As you paddle down the tidal currents through the
Navarro River Redwoods State park in Mendocino
County, you will witness one of California’s
most breathtaking landscapes as the river cuts
through the majestic redwood forest. The park
consists of 660 acres of second-growth redwoods
in a narrow stretch 11-miles long on both banks
of the Navarro River. In the late winter and
spring, the park is popular for kayakers,
canoeists and paddle boarders.
Depending on the river levels, the Navarro
River may only be navigable during wet
seasons. Normally, only the tidal section is
navigable for boats after early spring.
Paddlers should stay abreast of the river’s
flow and tidal schedules. Online tide
prediction sites are abundant. Ideally, you
want to paddle upriver with the incoming
tide, and return downriver with the outgoing
tide, or else you will need to make
arrangements for a shuttle service back to
the put-in to retrieve your vehicle.
The 8-mile Class I “Ocean Run” from the Paul
M. Dimmick Campground put-in to the Navarro
Beach takeout, starts out winding through
narrow channels with some downed trees,
which may create hazards to maneuver around.
After floating gently through redwood
forests, the inland woodland scenery changes
to a coastal beach setting as you near the
Pacific Ocean.
You can take out downriver of the bridge
under Highway 1, or continue to paddle to
Navarro Beach. The beach takeout is almost a
mile past the bridge at the mouth of
the river. When you see the parking area,
takeout on the beach and hand carry your
kayak across the sand to the parking
lot.
Navarro Beach is located approximately 20-miles south of Noyo Harbor on Highway 1.
Parking is free.
