This is an area I have been interested in visiting for several years.
I may have an opportunity to spend a week there mid-January.
If anybody is familiar with this area - I would appreciate some inside information regarding:
Lots of big storms that time of year but the break can provide some spectacular scenery. The following was taken north of Ft. Bragg along Hwy 1 in mid January 2003:
It's an abandoned piece of it that has been sort of turned into a rest stop/campground. Right behind where I was standing to shoot this is the campground area. I loved the view looking down the old road in this setting.
January is a great time to be on the Mendocino Coast. Winter storms make for heavy surf, and the temperatures are pretty mild by most people's January standards: highs average in the mid-50s, lows in the low 40s. They get quite a bit of rain in January, but no snow on the coast. If it's not stormy you're much more likely to get great skies at sunset then you would in the foggy summer months. If you go inland just a bit you'll have some gorgeous redwood forests pretty much to yourself.
If you just want a reasonable place to stay, Fort Bragg is probably your best bet. Mendocino is more tourist oriented, and the other little towns only have Bed & Breakfasts. On the other hand, the B&Bs are great, so if you're looking for something nicer, you could probably get some good deals in January. Auberge Mendocino in Little River is on the Pacific side of Highway 1 and just a short walk through a forest to the headlands and some really great photography.
It will be cold (upper 40s) and misty. It rarely ever gets 'warm' there unless it is in late summer. If you wait until June, you can come to my wedding in FB! Make sure you eat at Silver's at the Wharf restaurant in Ft. Bragg (in the Noyo harbor where Overboard was filmed) if you like clam chowder. Try to make it to the "Lost Coast"/Usal. It's nearly impossible to get to w/o 4WD especially if the weather isn't cooperating. It's a spot on the coast off PCH about 35 miles north of FB that few ever have the chance to see, it is a magical place. Usal is really the only photospot I would seriously recommend as you can get very close to elk, bear, cougar, osprey, etc...
And if you are into cacti and succulent plants like myself, you should make it a pt to visit Rella at her nursery just on the north side of town.
If you drive up PCH past Usal to a place called Hales Grove there are some really nice mossy/ferny waterfall photo ops...
Alan, Gary and JJohnson make excellent points. I have always loved the Mendocino area for a long time. I did like the old Seagull Café in the early 60s before it burned down. Staying close as it was stated, would be best from a photography point of view. Plan to spend a couple of days with the first just checking out the light and subject conditions. I love the light in the late afternoons in the wintertime. The two images were taken on December 20th (21?), 2007 and, as I recall the temperatures were very mild. I am not a cold weather person.
I think that can be a perfect time to go there. These were taken in late January visit up there. It typically is foggy and damp cold (avg. around low 50's or so) in the mornings warming up later in the day.
The closest I've been to Fort Bragg is to the north just a bit in Westport. The sea stacks there are fabulous (For example). If you get the chance check it out even in mid day you'll be suprised. I stayed at the DeHaven Valley Inn B&B but I'm sure they are closed for the season, my girlfriend loved it. The following night I did camp on the cliffs there on the ocean at a campground. Most of the beaches to the north until you get to Shelter Cove will be inaccessible unless you like dealing with the tides, scaling wild cliffs and rutted muddy roads that are suposed to be closed during winter so they remain usuable in summer.
I would like to add one comment to the advice we have all given so far - if you are driving a car with low profile tires and a sports suspension do not even think about the Lost Coast loop. You will be peeling your teeth off of the roof of your car by the time you are done if you do and will very likely have some bent rims by the time you are done.
Trust me - I have a clue why this statement is true and no I will never do that at the end of a long driving day ever again.
