS AND SP Navarro River Redwoods SP HUNTING are not allowed. Greenwood SB CHECK-OUT TIME is noon. Ukiah Na Elk Possession of loaded firearms var Hendy Please vacate your site by that ro Woods SP or air rifles is prohibited. time. Check-in is 2 p.m. Ri 253 ve Manchester SP 1 r DAY USE offers beach access, Boonville DOGS must be kept on a leash 128 Mailliard pit toilets and a few fire rings. Point Arena Redwoods SNR no longer than six feet and under Schooner Gulch SB Day use is open from 6 a.m. human control at all times. They 20 Mi 0 5 10 15 to sunset. to are allowed on paved roads or Gualala San Francisco 0 10 20 30 Km c Oc ea n CAMPING RESERVATIONS: You may make camping reservations by calling (800) 444-7275 (TTY 800-274-7275). To make online reservations, visit our website at www.parks.ca.gov. ALTERNATE FORMAT: If you need this publication in an alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov. Manchester State Park Campground 1 nds D a v is We tl a Trail n ea Dav 3 17 Davis Lake Pond 19 Da 21 vi s Maintenance Yard P L A K E D AV I S WETLANDS AND C O A S TA L We t la DUNES nd N AT U R A L sT ra P R E S E R V E il 1 27 22 23 24 25 Kinney Road to LEGEND Natural Preserve Boundary 1 h Cree k MANCHESTER Brush C reek MANCHESTER For Emergencies, Dial 911. Lagoon Trailhead Dr Campground Cr at Sanitation Station eg Camp Host rn Restrooms B R U S H C R E E KTra/il LAGOON LAKE P W E T L A N D S A N D Day-Use C O A S T A L D U N E S Area N AT U R A L P R E S E RV E n Ba Campfire Center s Parking Bea ch A c Stoneboro Rd 0 0.5 1 Mile 0 0.8 1.6 Kilometers eek 1 © 2012 California State Parks (Rev. 2015) L a go o Information P Kinney Road S TAT E PA R K s ce CH us Group Campground Unpaved Road Accessible Feature Br Environmental Campground Paved Road Trail Park Entrance 26 Park Entrance fic to group campground 20 st o l Rd 18 B ri 16 ci 14 Pa 13 15 CH Oc 12 11 5 2 k 7 9 4 31 er ee 8 33 32 6 to Environmental Campground (1.1 miles) 34 Ald d 37 lo r to Mendocino Cr 35 39 10 36 38 is Wetland s 40 oa kR ee ed) s rC Ald e (c 41 Tra il LAKE D AV I S WETLANDS AND COASTAL D UNES NATURAL PRESERVE