The Redwoods of Humboldt County

Humboldt County was, fittingly, named after scientist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt, one of the 1800’s most-renowned thinkers. Admired by generations of scholars, including Thomas Jefferson, Humboldt is known as the “father of environmentalism” for his ability to connect disparate scientific fields into holistic theories of how nature and our planet work. He even noted early examples of humans changing the climate.

The county bearing his name is home to natural wonders Humboldt himself never saw (his expeditions were largely to Mexico and points south), including the coast redwoods of Redwood National and State Parks that top out at 380 feet (a thirty-five-story building). But Humboldt County is also home to beautiful beaches and bays, and to an ongoing struggle to reconcile environmental protections with needed economic development. 

One way to help nature win is to support nature tourism, which shows skeptics that trees are more valuable standing than in sawmills. And with other places all over the globe suffering from overtourism, Humboldt is a destination that offers plenty of room for everyone.

The Redwood Wars

Humboldt County has a long history of extractive economic development that is thankfully coming to an end. From gold (stationed at Fort Humboldt during the Gold Rush, Ulysses Grant fell to drinking and resigned from the Army) to timber (still a large, but dramatically shrinking proportion of the local economy) to commercial fishing to cannabis, taking stuff from nature has always been critical to the Humboldt economy. Especially timber, and the majestic (and tremendously valuable) redwoods in particular. 

At its peak in the 1950s, timber employed one of every two Humboldt residents, and afforded incomes exceeding the national average. The decline of the timber industry predates the environmental movement, but as lumber declined, increased efforts to protect the redwoods in the 1960s and 1970s rankled. “It was not as much a struggle as a war,” says Justin Legge, a naturalist with the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center.

Justin has an infectious, distinctive laugh, but when discussing redwoods his demeanor becomes serious, almost awestruck. He describes how as redwoods grow later in their 500- to 2,200-year lifespan, they defy conventional wisdom by adding mass quicker and sequestering carbon at a faster rate than young trees. He talks of the entire ecosystems that exist in the canopies of old-growth forests, and animals — like a “skydiving” species of salamander — that spend their whole lives up there.

The first calls to protect ancient redwoods were in the 1850s, Justin notes. And even after easily accessible stands of ancient trees were preserved in the first half of the 1900s to meet tourist appetites, rampant logging of old-growth redwoods continued out of sight. Even after the formation of Redwood National Park in 1968, and its expansion in 1978, the chainsaws roared. It wasn’t until 1999 that most old-growth redwood logging ended with a sweetheart deal for Pacific Lumber. The company ransomed old-growth to taxpayers for an exorbitant amount and still only protected a fraction of remaining stands. Old-growth redwood forest, once two million acres, and roughly 750,000 in the early 1960s, now amounts to only 110,000 acres.

Humboldt County, with household incomes substantially lower and poverty rates significantly higher than the national average, is hoping that tourism works out better than earlier boom-and-bust industries. Working against the region is its remoteness; with no major airports, no rail service, and only the 101 highway (which thins to a country road in places) to ferry people in and out, the “redwood curtain” remains mostly in place.

Seeing the Forest for the Trees

But parting that curtain is worth the effort. Driving north from San Francisco, the suburbs slowly lose their grip and wine country emerges. Redwoods actually range as far south as Big Sur but aren’t abundant until Mendocino County (worthy of its own tale). In a little over three hours from the Golden Gate, you hit the Humboldt County line.

The easiest place to see the redwoods, according to Justin, isn’t actually at Redwood National and State Parks (Redwood is cooperatively managed with three California State Parks), but an hour south along the Avenue of the Giants, a meandering 31-mile detour off the 101, that begins in southern Humboldt and provides access to Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Short hikes through ancient giant groves pepper the length of the avenue. It also offers some kitschy privately owned redwood-themed roadside attractions that may or may not appeal.

Redwood National and State Parks are north of the picturesque and visit-worthy seaside town of Trinidad, along a magnificent stretch of the 101. Along with Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, they comprise a magnificent stretch of coast and forest extending north into Del Norte County. The Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway cuts through the Prairie Creek portion of the park, allowing easy access to meadows and old amazing groves. From there, trails lead down through Sitka spruces, which shelter the salt-intolerant redwoods from the ocean spray, to the rugged and remote coast. The combined parks visitation is estimated at about 700,000 annually, placing Redwood easily in the bottom half of the 63 National Parks, so the crowds plaguing Zion and Yosemite are not a problem.

Getting Active in Humboldt County

With the towering redwoods as the highlight, any trip to Humboldt is about the outdoors. The highly refined tourist amenities so thick on the ground to the south in wine country are less developed in Humboldt County, but this area counters with a rustic and outdoorsy vibe. Getting out there is the draw.

The county is absolutely studded with natural areas for recreation. Aside from Redwood National and State Parks, and Humboldt Redwoods State Park, there is the Six Rivers National Forest, the King Range National Conservation Area along the Lost Coast, and 14 state parks, recreation areas, beaches, natural reserves, and historic parks. Plus over a dozen county and municipal parks. The Humboldt Coastal Nature Center, with its dune restoration efforts, is an ideal visit to an educational center and walk through the dunes to the beach.

Hiking is obviously amazing here. Many of the roads in the area are suitable for cycling, and there are bike paths and separated lanes in Arcata, Eureka, and McKinleyville. For mountain biking, base-level hardtail and e-bikes rentals are available from Dalton Lee at Wildtrail Tours, which also offers guided mountain-bike and hiking tours as well as recommendations on places to bike. The Arcata Community Forest offers some amazing hilly and flowy trails through lovely second-growth redwoods. Mountain biking is also a rare draw in a national park, with the 20-mile Ossagon loop around Prairie Creek, offering a great (and strenuous) mix of road, rugged single-track, and gravel road. 

The Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka is a less-rugged, more family-friendly way to learn about the redwoods and the animals that live among them (as well as animals from around the globe). The highlight is the Redwood Sky Walk, an elevated, ADA-accessible walkway a hundred feet above the ground.

With bays dotting the coast and rivers throughout Humboldt, whitewater rafting, paddling, and fishing are popular all over the county.

Of course, Native Americans populated what would become Humboldt County for millennia before Eurpoeans. The Wiyot, Yurok, Hupa, Karuk and Tolowa tribes thrived here prior to the Gold Rush. You can learn more about Native History at the Hoopa Tribal Museum.

Where to Stay and Eat in Humboldt

Humboldt offers tons of opportunities for camping in the national park and forests, state parks, Bureau of Land Management sites, county parks, and private RV parks and campgrounds.

Lodging runs the gamut from the affordable Redwood Riverwalk Hotel in Fortuna; to the funky Front Porch Inn in Arcata, which offers private outdoor hot tubs; to the posh Benbow Historic Inn in Garberville, with its terrific restaurant, bar, and terrace.  

Humboldt also offers wineries, breweries, and ciderworks. Try Eel River Brewing in Fortuna and Lost Coast Brewing in Eureka, as well as the Pub at the Creamery in Arcata with a great tap list. You’ll no-doubt go by Trinidad as you travel north and south, and it’s worth a stop for the rocky coastline and waterview dining.
 
For more help with trip planning, go to visitredwoods.com, run by the Humboldt County Visitors Bureau, which assisted with planning and discounts for this trip.