Your Mendocino CME conference.

Your dates. Your specialty. We handle everything else.

Plan in MendocinoFrom under $50 a day
A miniature Mendocino headland with Victorian houses, water towers, cypress trees and a sea arch, and a capybara painting at an easel.

Check in once for the entire trip.

Seamless, start to finish.

A personalized live conference. One-click check-in from your email. Automatic checkout when the conference ends. Documents generated automatically.

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The check-in area

Check-in area around the designated center of MendocinoA flat map drawn to scale, north at the top. A circle with a 20-mile radius is centered on the designated center. Designated center20-mile check-in areaAttractionsGetting hereN10 miDesignated center20-mile check-in areaN10 mi
Drawn to scale from the designated center. Not for navigation.

Check in within 20 miles of the designated center.

Unbeatable value. From under $50 a day.

One fee, $349, for a single conference of up to 7 days. Annual membership for multiple trips at the lowest cost per day.

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Make this trip yours.

$349 one time with Lite

One personalized conference in Mendocino. Choose 1–7 study days for the same price.

Plus applicable tax.

Make room for more.

Membership: $999 a year

21 study days to use across your conferences throughout the year. Choose a new destination, new dates and a personalized program for each trip.

Renews annually; plus applicable tax.

Documentation, done for you.

Itinerary, certificate, reimbursement letter. In your inbox. Tax-ready.

Credit options
Sample confirmed itinerary: a conference agenda page with the Shift CME header, two study days of sessions from 9 AM, for a fictional participant in Mendocino.
Sample professional development reimbursement request letter for a $349 conference in Mendocino, with an employer decision box.
Sample Shift CME certificate of participation for a fictional participant, with location, dates attended and recorded study time.
Sample receipt: Shift CME Lite, one conference, $349 paid.

Shift CMEToday

Your Mendocino conference documents

Built around your practice.

Personalized live conferences with relevant materials.

Your conference

Mendocino

PresentationFever in the returning traveler
Next · 10:45 AMMosquito-borne infections
Journal moduleVaccines before travel

Live today · 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Day 1 · Travel and tropical medicine

  1. Fever in the returning traveler
  2. Mosquito-borne infections
  3. Vaccines before travel

The details.

Planning Mendocino

How it works, step by step

Choose your dates and specialty.

Make Mendocino your setting. Start any day of the year and choose 1–7 consecutive study days.

Review your personal program.

We build it from presentations and journal modules for your specialty. Swap or remove sessions before you confirm.

Go, check in and learn.

Check in once from your phone within 20 miles of the designated center. Study at your destination, then make the afternoon your own. See the Mendocino check-in area.

Watch the full How Shift works video
Explore the full three-day primary-care sample

Your program draws on licensed educational content. Presentations pair audio with slides; journal modules link to source readings.

Sample 3-day conference in Mendocino

IllustrativeSAMPLE CONFERENCE

A practical update in primary care

Tue 12 – Thu 14 Jan 2027 · 3 study days · 9:00 AM–2:00 PM Pacific Time

Day 1 · Tue 12 JanTravel and tropical medicine

  1. 9:00–10:30 AM
    PresentationFever in the returning travelerAudio and slides at its scheduled time
  2. 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
    PresentationMosquito-borne infectionsAudio and slides at its scheduled time
  3. 12:00–2:00 PM
    Journal moduleVaccines before travelRead at its PubMed Central link

Day 2 · Wed 13 JanHeat, sun and active lives

  1. 9:00–10:30 AM
    PresentationHeat illness and hydrationAudio and slides at its scheduled time
  2. 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
    PresentationSun exposure and skin protectionAudio and slides at its scheduled time
  3. 12:00–2:00 PM
    PresentationSprains and overuse injuriesAudio and slides at its scheduled time

Day 3 · Thu 14 JanSleep and fatigue

  1. 9:00–10:30 AM
    PresentationInsomnia and sleep habitsAudio and slides at its scheduled time
  2. 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
    Journal moduleShift work and the body clockRead at its PubMed Central link
  3. 12:00–2:00 PM
    PresentationDaytime sleepinessAudio and slides at its scheduled time

Checked in 9:04 AM · location verified within 20 miles

This is a sample program. Review your available topics and formats before you confirm.

Credit options

Category 1 through a session’s accredited provider, where offered.

Category 2 self-claimed by eligible physicians for qualifying learning.

It depends on the session. A presentation or journal module offers AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ only where its accredited provider offers a CME activity and supplies instructions for claiming it; then you claim it as that provider directs. That credit comes from the provider, not from Shift CME, and not every session offers it. Physicians may also self-claim AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ for learning they judge meets the AMA's requirements, and your Shift CME records can support that claim. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants follow their own certifying bodies' rules: NCCPA lets PAs self-claim Category 2 CME, while AANPCB and ANCC require accredited contact hours, which Shift CME does not award.

Where to stay in Mendocino

From headland trails around the village to botanical gardens and the Noyo Headlands Trail in Fort Bragg, choose the Mendocino that suits your time outside study.

Mendocino village
Choose this area if you want the headland trails close at hand. Mendocino Headlands State Park surrounds the village, just off Highway 1.
Fort Bragg
Choose this area for the Noyo Headlands Trail and the botanical gardens. The Fort Bragg tourism site lists hotels and short-term rentals, including rentals downtown.
Afternoons, travel and weather in Mendocino

Spring brings wildflowers to the headlands, winter brings gray whale migration, and the county has foggy mornings. Conferences are available all year.

Mendocino after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Mendocino time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near your study setting: a walk on the headland trails that wrap around the village, a browse through the village’s independent bookstore, or a stop at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg. Leave time for coastal fog, which can hang over the shoreline in the morning.

Travel, accommodation and any garden admission are arranged separately. Your conference is built around your specialty and interests; the coast is the setting you choose for it.

Headland trails and Big River Beach

Mendocino Headlands State Park is a day-use park that wraps around the village on three sides, just off Highway 1. Miles of cliff-top trails lead to sea arches and hidden grottos, and the state park lists Big River Beach, a Ford House Visitor Center and vista points among its features. The park has no camping.

Big River Beach is listed for paddling, horseback riding and fishing, and the Visit Mendocino County itinerary suggests a morning walk there for redwood-fringed cliffs, estuary views and open ocean. The park’s cliff-top trails change with the seasons, from spring wildflowers to winter whale migration.

Gardens, trails and beaches in Fort Bragg

The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens sit on the bluffs at 18220 North Highway 1 in Fort Bragg. They include a coastal pine forest, fern-covered canyons, rhododendrons, dahlias and begonias, a vegetable garden and ocean bluff views, with trails that run from manicured gardens to wild bluffs above the sea. The gardens also have a café. They close on a few holidays each year, so check the current calendar before you go.

The Noyo Headlands Trail is a paved and gravel, ADA-accessible trail about 8 feet wide that spans nearly all of Fort Bragg, with views along its path and benches made by local artists. It connects to MacKerricher State Park to the north, where the trails pass beach, bluff, headland, dune, forest and wetland, and where seal watching and tidepooling are among the draws.

Village shops and Jug Handle

Mendocino village has an independent bookstore, a winery tasting room and several cafes. Plan a slow walk through the village rather than a list of stops, and include the Mendocino Headlands Trail, where the itinerary says waves crash against sea cliffs.

Jug Handle State Natural Reserve lies about halfway between Fort Bragg and Mendocino, about five miles from each, beside Highway 1 one mile north of Caspar. Van Damme State Beach is another nearby stop the tourism board mentions.

Beaches and water along the coast

The Fort Bragg tourism site lists Glass Beach, Pudding Creek Beach, Noyo Harbor Beach, Hare Creek Beach, Virgin Creek Beach and the Laguna Point area of MacKerricher State Park among its beaches, and describes the options as running from tidepools to hiking and sunbathing to surfing. Each beach has its own page, so check access and parking details there before you go.

Visit Mendocino County says the county has waterways for kayaking and canoeing, and features Whale Watchers Bluff and the Noyo Headlands Coastal Trail. Keep plans flexible.

Redwoods northeast of the village

Mendocino Woodlands State Park covers 720 acres of redwood forest northeast of the village, with a beaver pond, river otters, deer and foxes. The park describes day-use offerings that include hiking trails, wildlife viewing and fishing.

To reach it, the state park says to take Little Lake Road east from Highway 1 in town for about five and a half miles to the end of the pavement, then follow a gravel road of roughly three miles. Allow for that gravel road when you compare it with a short afternoon.

A longer drive through wine country

If you plan a day off from study, Visit Mendocino County describes a 61-mile drive from Yorkville to Fort Bragg on Highway 128 and Highway 1. It passes Anderson Valley wineries and the town of Boonville, then reaches the coast, where you continue north through Albion, Mendocino, Caspar and Fort Bragg.

That drive is a day out rather than an afternoon one, so it does not fit after a 2:00 PM study finish. Check road and weather conditions with local sources before you set out.

When to visit Mendocino

The tourism board describes the county as having mist-shrouded hills and foggy mornings, so pack layers and plan outdoor time with the sky in mind. The headland scenery changes with the seasons, and the Visit Mendocino County walks page describes spring wildflowers and winter whale migration.

The botanical gardens keep separate summer and winter schedules, divided between April–October and November–March. The tourism board also links to webcams of Mendocino County, which can help you check the sky before a walk. Check each attraction’s current status before you plan around it.

Getting to Mendocino and your study setting

Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa is the arrival point shown in this guide; it lists nonstop flights to cities including Denver, Las Vegas, Portland and Seattle. Check the route and timing from there to Mendocino with a mapping service before you choose your accommodation.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.

Destination
Mendocino, California
Travel season
May–October
Arrival airport
Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County · STS
Check-in area
Within 20 miles of the center

Weather guidance helps you choose a travel season. Shift conferences are available all year.

Sources & local details

Local guidance by Shift CME, with official sources and individual review dates below. Confirm opening hours, transport and admission directly before booking. The diorama is an illustration, not a venue or included attraction.

FAQ

How does a conference work?

Choose your destination, dates and specialty. Your program includes journal modules and scheduled presentations. Presentations start at their scheduled times, rather than on demand. Review the program before you confirm. See each step.

Why do I need to be at the destination?

Shift CME licenses educational content for live conferences at designated destinations. Those licenses restrict use to the conference location, so you need to be at your selected destination to participate. Presentations start at their scheduled times as part of your personalized program.

Where do I need to check in?

Select a destination from the destinations page. Check in once during your conference, within 20 miles of the destination’s designated center. Check-in is open from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM destination time on any study day. If you haven’t checked in by 10:00 PM on your last study day, no participation is recorded. Enable browser location access; if your phone can’t confirm your location, you can confirm it yourself when you check in.

How long is a study day?

Study days run from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM local time, with presentations starting at scheduled times. That leaves the rest of the day to enjoy your destination.

What does it cost?

Membership is $999 a year (introductory price), plus applicable tax, and renews at $999 a year until you cancel. It includes 21 conference days a year. Each conference uses 1 to 7 conference days. Members can add days for $40 each. Without a membership, one conference of up to 7 study days is $349, paid before you create it. Read about membership.

Can I change a confirmed conference?

Before you confirm, you can swap or remove sessions, or regenerate the plan. Choosing Confirm and lock itinerary locks the program. To change it after that, cancel the conference and plan a new one. Cancelled or incomplete confirmed conferences keep their confirmation.

See the complete FAQ

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