Arcata, California

September 16 - October 8, 2025

My first base in California was Arcata, a progressive, eco-conscious town known as "Sixties by the Sea", and a perfect launchpad to experience northern California and the redwoods.

Land Acknowledgement: Arcata is on the unceded ancestral lands of the Wiyot tribe. The land that Arcata rests on is known in the Wiyot language as Goudi’ni, meaning “over in the woods” or “among the redwoods.” Past actions by local, State and Federal governments removed the Wiyot and other Indigenous peoples from the land and threatened to destroy their cultural practices.

Trail Log:

Redwood National & State Parks ‍ ‍photos
- Humboldt Redwoods State Park
  - Rockefeller Loop Trail — 0.6 miles ; loop — at the foot of the 10,000 acre Rockefeller Forest
  - Founders Grove Nature Trail — 0.5 miles ; loop — the most-visited grove in the park due to its proximity to Highway 101
- Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
  - James Irvine Trail — 10.4 miles ; out & back
- Redwood National Park
  - Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail — 1.4 miles ; loop
- Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
  - Fern Falls via Boy Scout Tree Trail — 5.4 miles ; out & back
Trinity Alps Wilderness
- Canyon Creek Lakes Trail — 15.6 miles ; out & back — ended up being 17+ miles with 3.4k ft of elevation gain‍ ‍photos
- Granite Lake via Swift Creek Trail — 10 miles ; out & back ‍photos
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
- Long Canyon Trail to Deer Lake — 12.7 miles ; out & back — w/ about 4.4k ft of elevation gain! ‍photos
King Range Wilderness
- King Peak Trail — 5.3 miles ; loop
- Punta Gorda Lighthouse via Lost Cost Trail — 6.5 miles ; out & back ‍photos
Sinkyone Wilderness State Park
- Lost Coast Trail: Needle Rock to Bear Harbor — 6.2 miles ; out & back ‍photos
Arcata Community Forest
- Fickle Hill Grade #9, Big Rock Trail #4 and Meadow Trail #3 Loop — 4.2 miles ; loop
Trinidad State Beach ‍ ‍photos
- Trinidad State Beach and College Cove via Elk Head Trail — 1.5 miles ; loop
- Elk Head to Trinidad Beach — 1.5 miles ; out & back
- Trinidad Head/Tsurai Loop — 1.8 miles ; loop