Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, Nature reserve on the Pacific coast in Mendocino County, United States.

Jug Handle State Natural Reserve is located along the California coast and displays a series of raised marine platforms with steep cliffs and diverse woodland types. A network of walking trails winds through the property, allowing visitors to explore the distinct vegetation and geology of each terrace level.

In the 1960s the Jug Handle area faced logging and a planned motel on the bluffs. Conservationist John Olmsted, pedologist Hans Jenny and local activists worked from 1968 to 1972 to save the farmhouse and bluffs, winning the lawsuit Burger v. Mendocino Board of Supervisors against the Pacific Holiday Lodge corporation. The reserve was established in 1976.

The reserve takes its name from Jug Handle Creek, whose name comes from a bend in the old road across the creek. The 2.5-mile Ecological Staircase trail climbs from the coast through prairie, redwood forest and pygmy forest. The pygmy forest was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1969.

The property is open year-round and sits right along California State Route 1 with parking near the entrance. Sturdy footwear is recommended since the trails cross uneven ground and drop down toward coastal paths.

The third terrace holds a pygmy forest of cypresses and pines only 1.5 to 3 metres tall, with dwarfed rhododendron, manzanita and huckleberry. The National Park Service designated it a National Natural Landmark in 1969.