Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Behind the redwood curtain: Humboldt County

A world – and 10-12 hours – away from SoCal freeways.

Sleepy waterfront in the Humboldt County town of Eureka, CA.
Sleepy waterfront in the Humboldt County town of Eureka, CA.
Eureka's waterfront on a sunnier day.

Northern California doesn't begin with San Francisco, at least not to Humboldt County residents. It's not really a particular city that marks the split between north and south, but a vast stretch of forest – over 250 miles worth of redwoods, pines and ferns.

On your drive north, redwoods infuse the air, creating a sweet, musky scent. Drive through the Drive-Thru Tree and stop in Loleta to sample over a dozen fresh cheeses at the Loleta Cheese Factory, where visitors can watch the cheese-making process through two enormous windows.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In Eureka, downtown and Old Town merge. The waterfront is a great stop for pistachio ice cream at Living the Dream Ice Cream. View the bridge to Samoa over the bay, and the fleet of ships across the water.

Follow the 101 nine miles north to Arcata, home to Humboldt State University. Arcata bustles with farmers markets, organic grocers, yoga studios, boutiques and eateries. In late spring, Arcata hosts the Kinetic Sculpture Race (above), where bicycle-powered floats parade around the plaza before zooming forty-two miles over three days to Ferndale.

Dog-friendly marsh trail in Arcata.

Arcata is also home to the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, a refuge to godwits, egrets, ducks and more. The two main paths loop to form an infinity sign, a perfect place to clear the mind and walk the dog.

Amidst redwoods on the lush Miner's Ridge Trail.

The town has its own community forest, but to truly experience northern California’s cinematic wilderness, hike the 11.6 moderate Miner’s Ridge Trail and view the breathtaking Fern Canyon where Jurassic Park was filmed.

Or climb down a steep corridor to Trinidad State Beach, where the turquoise water leaves behind anemones as big as your head. Then, pick up freshly caught and canned tuna, salmon and oysters at Katy’s Smokehouse.

If you have the dog with you, as I usually do, stop at Clam Beach, an off-leash beach dotted with clamshells, blanched crabs and sand dollars. A consistently great highlight is free and ample parking, and unpopulated areas. Whether you’re at the beach or in a forest, you’ll have plenty of space to yourself.

In Humboldt County, the pace of life is slower, and so is the speed limit, but this may be exactly what you’re looking for.

Further reading: for more Reader Travel on Northern CA's Redwood Empire, check out Avenue of the Giants by Chad Deal.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Now what can they do with Encinitas unstable cliffs?

Make the cliffs fall, put up more warnings, fine beachgoers?
Next Article

Ramona musicians seek solution for outdoor playing at wineries

Ambient artists aren’t trying to put AC/DC in anyone’s backyard
Sleepy waterfront in the Humboldt County town of Eureka, CA.
Sleepy waterfront in the Humboldt County town of Eureka, CA.
Eureka's waterfront on a sunnier day.

Northern California doesn't begin with San Francisco, at least not to Humboldt County residents. It's not really a particular city that marks the split between north and south, but a vast stretch of forest – over 250 miles worth of redwoods, pines and ferns.

On your drive north, redwoods infuse the air, creating a sweet, musky scent. Drive through the Drive-Thru Tree and stop in Loleta to sample over a dozen fresh cheeses at the Loleta Cheese Factory, where visitors can watch the cheese-making process through two enormous windows.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In Eureka, downtown and Old Town merge. The waterfront is a great stop for pistachio ice cream at Living the Dream Ice Cream. View the bridge to Samoa over the bay, and the fleet of ships across the water.

Follow the 101 nine miles north to Arcata, home to Humboldt State University. Arcata bustles with farmers markets, organic grocers, yoga studios, boutiques and eateries. In late spring, Arcata hosts the Kinetic Sculpture Race (above), where bicycle-powered floats parade around the plaza before zooming forty-two miles over three days to Ferndale.

Dog-friendly marsh trail in Arcata.

Arcata is also home to the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, a refuge to godwits, egrets, ducks and more. The two main paths loop to form an infinity sign, a perfect place to clear the mind and walk the dog.

Amidst redwoods on the lush Miner's Ridge Trail.

The town has its own community forest, but to truly experience northern California’s cinematic wilderness, hike the 11.6 moderate Miner’s Ridge Trail and view the breathtaking Fern Canyon where Jurassic Park was filmed.

Or climb down a steep corridor to Trinidad State Beach, where the turquoise water leaves behind anemones as big as your head. Then, pick up freshly caught and canned tuna, salmon and oysters at Katy’s Smokehouse.

If you have the dog with you, as I usually do, stop at Clam Beach, an off-leash beach dotted with clamshells, blanched crabs and sand dollars. A consistently great highlight is free and ample parking, and unpopulated areas. Whether you’re at the beach or in a forest, you’ll have plenty of space to yourself.

In Humboldt County, the pace of life is slower, and so is the speed limit, but this may be exactly what you’re looking for.

Further reading: for more Reader Travel on Northern CA's Redwood Empire, check out Avenue of the Giants by Chad Deal.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Spa-Like Facial Treatment From Home - This Red Light Therapy Mask Makes It Possible

Next Article

Five new golden locals

San Diego rocks the rockies
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader