Mendocino County beaches make list of '20 Most Beautiful Places in California'

Smooth and colorful glass beaches, bowling ball-like rock formations, rolling rows of vines - there's no denying the natural beauty of the North Coast, and it's not just locals who are noticing. Condé Nast Traveler recently published their 2016 list of "The 20 Most Beautiful Places in California" and two Mendocino County hot spots were recognized - Fort Bragg's Glass Beach and Bowling Ball Beach south of Point Arena.

Glass Beach in MacKerricher State Park was owned by the Union Lumber Company, serving as a dump site from the early 1900s until 1967. Everything from appliances to bottles was pushed into the ocean, a common practice among coastal communities at the time. Environmental concerns prompted the end of the practice in the late '60s and what remains is a large deposit of multi-colored sea glass.

Another stunning Mendocino locale is Bowling Ball Beach, a part of Schooner Gulch State Beach, south of Point Arena. At this spot, the ocean waves again went to work, smoothing sandstone into spherical balls that resemble lined up bowling balls.

Other nearby favorites include Napa Valley, a 17-mile beach between Pebble Beach and Carmel, Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge and Lake Tahoe.

Click through our gallery above to see what other destinations made the list.