The route is perched high above the sea, with spectacular views.
▪ A pull-out on Coastal Drive one-half mile south of the Flint Ridge Trailhead overlooks an abandoned World War II-era radar station that was disguised as a farmhouse
▪ High Bluff Overlook at the end of Alder Camp Rd. has a picnic area and restrooms
▪ On the southern end of Coastal Drive, one mile off Newton B. Drury Parkway, a trail leads to Carruthers Cove
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
View from Brother Jonathan Vista Point
Crescent City Harbor, south side
Klamath River mouth, south bank
HUMBOLDT COUNTY
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The steep cliffs and forests of Redwood National Park dominate the landscape in northern Humboldt County. The southern portion of the county is also characterized by steep ridges rising sharply from the ocean. On the west coast of the continental U.S., Humboldt County’s Cape Mendocino extends farther west into the Pacific than any other land area. Between these two rugged areas are the low-lying areas around Humboldt Bay and the fertile deltas at the mouths of the Mad and Eel Rivers. Many of the county’s urban services are found in the communities between Trinidad and Fortuna, including the county’s largest towns of Arcata and Eureka.
Hike a wilderness coast
The 35-mile-long “Lost Coast” in the southern part of Humboldt County is California’s largest coastal roadless area, without a shoreline road of any kind. Much of the area lies within the King Range National Conservation Area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Hiking and camping are possible along the Lost Coast Trail as well as on numerous inland trails and at road-accessible campgrounds that include Horse Mountain Creek Campground and Tolkan Campground.
Explore the redwood forest
Majestic coast redwood trees, the tallest living things on the planet, are protected at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The park, along with Redwood National Park and redwood parks in neighboring Del Norte County, has been designated as a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. The groves in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park have never been logged, and the redwoods that tower over visitors are up to 2,000 years old.
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Also growing in the park’s moist climate are stands of huge Douglas-fir and Sitka spruce, along with colorful rhododendrons and azaleas. Fern Canyon’s walls are draped with five-finger, deer, lady, sword, and chain ferns.
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park has some 75 miles of trails, rated in difficulty from “very easy” to “strenuous.” Several trails are accessible to those with limited mobility, including the Big Tree Trail and Prairie Creek Trail; the Revelation Trail has guide ropes and Braille signs for use by visually impaired visitors. Some trails are accessible to bicyclists and equestrians. Horseback tours through old-growth forest in Redwood National Park are offered by Redwood Creek Buckarettes at Orick; call: 707-499-2943. Scenic drives through redwood forest include three-mile-long unpaved Cal-Barrel Rd. and eight-mile-long unpaved Davison Rd., which leads to Gold Bluffs Beach and Fern Canyon (trailers prohibited; observe posted vehicle size limitations). In the southern part of Humboldt
