Jug Handle State Natural Reserve
Also known as Caspar Headland State Natural Reserve, Caspar Headlands SNR
- Status
- Open (per official listing)
- Entrance fee
- Statewide rule — see below
- Day-use reservations
- None mentioned
- Dogs
- Dogs allowed, with restrictions
- Camping
- None listed
- Official site
- parks.ca.gov(707) 937-5804
Official page last checked Oct 29, 2026. How we keep this current
Overview
Jug Handle State Natural Reserve is a 776-acre natural area in Mendocino County, about 5 miles south of Fort Bragg.
Visitors come for snorkeling and diving, surfing, boating, fishing, and wildlife watching. Facilities for water recreation include a swimming beach.
Hours
Park, gate, office and facility hours are listed separately because they often differ. Alerts above override normal hours.
| Facility | Days | Hours | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| The park’s wording doesn’t give clock times — see the official wording below. | |||
Official wording
call the park
Source: official park page, checked Oct 29, 2026. Times are local to the park (America/Los Angeles).
Fees and passes
Per vehicle at most parks (vehicles of 9 people or less, walk/bike-in free); per person at State Historic Parks and museums; amounts vary by park and are listed on each park page.
Statewide fee rule from California's park system; this park’s page doesn’t list its own fees.
California park passes
- California Explorer Annual Pass — $195. Vehicle day-use entry to 134 state parks incl. high-demand Southern California beaches Details
- Golden Poppy Annual Pass — $125. Vehicle day-use entry to 112 state parks Details
- Historian Passport — $50. Admission for up to four people at per-person-fee State Historic Parks Details
- Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Annual Pass — $50. Entry to State Vehicular Recreation Areas that collect day-use fees Details
- SNO-Park Pass — $40 season / $15 day. 18 SNO-PARK winter recreation areas Details
From the California state guide. Confirm which passes this park accepts.
Reservations
- Day use
- No day-use reservation requirement mentioned
- Booking system
- ReserveCalifornia
- Phone
- (800) 444-7275
We link to the official booking system rather than showing live availability, which changes minute to minute.
Pets
Dogs allowed, with restrictions
Not allowed in or on: staircase trail or areas east of highway 1.
Are dogs allowed? Yes: Dogs allowed on beach and headland trails west of Highway 1. Dogs not allowed on Staircase Trail or areas east of Highway 1.
Service animals are generally permitted where pets are not. Check with the park for specific areas.
Things to do
BoatingFishingSnorkeling and scubaWildlife viewing and birdingSurfingGeocachingHiking
Amenities
Facilities
- Nature center or museum
- Parking
Water
- Swimming beach
✓ listed by the park · ✕ the park says it is not available. Anything not shown here isn’t mentioned by the official source — that means unknown, not unavailable.
Getting there
- Address
- 15800 Shoreline Hwy
Caspar, CA 95420 - Nearest town
- Fort Bragg — about 5 mi south (straight line)
- Coordinates
- 39.3749, -123.8164
- Phone
- (707) 937-5804
Entrances
- Directions point
Google Maps directionsApple MapsOfficial park map (PDF)
Directions from the park
The reserve is adjacent to Highway One, one mile north of Caspar. The Reserve is located on the north coast of California about equal distance (five miles) between Fort Bragg and Mendocino in Mendocino County. Bisected by State Highway 1, the reserve stretches inland from the coast to Jackson State Forest, approximately three miles.
Nearby state parks
Sources and freshness
- California State Parks — park page — last checked Oct 29, 2026
- California State Parks Listing page (one link per unit, page_id = officialId), unioned with the CSP Enterprise GIS 'ParkEntryPoints' ArcGIS layer (coords, address, county, unit number, management status) and the 'CSPParkUnit_CurrentStatus' layer (open/partial/full closure)
- Wikidata
- USGS PAD-US 4.1 (boundary and acreage)
“Last checked” is when our system last read the official source. No change has been detected since this page was first published. Hours, fees and rules can change without notice — confirm with the park before you go. Methodology