Ropes courses are used as an aid in personal and group development resulting in learned skills such as; cooperation, self-confidence, trust, problem solving, body-awareness, teamwork, insightfulness, and compassion. Groups of various shapes and sizes can encompass one or all of the learned skills at a ropes course, located in the north end of Mendocino County. This setting exudes a sense of connection amongst mature redwoods has a series of activities between ground level and 40 feet in the air while on-belay, a technique used to hold the climber. Their reflective approach offers the participant personal success both physically and emotionally as they choose their level of challenge.

Mendocino Adventure Rope Course

Catch a Canoe & Bicycles Too

Blend the best of the coast and the redwoods with an experience with Catch-A-Canoe & Bicycles Too. This company, just outside of Mendocino Village provides a wide selection of kayaks, canoes, outriggers, and bicycle rentals for both individuals and groups. Imagine your team enjoying connecting to the scenery and wildlife of beautiful Big River in a redwood outrigger canoe, or on a mountain bike. The redwood outrigger canoes can accommodate from one to nine paddlers. Groups can also rent traditional canoes for two to four paddlers, as well as single and double kayaks.

The Mendocino coast offers many opportunities for two-wheeled adventure, whether on the easy and popular Big River Trail or the radical and challenging Manley Gulch. Ride straight from the shop to the Russian Gulch waterfall, Van Damme fern canyon, Point Cabrillo lighthouse and to many dining and shopping options in Mendocino.

Working together to paddle the Big River. Photo: Rick Hemmings.

Camp Mendocino

Connecting to the kid in you is a great way to connect with your team. Camp Mendocino is a quintessential camp for youth, but offers a number of programs which can be tailored to team building and the adult group experience. They offer several packages for retreat groups, including outdoor education, interactive nature hikes, a comprehensive challenge courses including a seven-element high ropes course, zip line, climbing wall, and low elements (initiative games and team building activities). Just imagine the letter you would write home to your family, but better yet, the inspiration found through the exhilaration of your individual and team experiences.

Camp Mendocino is a fantastic experience for kids of all ages, but also for adult retreats.

Liquid Fusion

Reconnect and explore the placid Noyo River Estuary or kayak and play in the rock gardens and sea caves of the Mendocino Coast like a local. Your team will be intrigued by wildlife and inspired by rugged beauty. With small group sizes, Liquid Fusion Kayaking’s expert guides are at your side to create a unique, one-of-a-kind experience by sharing secrets of the wildlife and history of the Mendocino Coast that only locals know.

Kayaking the Mendocino Coast.

Unbeaten Path Tours

This is no regular tour company. Your group’s experience with Unbeaten Path Tours are thoughtfully designed with narrated tours that encapsulates history, flora, fauna and the lesser known trails of this beautiful and unique coastal region of Mendocino County. Tours can bring your team to lighthouses, the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands, a dramatic coastal monument and other hidden natural secrets of the area. Science is also incorporated in the tours to connect your experience with expanding your knowledge in the areas of geology, oceanography and ornithology.

Come find your path.

B. Bryan Preserve

It’s time to bring your team on a safari! No, you don’t have to pack your passport to venture off to lands across oceans, your group can connect to a safari experience right here in Mendocino County. A guided visit to B. Bryan Preserve is designed to give both groups and animals plenty of space to roam while allowing for close up viewing. This is not a typical zoo as their big herds of animals are allowed to live and roam the 110 acres in their near-natural environment. This educational experience connects your groups with nature, animal habitats and each other.

Plenty of friends to make at the B. Bryan Preserve.

Hike Mendocino County

Mendocino County has long been known as a hiker’s paradise, thanks to 90 miles of Pacific coastline, two dozen state and national parks, and 4,000 square miles of meandering streams and old-growth redwoods. There are opportunities for groups to connect to these trails for team building with self-guided or guided hikes both inland as well as along the coast. Trails in the area range from easy to challenging. Groups can inquire with the organization on the ability levels of each trail.

Russian Gulch State Park waterfall.

Start Horsing Around

Horse play can be a great way for your team to let loose and disconnect to reconnect. Get your team together and join Ricochet Ridge Ranch for daily horseback rides on Ten Mile Beach in MacKerricher State Park, through magnificent redwood forests, and across a vast cattle ranch overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with views to forever!

Heading south along the Mendocino Coast, at Ross Ranch, your team can go for a private ride on spectacular California’s Manchester Beach. Enjoy connecting to miles of unspoiled sand and surf. Rocks, driftwood, creeks, birds and seastacks dot this vast expanse of beach.

Both offer different rides from a one-hour beach ride to multi-day adventures. Horses for all experience levels, from absolute novice to the very advanced.

Nothing beats this kind of ride on the Mendocino coast.

Telstar Charters

Fish stories and tall tales are next on your to do list for team building in Mendocino County. The Mendocino coastal waters offer a great destination for anglers wanting to catch salmon, rock cod, ling cod and albacore, plus a chance to see water spouts from majestic whales throughout the year. Telstar Charters can connect your team to a day packed with fun and excitement (and don’t forget big fish too!) on the Pacific. Licensed Captain Randy Thornton invites your group to come down to the Noyo Harbor and board the Telstar, for your sport fishing and whale watching adventure!

Chart your course to great team building.

Food for Thought

Improve your team’s health and vitality, plus learn how to make healthy delicious meals through these group culinary experiences. Connect and learn the joy of living vegan by learning from Wellness Programs Director & Certified Nutritionist, Sid Garza-Hillman at the Stanford Inn Eco-Resort! Whether vegan is already on the menu or your team is vegan-curious, this type of retreat will guide your group through cooking to nutrition, gardening to environmental & ethical ramifications.

At Living Light Culinary Institute, your team can connect to the best raw food education in the world! This institute is the world’s premier raw vegan chef training school. They offer individuals and groups a variety of gourmet raw vegan culinary and nutrition courses for every level of experience. Even if take-out is at the height of your culinary training, they welcome everyone from complete novice to professional chef!

Rainbow Arugula Salad with Sumac Vinaigrette from Living Light Culinary Institute.

Retreats with an Artistic Flair

Mendocino County has the most artists per capita than anywhere else in the United States. We want to connect your group to experience private art classes and workshop retreats in different mediums. Immerse your team in art R&R to nurture their creative brain and rejuvenate their whole being with positive experiences of growth, inspiration and fun. The Willits Center for the Arts and the Mendocino Art Center both offer private art classes and spaces to inspire inspiration, plus offer locations that are walking distance to quaint shops, one-of-a-kind eateries and beautiful scenery.

Painted Cellars class in Ukiah.

Highway 128 Wine Road

Drink in this next idea of wine tasting as a team building activity. There is a definite art and science to wine tasting that can bring a team closer together. In Mendocino County, our tasting rooms provide the personalized touch on education as well as wine enlightenment. Groups can connect to many of their senses by learning about aroma, balance, body, nose and many other wine tasting terminology while on the Highway 128 Wine Road.

The Highway 128 Wine Road is a magnificent 35-mile drive studded with family-run wineries, picturesque vineyards, quaint towns, and towering redwoods. The Yorkville Highlands AVA is 15 serpentine miles beyond Cloverdale and Highway 101. This appellation consists of approximately 40,000 acres straddling Highway 128 between the Alexander Valley to the southeast and the Anderson Valley to the northwest. The area is home to three tasting rooms.

The beauty of the Yorkville Highlands AVA.

Heading north on Highway 128, your team will move into Anderson Valley. This region is located in the rolling hills of the coastal region of Mendocino County. Although only 15 miles long, this beautiful valley is filled with vineyards and wineries producing a broad range of excellent wines including world class Pinot Noir and Alsace varietals. Whether you are an experienced wine aficionado, or are just discovering the pleasure of drinking good wine, the Anderson Valley deserves exploration by any group.

Of course, there are plenty of other wineries that you can visit by appointment only. Enjoy the Wine Road and remember to drink responsibly, designate a driver or inquire about hiring a service to take you through this region.