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Van Damme State Park consists of beach and upland on the Mendocino Coast. Of all the park system's units along the Mendocino coast, Van Damme is perhaps the richest in terms of historical resources connected with the redwood lumber industry. Its story is a prime example of the struggles and eventual failures of a small, independent lumber operation.
Park News Alert
Service Reduction Information
Until further notice Van Damme State Park will contain areas where services are reduced or eliminated due to the fiscal crisis.
For further information please contact the Mendocino District Office at 707-937-5804 Monday - Friday 8am to 5pm.
Camper Information
Beginning October 9th the upper loop of Van Damme State Park (campsites 31-74) will be closed for camping. Reservations for the upper loop will be honored with a comparable site in the lower loop sites 1-30. However, should this not be acceptable, you may elect to cancel your reservation.
Service Reduction Information
Until further notice Van Damme State Park will contain areas where services are reduced or eliminated due to the fiscal crisis.
For further information please contact the Mendocino District Office at 707-937-5804 Monday - Friday 8am to 5pm.
Camper Information
Beginning October 9th the upper loop of Van Damme State Park (campsites 31-74) will be closed for camping. Reservations for the upper loop will be honored with a comparable site in the lower loop sites 1-30. However, should this not be acceptable, you may elect to cancel your reservation.
Getting There
The park is located three miles south of the town of Mendocino on Highway 1. The highway runs through the park separating the campground and the Fern Canyon trail head to the east and the beach and parking lot to the west.
The Day Use Annual Pass is accepted at this park.
The park is located three miles south of the town of Mendocino on Highway 1. The highway runs through the park separating the campground and the Fern Canyon trail head to the east and the beach and parking lot to the west.
The Day Use Annual Pass is accepted at this park.
Seasons/Climate/Recommended Clothing
The climate here is temperate year-round. Winter rains and cool summer fogs that usually burn off by mid-morning provide the moisture necessary for the thriving coastal redwoods. Prepare for changeable weather by dressing in light layers.
The climate here is temperate year-round. Winter rains and cool summer fogs that usually burn off by mid-morning provide the moisture necessary for the thriving coastal redwoods. Prepare for changeable weather by dressing in light layers.
Operating Hours & Contact
The park is open from 8am to 9pm.
Telephone: 707-937-5804
The park is open from 8am to 9pm.
Telephone: 707-937-5804
Activities
The park features the lush Fern Canyon scenic trail system; the Pygmy Forest where mature, cone-bearing cypress and pine trees stand six inches to eight feet tall; and the bog, or Cabbage Patch, where skunk cabbage grows in abundance. The park's ten miles of trail go along the fern-carpeted canyon of Little River. A paved road is used by joggers and bicyclists. The beach is popular with abalone divers.
Kayak Tours: Visitors can get a unique perspective of the coast line by taking the kayak tours, available through a concession agreement, at the Van Damme beach parking lot.
Diving and Fishing: The well-protected dive site at Van Damme has shallow areas and offers beginners gradual entry from the shore. Abalone divers need a valid California fishing license and punch card.
Note: The beauty of the Mendocino coast is tempered by its unpredictability and danger. Dive only in designated areas, and heed the warnings on the parks map.
The park features the lush Fern Canyon scenic trail system; the Pygmy Forest where mature, cone-bearing cypress and pine trees stand six inches to eight feet tall; and the bog, or Cabbage Patch, where skunk cabbage grows in abundance. The park's ten miles of trail go along the fern-carpeted canyon of Little River. A paved road is used by joggers and bicyclists. The beach is popular with abalone divers.
Kayak Tours: Visitors can get a unique perspective of the coast line by taking the kayak tours, available through a concession agreement, at the Van Damme beach parking lot.
Diving and Fishing: The well-protected dive site at Van Damme has shallow areas and offers beginners gradual entry from the shore. Abalone divers need a valid California fishing license and punch card.
Note: The beauty of the Mendocino coast is tempered by its unpredictability and danger. Dive only in designated areas, and heed the warnings on the parks map.
Park History
Van Damme State Park was named for Charles Van Damme who was born at Little River in 1881, son of John and Louise Van Damme, early settlers of the region. John Van Damme and his wife were a Flemish couple. The patriarch of the family was born in Ostend, Belgium on May 22, 1832. "Following the sea" for some years, Van Damme, upon his arrival in Mendocino County, later worked in the lumber mill at Little River. In this settlement all of his children were born, including Charles, whose love for the area prompted his acquiring, after some years as a successful operator of the Richmond-San Rafael ferry line, a plot of ground along the redwood coast. Upon his demise this area became a part of the State Park System in 1934.
In those early days lumbering was a major economic factor in the development of the northern coastline. Little River was built as a mill town in 1864 by Ruel Stickney, Silas Coombs and Tapping Reeves after the property, formally called Kents Cove, was purchased from W. H. Kent in 1862. Before long it had attained fame, not only as a lumber port, but as a shipyard as well. Alas, a stand of timber, if logged, does not last forever and by the end of the century, even though logging was periodically moved back into the headwaters of Little River, the mill was forced to close in 1893.
What was left of Little River soon deteriorated; the shipyard, the wharf, the town, several chutes for loading lumber and the lumber mill itself. Activity at the port, which once hummed with activity, declined. Little River's school, once attended by nearly 100 students, closed; its weekly steamship service ended, and a shipyard where, in 1874, Captain Thomas Peterson turned out full-size lumber schooners for the coast wide trade, phased out. Only the schooner Little River returned, to be wrecked on the very beach from which it originally departed.
Plagued by a lack of sufficient timber reserves, fires, substantial loss of business and trade, deterioration of the port's chutes and wharf, the end of coast wide shipping and the attendant decline in population, Little River reverted to a natural state. Its acquisition by the State Park System in 1934, and the subsequent addition of peripheral lands has preserved some of California's most interesting natural resources.
Van Damme State Park was named for Charles Van Damme who was born at Little River in 1881, son of John and Louise Van Damme, early settlers of the region. John Van Damme and his wife were a Flemish couple. The patriarch of the family was born in Ostend, Belgium on May 22, 1832. "Following the sea" for some years, Van Damme, upon his arrival in Mendocino County, later worked in the lumber mill at Little River. In this settlement all of his children were born, including Charles, whose love for the area prompted his acquiring, after some years as a successful operator of the Richmond-San Rafael ferry line, a plot of ground along the redwood coast. Upon his demise this area became a part of the State Park System in 1934.
In those early days lumbering was a major economic factor in the development of the northern coastline. Little River was built as a mill town in 1864 by Ruel Stickney, Silas Coombs and Tapping Reeves after the property, formally called Kents Cove, was purchased from W. H. Kent in 1862. Before long it had attained fame, not only as a lumber port, but as a shipyard as well. Alas, a stand of timber, if logged, does not last forever and by the end of the century, even though logging was periodically moved back into the headwaters of Little River, the mill was forced to close in 1893.
What was left of Little River soon deteriorated; the shipyard, the wharf, the town, several chutes for loading lumber and the lumber mill itself. Activity at the port, which once hummed with activity, declined. Little River's school, once attended by nearly 100 students, closed; its weekly steamship service ended, and a shipyard where, in 1874, Captain Thomas Peterson turned out full-size lumber schooners for the coast wide trade, phased out. Only the schooner Little River returned, to be wrecked on the very beach from which it originally departed.
Plagued by a lack of sufficient timber reserves, fires, substantial loss of business and trade, deterioration of the port's chutes and wharf, the end of coast wide shipping and the attendant decline in population, Little River reverted to a natural state. Its acquisition by the State Park System in 1934, and the subsequent addition of peripheral lands has preserved some of California's most interesting natural resources.
Accessible Features
Camping: Currently, campsites 7 and 10 are paved, have wheelchair accessible tables, and are at least usable. A number of other sites are fairly level with hard dirt surfaces and may be usable in dry weather. Restroom with Showers. A generally accessible combination toilet room and shower is located near campsite 11. Toilet permits front transfers, and assistance may be need to reach shower controls from bench. Designated accessible parking is adjacent to the building.
Trails: See Pygmy Forest Self-Guided Nature Boardwalk below.
Beach/Shore Access: A beach wheelchair is available. Call park or ask at entry station for use information.
Exhibits/Programs
Visitor Center: A small visitor center created within a 1930s historic structure is generally accessible. It includes a video area with flexible seating arrangements that can accommodate wheelchairs. Assistance may be needed with handrails on ramp and stairs. Staff assistance is available to help reach items in sales area. Designated accessible parking is available. Restroom in campground is accessible as described above.
Pygmy Forest Self-Guided Nature Boardwalk: Located off Airport Road, this loop trail is generally accessible. Interpretive exhibits describing the forest features are accessible along the approximate 300 yard loop. A ramp from the far end of the loop leads to the Old Logging Road Trail, which may be accessible in dry weather for a short distance. A paved parking lot with 8 spaces includes one van accessible space. The only accessible restroom in the park is in the campground adjacent to site 11.
Be the first to add a trip in this destination!Camping: Currently, campsites 7 and 10 are paved, have wheelchair accessible tables, and are at least usable. A number of other sites are fairly level with hard dirt surfaces and may be usable in dry weather. Restroom with Showers. A generally accessible combination toilet room and shower is located near campsite 11. Toilet permits front transfers, and assistance may be need to reach shower controls from bench. Designated accessible parking is adjacent to the building.
Trails: See Pygmy Forest Self-Guided Nature Boardwalk below.
Beach/Shore Access: A beach wheelchair is available. Call park or ask at entry station for use information.
Exhibits/Programs
Visitor Center: A small visitor center created within a 1930s historic structure is generally accessible. It includes a video area with flexible seating arrangements that can accommodate wheelchairs. Assistance may be needed with handrails on ramp and stairs. Staff assistance is available to help reach items in sales area. Designated accessible parking is available. Restroom in campground is accessible as described above.
Pygmy Forest Self-Guided Nature Boardwalk: Located off Airport Road, this loop trail is generally accessible. Interpretive exhibits describing the forest features are accessible along the approximate 300 yard loop. A ramp from the far end of the loop leads to the Old Logging Road Trail, which may be accessible in dry weather for a short distance. A paved parking lot with 8 spaces includes one van accessible space. The only accessible restroom in the park is in the campground adjacent to site 11.
Nearby Community Trips
