Treasure from Trash: Glass Beach, Fort Bragg California
They say that one man's trash is another man's treasure. In this instance, treasure from trash is an understatement. For residents and tourists of Fort Bragg, California, the trash that used to occupy what is now known as Glass Beach has definitely turned into treasure. The small town of Fort Bragg, located just twenty minutes north of Mendocino, is a destination worth adding to your road trip list. If you're coming from San Fransisco, it will take a little over three hours, while those coming down from Eureka will experience a beautiful two and a half hour drive. No matter the distance though, you'll be met with an incredible sight.
Flickr-John K
The History of Glass Beach
From 1943-1949, the beaches near Fort Bragg were used as dumping grounds for local trash. Following the devastation from the San Francisco earth quake in 1906, it became common practice to toss anything you didn't want into the ocean. The residents of Fort Bragg didn't have access to a trash service so they did the next best thing - they tossed their trash off the cliffs. Everything from car parts and glass bottles to household machinery was tossed over the cliffs to The Dumps, as they started calling it, without a second thought to what impact it would have on the environment. Little did the towns folk realize that they were the catalyst to something beautiful.![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0256/8617/files/blog_3-Fort-Brag-Webpage-300x199.jpg?11436)
Visit Glass Beach
It's not hard to see why you'd want to visit Glass Beach. Now part of the California State Parks System and MacKerricher State Park, Glass Beach is a thriving testament to something incredible coming from something destructive. Visitors to the beach now share in the popular past time of searching out lovely, multicolored pieces of glass worn by the waves over time.![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0256/8617/files/blog_Flickr-John-K1-300x198.jpg?11437)
- The best picnic spot is on the cliffs overlooking Glass Beach #3 which is the beach farthest north
- Bring your walking shoes, you'll have to hike down to the beach
- Inside the State Park you cannot take the sea glass with you - outside of the State Park lines its OK - so make sure to bring a camera
- There is a Sea Glass Museum you can visit
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