Best places to find sea glass

Fort Bragg, California

Just eight miles north of Mendocino, a beautiful coastline along Fort Bragg holds many sea glass treasures. For several years, the locals dumped their trash and even their old cars and appliances over the bluffs onto their beaches. Even though the city began cleanup programs in 1967, much of the glass still made its way to the shore to become the smaller translucent colored pieces of sea glass that cover the shore today.

A lot of the sea glass has been carted away by collectors, but quite a bit still remains on the shore. The best known place for collecting sea glass is Glass Beach, which is located inside MacKerricher State Park. You can enter Glass Beach from Elm Street and Glass Beach Drive. However, much of the sea glass on the northern section of Glass Beach has been taken, but you can still find the sea glass south of Elm Street outside the boundaries of MacKerricher Park.

Because of the popularity of the beach for sea glass collectors, the California State Park became concerned over diminishing sea glass and hasdiscouraged the practice of taking it. Some people say it’s illegal now to collect sea glass from Fort Bragg, but others say that because California beaches are public, it’s okay to collect it up to the mean high water mark.

If you decide to go to Fort Bragg to collect sea glass, be sure to check with theThe Different Colors of Sea Glass

Glass Beach in Benicia, California

Another glass beach with a high concentration of sea glass is Benicia in northern California. According to Wikipedia, the beach is located in Benicia, California off the 12th Street Park. Some locals have reported the beach is off Elane Way and Cove Way. Look for Public Access sign and follow to water.

Be warned, however, that much of the glass has sharp edges, so wear sturdy shoes. Much of the sea glass is not weathered with smooth round edges because the beach is located in Carquinez Strait, which is basically a bay with little wave activity. Beaches with the best sea glass have a decent amount of wave activity because the movement of the water acts like a giant tumbling machine and helps toss and turn the glass into frosty sea glass with rounded edges.

You should also check San Francisco tide times and go at low tide when the sea glass is exposed on the shore.