visit mendocino ukiah

In order to support our stakeholders, generate economic activity for County residents through tourism, and inspire our visitors, Visit Mendocino County …

• Consistently markets the entire County and its assets.
• Creates, develops, and manages brand awareness for the County.
• Connects people and organizations to opportunities.
• Provides information to in-county partners and tourism resources to the industry.
• Delivers a robust and sustainable return on investment .

Visit Mendocino County values Transparency by fostering trust through openness and integrity.

We value Accountability as we are outcome-oriented and professional.

We value Partnerships by creating alignments through inclusive and meaningful relationships.

We value Community by contributing to the fabric of Mendocino County.

We value Innovation with our creativity that reflects the uniqueness of our cultures and landscapes.

As a leader we motivate and facilitate the tourism community.  We welcome, and are responsive to, input from our community members and stakeholders. We actively seek engagement and collaboration with our stakeholders and partners.  We are bold and deliver on smart, effective and forward thinking ideas.

Magic is Real. We are Visit Mendocino County.

Po box 89, ukiah ca 95482 | [email protected] | 707.964.9010 | ©2024 mctc.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

How to Plan the Perfect Trip to Mendocino County in Northern California

This Northern California destination has 24 national and state parks and 90 miles of idyllic coastline.

Chelsee Lowe is a Los Angeles-based writer with an obsession with good eats and interesting stories. She regularly contributes to Travel + Leisure , TravelAge West , Ventura Blvd , and L.A. Parent , writing about food, family travel, and more.

What to Do in Mendocino

Where to eat and drink in mendocino, where to stay in mendocino county, how to get here.

Northern California’s Mendocino County is home to an inordinate number of natural treasures, and so few residents that you’re often completely alone when exploring them. This was the case when I visited the coastal region with my mom and young daughter during peak summer travel season. At Russian Gulch State Park, on the bluffs of Mendocino Headlands State Park, at nearly every stop we made, we were on our own, ramblers in a sea of quiet. 

That's how it should be in Mendocino County because so much of the area is protected. There are 24 state and national parks here, plus hundreds of miles of incredible hiking and biking trails and secluded shores.

alantobey/Getty Images

This is the ancestral land of the Pomo tribe, but European settlers arrived in the early 1800s and essentially pillaged it for timber. The Mendocino Lumber Company was founded in 1853, and it cut down trees here for almost a full century, until protections came into play. Stunning Hendy Woods State Park , for example, was established in 1958 to preserve old-growth redwood trees. Northern California’s coast is one of the few landscapes in the world where the magnificent redwood grows, and to walk among them is a spiritual experience — many have stood for more than 1,000 years, and they’ll be here long after those who gaze upon them.

Courtesy Visit Mendocino

For big trees, gorgeous coastal trails, and a peek at Golden State history, here’s how we suggest you explore Mendocino.

Visit Mendocino Headlands State Park

Brendan McGuigan 

Mendocino Headlands Trail, a 4.2-mile, out-and-back trek, skirts along the edge of a bluff, wild grasses and flowers swaying in the wind on either side of you. (The only other place I’ve seen such coastal beauty is actually 150 miles south, in Point Reyes .) Rock formations far below the cliff’s edge are gorgeous, but with mostly brush as your barrier, it’s best to watch your step and keep younger travelers close. Pack binoculars to get up-close looks at brown pelicans and egrets, and marvel at lupine and other wildflowers if you’re visiting in spring.

Hike Fern Canyon Loop.

Find this 6.2-mile loop trail in Russian Gulch State Park , which is just south of the town of Fort Bragg. You’ll get intimate with the landscape on this canyon trek, following a creek through dense forest with plenty of redwood trees. (Always check park websites before arriving, though, as storms can wash out trails and lead to temporary closures.) And before or after your trek, walk under the very pretty Russian Gulch Bridge to visit the shoreline here. We easily spent two hours here looking at sea birds, abalone, and other shells washed up on the sand. 

Ride the Skunk Train

Chelsea Loren/Travel + Leisure

Known as the Redwood Route, the tracks laid in this region date back to 1885, when trains carried logging workers and their families — and, of course, actual logs. Today, any route on the Skunk Train is a slow and easy ride kids and train enthusiasts will love. We bought the souvenir popcorn bucket on our 75-minute, round-trip ride from Fort Bragg to Pudding Creek Estuary, snacking and marveling at how close we were to the redwoods, their rough and red bark the ultimate shield, protecting them from fire and insects.

Visit Glass Beach

David Pu'u/Getty Images

The history of Glass Beach is among many a head-scratching California tale, and it goes something like this: for the first half of the 20th century, water dump sites were sanctioned, so residents disposed of all kinds of things right in these waters — appliances, everyday glass items, and more. They’d light it all on fire from time to time to reduce the rubbish, and then when the site got too full, they’d make a new one nearby. Glass Beach is the site of Mendocino’s third water dump. It stopped being used as such in 1967 (and the practice ended for good), but the now-smooth shards of all that trash continue to wash up in this rocky coastal nook. My mother is a collector at heart, a modern-day treasure hunter, and as she picked up bits of sea glass and fawned over her findings as if they were shells, I saw “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” in action. 

Visit another Mendocino beach.

Glass Beach isn’t representative of Mendocino’s shoreline, so leave time for another beach stop — the county has 90 miles of coastline and many accessible beaches to choose from. Note that even in July, the average high here is 66 degrees Fahrenheit. We suggest arriving in layers and pants you can roll up, then ditching your socks and shoes near your car and exploring barefoot. If you’re close to Fort Bragg, head to Jug Handle State Beach, where you’ll find tide pools (at low tide) and a kid-friendly lagoon to play in. If you’re in the southern part of the county, check out Bowling Ball Beach, named for the giant round formations that reveal themselves at low tide. Big River Beach is another favorite, and Van Damme State Park offers a great stretch of sand, too. 

Mendocino Village

“Downtown” would be an ill-fitting term for this charming stretch of shops and Victorian structures on a bluff, so “village” it is. It’s adorable and peaceful and simply relaxing to walk around here, the coastal wind whipping right up from the sea. We popped into a few cafes and coffee shops for snacks, and recommend you do the same. Good Life Cafe is likely the only place you’ll wait in any form of a line, because people are happy to wait for fresh baked pastries here. Try Fog Eater Cafe for plant-based Cali cuisine. And don't skip Cafe Beaujolais , a French spot in an 1893 Victorian farmhouse. If you don’t feel like a fine-dining experience, go midday, Wednesday to Sunday, for wood-fired pizza in the garden.

Anderson Valley

Courtesy Goldeneye Winery

If you spot rolling hills near California’s coast, it’s pretty safe to assume there’s great wine nearby. No surprise then that dozens of wineries dot Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley, which is 10 to 20 miles from the shore, depending on where you’re coming from or headed. If you prefer to wine taste while snacking, book a private visit to Fathers + Daughters Cellars , where wine comes with charcuterie curated by Boonville market Disco Ranch , and guests enjoy the experience from atop vineyard hill. Other tasting rooms for your list are Lichen Estate , Toulouse Vineyards , and Goldeneye . Note that most require a timed reservation, so it’s best to plan your visit in advance.

An agenda-less day in a small town is a good day, and Boonville (pop. 1,035) checks all the boxes for me: diners, general stores full of snacks and local creations, antique shops, and more. Arrive hungry and thirsty so you can stop at Pennyroyal Farm for pinot and cheese, and/or a farmstead tour, and Disco Ranch market for provisions to go. If you’d like to stay right in town, check in at the one-of-a-kind Boonville Hotel and Restaurant . In between meals and wine flights, go antiquing at Your Money’s Worth, shop in Farmhouse Mercantile , and roam in Hendy Woods State Park, which is less than 10 miles north on Highway 128, past the teeny town of Philo. On hot summer days, you’ll see people swimming in cool pools along the Navarro River in the park. 

The Apple Farm in Philo

My grandmother was a religious farmstand shopper. No matter where we were driving in Northern California, she knew what unmarked dirt road hid the juiciest peaches in the state, the sweetest corn to toss on the fire. This is surely why a place like Philo Apple Farm catches my eye — a local grower working tirelessly to raise delicious fruit for the lucky few. The farmstand is open daily, so you can stock up on apples and pears for your hiking adventures. A list of seasonal apple options reads like poetry: Black Twig, Cherry Cox, Crimson Gold, Fireside, Fox Whelp, Cinnamon Spice, Fireside. If you find yourself wanting to linger, they have a few rooms for rent and Saturday Suppers in the summer. 

Noyo Harbor

If you’re cruising the Mendocino coast, you will undoubtedly stop in the city of Fort Bragg , and for a meal nearby, we point you to Noyo Harbor. The seafood here is as fresh as it gets, with commercial fishing operations coming right up the Noyo River and local restaurants prepping just-caught salmon, rockfish, tuna, halibut, steelhead, and more for delighted diners. Try Noyo Fish Company for fish and chips, fish tacos, and chowder; the woman-powered Princess Seafood Deli and Market ; and The Wharf , which has been serving locals and out-of-towners for decades. 

Little River Inn

Aubrie Pick

This Victorian-style, family-owned property has a great address, right on Highway One and with a rolling lawn in front that’s ideal for cartwheeling while you watch the sunset – which is exactly what my daughter did after our dinner here. Most rooms have sea views and fireplaces to cozy up next to, and some have their own hot tub. We were not overnight guests, but we thoroughly enjoyed our meal here, especially the chef’s incredible clam chowder and olallieberry cobbler à la mode. The energy of this space is too good, with locals and guests buzzing together at the adjacent Ole’s Whale Watch Bar, which, of course, has bar stools facing west to the sea. 

Thatcher Hotel

Set inland in the adorable town of Hopland (pop. 899), Thatcher Hotel has 18 simple-but-stylish rooms and is a great accommodation option if you’re planning to do some wine tasting in the area, or if you’re heading to a wine country wedding. The hotel was established in 1890, but its current look is the result of a somewhat recent renovation. Read a book in the first-floor library, have a cocktail at the incredible, saloon-like Bar Thatcher, and enjoy coffee and pastries from Cafe Poppy, also off the lobby. When I’m in town, I make sure to walk down the street to look for treasures at Country Porch Antiques and have a classic diner breakfast at Bluebird Cafe.

The Inn at Newport Ranch

Nick Z Photo

Back at the coast and just north of Fort Bragg, The Inn at Newport Ranch sits on more than 2,000 acres of private land, complete with a working farm and cattle ranch. The inn has just 10 rooms, making it a pretty incomparable private escape (one that’s sometimes booked out for wedding parties and such). I love all the wood paneling and furnishing in the rooms – seaside lodge vibes to calm the soul – as well as the 25-plus miles of on-property trails. The inn team will help you book adventures, too, like forest bathing and seasonal foraging excursions. They also plant a redwood tree for every guest – better yet, they’ll help you plant the seed yourself.

Mendocino Grove

For a glamping experience, consider Mendocino Grove . The site has 60 tents set up in well-spaced “neighborhoods,” as the resort calls them. Each tent is furnished with comfy beds, wool blankets, and a deck with leather butterfly chairs perfect for resting and redwood watching. There’s live music around the campfire on select summer nights, and a campfire cookout series, too.

The Stanford Inn

A rustic hilltop lodge with 41 rooms and suites, The Stanford Inn is just one mile from Mendocino Village, and it offers anything you might need for rest and relaxation, and/or play and adventure. Activities readily available for guests include yoga and tai chi classes, mushroom and kayak tours, garden tours and cooking classes, and guided meditation. Vegan breakfast at the on-site Ravens Restaurant is included in your stay, and the inn recently opened Catch A Canoe and Bicycles Too , a rental site right at Big River Estuary where travelers can book kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and bikes to explore the area. 

Mendocino is a year-round destination, with adventure options any season and a temperate climate. Winter is good for whale watching , with boat trips out of Fort Bragg’s Noyo Harbor — there’s even an annual whale festival celebrating the gray whale migration. Spring and summer bring wildflowers and myriad events worth a drive (or flight), including Mendocino Music Festival , Anderson Valley Pinot Festival , and a June urchin festival . Note that individual wineries curate their own calendars of events, too, so consider those as you’re planning your trip.

Mendocino is a long trek from San Francisco International Airport at 176 miles, but it’s an incredible road trip if you have the time, bringing you through Sonoma County towns, like Petaluma and Healdsburg, before plopping you on Highway 128. The highway pitches you left and right as you curve west through redwood forest. Stopping at Navarro River Redwood State Park is a must, and the aforementioned Boonville is here, too. You’ll still take this highway (and shorten your driving journey) if you fly into Sonoma County’s regional airport in Santa Rosa. From there, Mendocino Village is 95 miles away. 

Related Articles

View Holiday Hours for Restaurants in Mendocino County

Visit Mendocino County

PO Box 89 Ukiah, CA 95482

Toll Free: 866-466-3636

Phone: 707-964-9010

Hours of operation: Mon-Fri, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Visit Mendocino County is dedicated to the growth of the travel and tourism industry throughout Mendocino County and provides tourist information for consumers and assistance to our tourism partners throughout the county. We market the county’s travel opportunities, businesses, events and specials throughout United States and world with a variety of programs and partnerships.

Visit Mendocino County would like to answer any questions you may have, or receive your comments or suggestions. Please fill out the form below, and someone will reply to your message within two business days. If you have an immediate need, please call 1.866.466.3636.

Request Visitor Guide

© 2023 Mendocino County Tourism Commission

Pin It on Pinterest

Add Your Heading Text Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

to submit an obituary

Please email [email protected] or call 530-896-7718. Please include your name, mailing address, and phone number along with the copy and photo.

Federal officials give update on Two-Basin…

Share this:.

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• Sponsored Content

Latest Headlines

Federal officials give update on two-basin solution during visit to ukiah.

“Your success is reclamation’s success, and we are committed to that,” Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner M. Camille Calimlim Touton told the group gathered at Coyote Valley Dam along Lake Mendocino June 7 to hear Rep. Jared Huffman (D – San Rafael) announce the award of $2 million to the Eel-Russian River Authority to help the group of regional stakeholders study how best to approach the possible continued diversion of Eel River water to the Russian River once the dams created for the Potter Valley Project have been removed, a plan being called the Two-Basin Solution.

“This is the first iteration of Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration funding, it’s brand-new, and we have $250 million, so I anticipate as we move forward there will be other funding announcements with that which you should all look out for,” Calimlim Touton added when officials were asked: “if infrastructure were built to continue diversions, where will the funding come from to operate and maintain it?”

As for the process of officially decommissioning the Potter Valley Project and removing the dams, Huffman acknowledged that Pacific Gas and Electric, the owner of the hydroelectric facility as well as Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam, had recently requested a six-month extension to the timeline previously established by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

“This is a decommissioning process that’s moving pretty rapidly, if you compare it to other FERC proceedings, and there was a question, given the demands of that schedule, about whether PG&E would be able to incorporate, and fully collaborate with, the Russian-Eel Authority on their design and construction of a new diversion facility,” Huffman said. “Because PG&E is taking out Cape Horn Dam, and the folks with the authority need some time to finish the design and think about how we’re going to choreograph the removal of that dam with the building of this new, fish-friendly diversion facility.

“Ideally, that stuff should all work together, and there was some question, given the schedule, about whether PG&E would just need to race ahead with decommissioning and allow all the rest to happen separately, without integration,” Huffman continued. “And I don’t often praise delay, but I think the good news with this delay is that it gives the space and the time for that integration, and it should make everything work better.”

“We remain committed to getting our surrender application in to support the two-basin solution and goals within that timeframe,” said a representative from PG&E, describing the utility as “really pleased that we are now at a point in the surrender process that we can support, and will support, the proponents’ Two-Basin Solution by including it within our surrender application that we submit to FERC.”

“For a hundred years, people have been arguing about what to do in each of these outstandingly remarkable rivers,” Charlton “Chuck” Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the group. “And for my lifetime in this job, people have been arguing about ‘what will you do for the fisheries, and the Tribal nations and the communities that depend on both rivers from sea to source?’ and it’s time to solve some problems.

“How do you solve problems? You do it with relationships,” Bonham continued, pointing to Huffman and Calimlim Touton, as well as the many state and local officials involved in the process as building a “strong coalition that will only get stronger,” and that it was time to “stop talking and do this.”

When asked if and how the interests of Lake County were being included in discussions, Huffman said he knows that his support of removing Scott Dam as part of the Two-Basin Solution “does not make me the most popular guy in Lake County (because that means the loss of Lake Pillsbury), but it’s PG&E’s dam, and they’re removing it, but I want this to work for Lake County, and I am convinced that it can.”

Huffman pointed to a recently awarded state grant that will help Lake County officials “study the impacts and the different mitigation strategies that might be implemented for the reality after Lake Pillsbury goes away,” and noted that the county will not just get “some muddy wasteland” replacing Lake Pillsbury, but a “wild, scenic river full of salmon and Steelhead Trout.”

Bonham agreed, asking people to not “forget about the benefits. I love all of our 58 counties, and we’re going to get to an outcome that will work for Sonoma, Marin, Humboldt and Lake County,” he said, echoing Huffman’s comments about having a river full of fish. “Fishing for Steelhead up there, or salmon? Oh, my God! Don’t forget about the benefits.”

More in News

SUBSCRIBER ONLY

‘this is a really good one’ | 34th annual arcata bay oyster festival packs the arcata plaza.

New Eureka mental health facility slated for summer opening

College of the Redwoods kickstarts return process of 212 items

Travel | Commentary: Revenge travel not flying so high these days

Explore the California spot serving up weed country fun the wine country way

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

As you drive through some of California’s most storied agricultural land, a few hours north of the Bay Area, you’ll zoom past fields full of plants straining under the weight of their almost-ready-to-harvest bounty. After checking into your boutique hotel, you’ll get to sample some of the local flavor and watch the setting sun. The next day, you might explore some of the region’s historic spots. Or maybe you’ll attend a friend’s wedding on a ranch next to a working farm.

At the end of the weekend, you’ll drive home with some of the local wares and likely a deep emotional connection to the place you just visited. That may sound like a classic wine-country excursion in the Napa or Sonoma valleys, but what if you swapped in pot plants for grape vines and consumption lounges for tasting rooms? What would a weed head’s version of the wine-enthusiast weekend look like?

L.A. is one of the best places on the planet to grow weed outdoors. Here’s how

Southern California is one of the best places on the planet to grow cannabis. Here’s what you need to know before planting it in your backyard.

May 20, 2024

To find out, I headed to Mendocino County, one of three counties that make up California’s famed Emerald Triangle, the historic cannabis-growing region of the state since the 1960s. (It’s roughly triangle-shaped, with corners of its wide base in Humboldt and Trinity counties.) The Emerald Triangle turns out to be the perfect place to court canna-tourists the wine-country way.

As the southernmost point of that triangle, Mendocino County has a bonus. It’s much closer to major population centers such as San Francisco (about 110 miles) than Humboldt or Trinity counties (270-plus miles). It’s also home to the 15-mile-long Anderson Valley, whose warm days, cool nights and maritime fog close to the coast make for top-notch pinot noirs but also, according to the region’s cannabis farmers, give the sun-grown herb here a distinctive terroir.

As a visitor might quickly discover, smaller cultivators are favored over industrial-size farms here, and the county tourism commission actively courts the budding canna-tourism market. Mendocino County has emerged as one of the best places to explore craft cannabis the way folks have long adventured their way through wine country.

So if you’re looking for an alternative adult getaway any time of year (though the pot plants are bigger closer to harvest in the fall), make sure the places listed below are high on your list of Mendocino County must-visits. Just remember, if you’re going to smoke up along the way, pick a designated driver.

Drive the Cannabis Trail

Created in the spirit of the state’s Wine Road and Cheese Trail that provide self-motivated visitors with a rough DIY points-of-interest itinerary, the Cannabis Trail highlights some of the people, places and seminal moments in the history of the marijuana movement with special plaques.

The entirety of the trail includes more than two dozen monuments, cultural landmarks and points of interest stretching across nine counties, with a handful of stops in Mendocino County. These include Area 101 in Laytonville (the birthplace of the 20-year-old Emerald Cup cannabis competition) and the Plantshop dispensary in Ukiah (where a plaque commemorates the back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s ).

While the Cannabis Trail isn’t exactly a new effort (it was launched nearly a decade ago by cannabis travel consultant Brian Applegarth), its partnership with tourism boards that highlight stops in Mendocino and Humboldt counties and Oakland is. And that’s a result of increased cannabis-related tourism, says Visit Mendocino County’s executive director, Ramon Jimenez.

“Since leisure-use cannabis legalization, Mendocino County tourism has seen a constant uptick in visitors, about 60% more annually since 2017 [based on Transient Occupancy Tax collections],” Jimenez said. “As travelers become more educated, they want to move past the lounges and dispensaries to an authentic place of source. ... This growth has spurred a new co-op between Visit Oakland, Visit Mendocino County and Humboldt County Visitors Bureau [focusing] on the Cannabis Trail.”

Watch hash get made at Heritage Hash Co.

One of the fun things about touring a winery is getting to see some of that behind-the-scenes magic before you hit the tasting room; the immense stainless steel vats, the wooden barrels stacked floor to ceiling and the bottles clattering along an assembly line.

Mendocino’s weed country has its own version of that — kind of — at Heritage Hash Co. (1076 Cunningham St., Ukiah, heritage-mendocino.com ). That’s where, inside a corrugated metal and weathered wood building, you’ll find a full-service multi-brand dispensary heavy on local wares. That’s where you’ll also find a square, wood-framed window that allows you to watch solventless hash being made by hand on-site in what looks like a cross between an industrial kitchen and Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Only instead of Oompa Loompas, it’s white-coated hash makers stirring cauldrons with comically large paddles, squeezing rosin in presses and pulling gooey strips of freshly made concentrate like saltwater taffy. (And, yes, just in case you were curious, there are plenty of immense stainless steel vats involved here too.)

And because Heritage, which bills itself as the world’s first public hashery, happens to also be permitted for on-site consumption, you can lean further into the tasting-room vibe by buying some of what the brand makes (extracts that range from $25 to $65 a gram) behind that magical window and trying it before you head out. (But only if someone else is behind the wheel.)

Throw a weed-friendly wedding at Yokayo Ranch

If your dream wedding involves saying “I do,” complete with a joint-rolling bar at the reception and a tour of the working weed farm next door, you’d be hard pressed to find a better setup than the one at Yokayo Ranch (800 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah, yokayoranch.com ). That’s where Rachel Powell has been booking nug-filled nuptials along with other weed-friendly events since deciding to embrace the cannabis tourism culture in 2019.

“We get people from all over,” Powell said. “But most of our clients are from San Francisco and L.A. and they’re much more interested in the cannabis [aspect]. We realized that it can really play to our strengths. For example, a lot of our people want to have cannabis bars versus alcohol [bars].”

The property, which can accommodate about 45 overnight guests, consists of a 1920s-era main house, a cluster of cabins, nine glamping tents (each with a queen bed) and an outdoor ceremony space, all on a hillside high above Mendocino Grasslands . That’s the neighboring weed farm run by Powell’s brother, Ian. “When people come to stay for a wedding, we let them know there’s also a farm and we’d be happy to give them a farm tour,” she said. “And every group wants a farm tour.”

The brother-sister duo are hoping to eventually expand the farm-tour offerings to the general public. Right now, they’re mostly arranged for guests who are renting the Yokayo Ranch venue. “We’d like to offer tours that can be booked directly through Mendocino Grasslands,” Powell said. “And they would end with a farm dinner where people break bread in this really beautiful place where they’re surrounded by food, flowers and cannabis — all of these things that come from the ground.”

She added that the ultimate goal is to source everything for these meals (“Right down to the quinoa”) from within 25 miles of the farm. Wedding event packages, which include two nights of lodging for up to 29 people, start at around $20,000. If you’re not tying the knot but want to rent the whole place, you and your buds can plan on $2,400 to $3,500 per night with a two-night minimum.

Make your way to the Madrones

If you’ve got the bandwidth to visit only a single Mendocino County destination — or simply want to see what a fully realized weed-country-is-the-new-wine-country world can look like — blaze a trail down the Anderson Valley Highway to the Madrones with its on-site dispensary (9000 Highway 128, Philo, themadrones.com and thebohemianchemist.com ).

A Mediterranean-meets-rustic-California compound bordered by a vineyard on two sides and dense forest on another, it’s the creation of partners (in business and life), Jim Roberts and Brian Adkinson. The boutique property includes a nine-room hotel (rooms, which accommodate two to four people each, start at $285), an on-site restaurant specializing in wood-fired fare (the Wickson) and two winery tasting rooms ( Long Meadow Ranch and Wentworth Vineyards) . A bottle cork’s toss down the road is another cluster of cabins and a wedding venue surrounded by redwood trees ( the Brambles ). Also, keep a look out for the ghost-white cat named Blanche roaming the grounds.

What makes the place of special interest is a tiny shop just to the right of the front door. Called the Bohemian Chemist , it’s a dispensary with the vibe of an Art Deco apothecary. Its glass and wooden cabinets and display cases are stocked with cannabis products and accouterments, both heavy on the local offerings. The shop’s namesake brand is sourced (mostly) from the owners’ Sugar Hill Farm just down the road; uncommon cultivars of sun-grown herb with names like Swazi Gold or Big Sur Holy Weed that even the most seasoned weed head probably hasn’t laid eyes (or lungs) on.

Its focus on rare cultivars has earned it a cultural landmark stop on the Cannabis Trail.

Travel & Experiences

How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Cheech Marin

Bowls of soup, bowls of herb, stacks of newspapers and a salon of sorts with wife Natasha add up to the perfect Sunday for the comedian, actor and prolific art collector.

March 29, 2024

Other local brands on the shelves crammed with bell jars and vintage microscopes include packets of Anderson Valley Reserve flower, hash and live rosin badder from Heritage Hash Co. Locally made paraphernalia options include glass pipes from CoolHandSuuze and an exclusive edition of the Proto Pipe , the Swiss Army knife of pot pipes, made just about 50 miles up the road in Willits.

Customers who avail themselves of the shop’s cannabis can decamp to a small outdoor patio space just off the hotel’s gift shop and consume their locally grown goods while gazing out at the rows of grapes in Goldeneye’s vineyard next door. If your visit happens to fall between late May and late October, this is where you’ll find a seasonal third-Sunday-of-the-month cannabis farmers marketplace offering a showcase local legacy brands. (The full calendar and additional information can be found on the Madrones’ website.)

Roberts and Adkinson, who had been growing cannabis legally on their farm since 2016 (under the state’s pre-Prop. 64 medical marijuana law), opened the hotel property in 2010 and then the dispensary in June 2020 after being directly inspired by the wine-tourism business model.

“The retail part stemmed from the fact that we would have visitors who wanted to purchase cannabis, and we’d have to send them up to Ukiah,” Adkinson said.

How do you handle neighbors who smoke weed? And other burning weed questions answered

What do you do if you’re annoyed by neighbors smoking weed? How do you find clean wax? What are my first steps in using cannabis to combat appetite loss from chemotherapy? Why doesn’t L.A. have more weed lounges?

April 17, 2024

“We had this crop growing,” added Roberts. “And we’re thinking, ‘What’s going to be the best way to actually get it to market?’ And we looked around at all these little wineries that are on our property and thought the best model would be to do something like they did. They sell [wine] at the tasting rooms. They have [wine] clubs and they have bottle shops. We knew that those three pillars provide a pretty strong foundation for a small winery, and we figured the same thing could happen with cannabis. So we got a micro-business license that allowed us to do all three of those things.”

The couple says the cannabis side of their business isn’t immune from the challenges facing the rest of the state’s legal weed business such as regulations, high taxes and a thriving illicit market. But approaching their business like the small wineries that surround them has paid off.

“We’re not exactly making a killing,” Roberts said. “But [2023] was a hard hotel year because of all the weather incidents, and the cannabis business actually floated the hotel business. And it had been the other way around as a startup.”

With almost four years under their belt of running the only dispensary in Anderson Valley, the couple has discovered that catering to wine country and weed country visitors has a certain synergy, specifically that their best sales day of the year isn’t on 4/20 or the day before Thanksgiving. It’s during the annual Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival the third weekend of May each year.

“It’s typically something like this,” Roberts said. “A woman will come into the Bohemian Chemist and say, ‘My husband loves wine but I don’t really care for it that much. But now we can both be happy because I love cannabis.’”

More to Read

The dirty secret of California’s legal weed

June 14, 2024

San Diego County says it’s nearly stamped out illegal cannabis dispensaries. Why can’t L.A. County?

June 8, 2024

Granderson: Bring on the cannabis cafes, California. Our nation needs them

May 24, 2024

Sign up for our L.A. Times Plants newsletter

At the start of each month, get a roundup of upcoming plant-related activities and events in Southern California, along with links to tips and articles you may have missed.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Senior features writer Adam Tschorn is a former small-town newspaper editor, game-show question-and-answer man and fashion scribe who joined the Los Angeles Times in 2007. He currently covers a wide range of pop-culture topics with a focus on cannabis culture. Holding a B.A. in philosophy and an M.A. in journalism, he feels perfectly suited to looking at things, asking “why?” and writing down the answers.

More From the Los Angeles Times

A new threat to cannabis users: Smuggled Chinese pesticides

How we tested for pesticides

World & Nation

Martha’s Vineyard is about to run out of pot. That’s led to a lawsuit and a scramble by regulators

June 10, 2024

Nasty surprise for new homeowners: Daily fines for previous owners’ pot operation

June 3, 2024

to submit an obituary

Please email [email protected] or call 707-380-1152. Please include your name, mailing address, and phone number along with the copy and photo.

Former UPD Chief Chris Dewey returns to…

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

Latest Headlines

Former upd chief chris dewey returns to mendocino county.

“We bought a farm in Missouri and we loved it, but we missed our grandchildren too much,” said Dewey, explaining that the kids’ father, his son Jon Dewey, is now principal of Pomolita Middle School and was not planning a move closer to Missouri any time soon. “So we sold the farm and moved back, which has been great. We missed so much about the area, not just our family.”

While planning the move back to California, Dewey said he got a call from the previous interim chief at the WPD, and agreed to consider taking over the job.

“I am super excited to have the opportunity to work with this department,” said Dewey, acknowledging that while “they have had some issues recently, (the department is) working hard at finding and developing new officers.”

A former officer who made headlines in recent years and has since been terminated was Lieutenant Derek Hendry, named in a lawsuit filed by another former WPD officer, Natalie Higley.

Last month, the law firm representing Higley announced that it had received a $2.5 million settlement on her behalf, after filing a lawsuit last year alleging that Hendry’s sexual advances and retaliatory behavior created a hostile work environment that his superiors did not take “all reasonable steps to address.”

Interim Chief Dewey said this week that the WPD is currently completing background checks on candidates, and that he expects them to choose a permanent chief soon.

Dewey retired from the UPD six years ago in the summer of 2018, but did not stay idle, quickly going back to work for the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, where he had started his career as a corrections officer.

More in News

SUBSCRIBER ONLY

Travel | commentary: revenge travel not flying so high these days.

Health | Older men die by suicide at steep rates. Here’s how the VA is trying to change that

Health | A program funded by soda tax helps low-income residents buy fruits and vegetables

Technology | Can money conquer death? How wealthy people are trying to live forever

The possibilities for a great trip are just a click away. Check out our itineraries to get all the inspiration you need for a memorable trip, or blaze your own trail by using our resources. Either way is a great place to start your adventure.

Ukiah’s central location makes it the perfect place to lay your head at one of our many lodging options. Browse our lodging options and find your perfect fit.

Ukiah is always welcoming and always ready for a good time. We look forward to you joining us and being a part of our events during your visit.

• Maps & Resources
• WINERIES, BREWERIES, & DISTILLERIES
• RESTAURANTS & LOUNGES
• Attractions
• Art & Culture
• Ukiah Destination Scent
• Ukiah Valley
• Submit An Event

Mendocino Bounty

Downtown Speciality Local Gift Store

200 S School St, Ukiah

(707) 463-6711

EXPLORE SIMILAR EXPERIENCES

Stay in the moment, visitors guide.

Print out our handy guide so you have quick access to everything Ukiah, where you can enjoy the journey and just be you.

Sometimes getting close to a place means discovering not just the people, but fun facts about your surroundings that help define the essence and history of a location. Check out these surprising facts about Ukiah.

STAY UP TO DATE

Sign up to receive the latest news, events and updates about Ukiah

Email (required) *

• SUBMIT AN EVENT

200 School Street | Ukiah, CA 95482 | [email protected] | 707.462.4705 Copyright © 2024 VisitUkiah.com , All Rights Reserved