California Coastal Access Guide, Seventh Edition. California Coastal Commission
designated areas. Additional hike-in campsites available; inquire at the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park visitor center.
ELK PRAIRIE CAMPGROUND: Off Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, 5.5 mi. N. of Orick. Seventy-five tent or RV sites in an old-growth redwood forest; some sites are wheelchair accessible. Showers available. Hike or bike sites are within the campground. For camping reservations, call: 1-800-444-7275.
▪ Elk Prairie Campground includes a day-use picnic area
▪ Ranger-led walks
▪ Junior ranger programs
▪ Campfire programs
▪ The 1.4-mile-long Elk Prairie Trail offers possible views of browsing Roosevelt elk
REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK: Along the coast from Crescent Beach in Del Norte Co. to Freshwater Lagoon in Humboldt Co. and inland along Redwood Creek. Redwood National Park adjoins Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods. The areas are managed jointly as Redwood National and State Parks. See: www.nps.gov/redw.
Roosevelt elk browse in Elk Meadow off Davison Rd.; picnic area available. The 2.5-milelong Trillium Falls Trail leads through dense forest. Off Bald Hills Rd. are old-growth redwoods at Lady Bird Johnson Grove (1.5-mile loop trail) and Tall Trees Grove (first-come, first-served permits available at Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center for private vehicle access to the Tall Trees trailhead). Camping is permitted at scattered hike-in sites along Redwood Creek; inquire at the visitor center.
Humboldt County
Redwood Creek to Big Lagoon
ORICK BEACH ACCESS: End of Hufford Rd. off Hwy. 101, 1.5 mi. N.W. of Orick. Turn west on Hufford Rd. and bear left to reach the mouth of Redwood Creek. Campers and trailers not recommended. No facilities.
THOMAS H. KUCHEL VISITOR CENTER: W. of Hwy. 101, 2 mi. S.W. of Orick. Exhibits are about the resources of Redwood National Park; bookshop. A boardwalk leads along the Redwood Creek estuary. Open year round, 9 AM–5 PM (4 PM during winter). For information, call: 707-465-7765.
▪ Summertime ranger presentations and walks
REDWOOD CREEK BEACH PICNIC AREA: W. of Hwy. 101, 2 mi. S.W. of Orick. Picnic tables and barbecue grills separated from the sandy beach by low dunes. Leashed dogs OK in the picnic area and on the beach but not in the dunes.
▪ California Coastal Trail runs south along the sand
▪ Walk north on the sand some two miles to Mussel Point
FRESHWATER LAGOON: E. of Hwy. 101, 3 mi. S. of Orick. West of Hwy. 101 are dunes and a long sandy beach with roadside parking, for day use only. Leashed dogs OK on the sandspit. East of Hwy. 101 at the north end is a boat ramp with access to Freshwater Lagoon.
▪ Fish for rainbow trout, surf perch, catfish, and largemouth bass
STONE LAGOON: W. of Hwy. 101, 5 mi. S. of Orick. Part of Humboldt Lagoons State Park. Visitor center off Hwy. 101 on the east side of Stone Lagoon; six boat-in campsites are on the opposite side of the lagoon.
▪ Visitor center offers kayak rentals and tours; call: 707-498-1130
▪ Turn off Hwy. 101 at the north end of the lagoon to reach an ocean beach
▪ California Coastal Trail runs along the beach west of the lagoon
DRY LAGOON: W. of Hwy. 101, 6.5 mi. S. of Orick. Turn west off Hwy. 101 at the sign for Humboldt Lagoons State Park to reach an ocean beach scattered with driftwood. Six environmental campsites are nearby; for access, inquire in person at Patrick’s Point State Park or call: 707-677-3570.
▪ Elk Country RV Resort and Campground on Hwy. 101 at the little red schoolhouse (707-488-2181) offers a trout-fishing lake, horseback riding, and browsing Roosevelt elk in the meadow
BIG LAGOON COUNTY PARK: Off Hwy. 101, 8 mi. N. of Trinidad. Turn west off Hwy. 101 on Big Lagoon Park Rd.; jog left then right to Big Lagoon. Sandy ocean beach; 25 tent campsites nearby. Fee for day use and camping. Call: 707-445-7651.
▪ Boat ramp and dock in Big Lagoon
▪ California Coastal Trail runs along the beach
▪ Beachcombing
▪ Fishing
Humboldt County
Patrick’s Point/Trinidad
PATRICK’S POINT STATE PARK: Patrick’s Point Dr. off Hwy. 101, 5.3 mi. N. of Trinidad. Very well appointed park, with picnic areas, miles of hiking trails, rocky shoreline, and old-growth Sitka spruce forest. Some of the 124 campsites are wheelchair accessible; hike or bike sites also available. A reconstructed Yurok village known as Sumêg, with traditional style family nouses and sweat house, is within the state park. Local Yuroks continue to use the village to pass on cultural traditions to their youth and to share them with the public. A nearby Native American garden contains plants used by the Yuroks for medicines, baskets, and other purposes. Visitor center has exhibits, maps, and information. For park information, call: 707-677-3570.
▪ Summertime campfire programs are offered
▪ The Rim Trail follows a route along the ocean bluff
▪ Agate Beach has tidepools
TRINIDAD STATE BEACH: Off Stagecoach Rd., N. of Main St., Trinidad. Day-use facility with two separate parking areas. The College Cove parking area is one mile north of Trinidad; the sandy cove beach is sheltered by Elk Head, accessible by trail. Other trails run south through dense forest to Trinidad Beach, where there is a second parking lot. Restrooms are not wheelchair accessible.
▪ Flatiron Rock off Trinidad Beach supports a large breeding colony of common murres
TRINIDAD HEAD: S.W. of town of Trinidad. A loop trail leads around the 362-foot-high rock. Not accessible from the trail is a lighthouse, in continuous operation since 1871; the light was automated in the 1970s. Park at the foot of Lighthouse Rd.; sandy ocean beach is adjacent.
TRINIDAD HARBOR: W. end of Edwards St., Trinidad. Pier with adjacent restaurant overlooking the harbor; beach boat launch and small marine railway for launching small boats.
▪ Inquire at the snack shop about ocean fishing trips
AXEL LINDGREN MEMORIAL STAIRS: Foot of Trinity St. at Edwards St., Trinidad. A memorial to fishermen lost at sea is on the bluff. Steep wooden staircase, without railings, leads to Old Home Beach. Beach also accessible via trail from the end of Wagner St. and from the end of Parker Creek Road.
LUFFENHOLTZ BEACH AND COUNTY PARK: Scenic Dr., 2 mi. S. of Trinidad. Pullout with path to beach, and a separate parking lot 100 yards south with shoreline access. Camel Rock is offshore. Call: 707-445-7651.
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