by Jim Hight
WHERE DO WE GO NOW-- for a walk in the
woods or a stroll on the shore when we only have an hour or two?
The menu of trails in the Fortuna-to-Trinidad coastal corridor where most
of us live is short but rich. Here is a guide to seven great tra ils that
can be reached without gassing up for a day-long outing.
1 FORTUNA'S
RIVERWALK
The Riverwalk lets hikers tread
or pedal the levee on the eastern bank of the Eel River. The two-mile path
offers birdwatching and spectacular views of the Eel River Valley. It's
also a good spot from which to appreciate the tremendous power of the Eel
River, which drains some 3,000 square miles of the Coast Range.
In summer and early fall, the river is usually a tiny ribbon meandering
through a huge channel of sand and gravel created by its awesome winter
flows. During winter, after a heavy rain, the river can rise to within a
few yards of the levee.
To get there take the South 12th Street exit from U.S. Highway 101, head
west and park near the new River Lodge Community Center.
2 HUMBOLDT
BAY NATIONAL REFUGE (No horses, bikes, dogs)
Two trails in the refuge let people experience the tidal marshes and wetlands
along the southern edge of Humboldt Bay.
The Hookton Slough Trail is a 1.5 mile levee trail that meanders along the
slough and bay as far as the foot of Table Bluff. When the tide is high,
the waters of the bay lap the shore, and grebes and cormorants dive and
hunt for fish. During low tides, the rich mudflats are exposed and egrets
and other shorebirds stalk the shallow channels for prey.
The Shorebird Loop Trail meanders through seasonal wetlands and the freshwater
Long Pond.
Hookton Slough is open year-round, dawn to dusk, and the Shorebird Loop
is open weekdays through October. Interpretive panels along both trails
describe the many interwoven elements of the ecosystem.
To get there take the Hookton Road exit from U.S. Highway 101 south of
Fields Landing. Follow Hookton Road to the Hookton Slough parking area,
or turn north after exiting and drive past the entry station to the Shorebird
Loop Trail parking area (about a mile).
3 EUREKA'S
WATERFRONT PATH
It would be a stretch of the English
language to call Eureka's half-mile Waterfront Path a "hike."
But the path neatly defines the word "picturesque," giving pedestrians,
cyclists and wheelchair users easy access to Eureka's inner-reach waterfront.
This is not the waterfront of industrial shipping, but the waterfront of
small docks and Victorian rooflines. Visible from the path are the cypress
trees of Indian Island poking over the masts of sailboats and salmon trollers
moored at Woodley Island Marina.
A walk here can be extended into Old Town. Follow Second Street west four
blocks to H Street, then head back toward the water and continue west on
First Street. Stop for the views at the F Street Dock and the Madaket Dock
on C Street. Keep walking along Waterfront Drive past the fish-processing
plants and U.S. Coast Guard station to the aging (soon to be rebuilt) small
boat basin.
To get there from Highway 101 (Fourth and Fifth streets) head north on
L Street to the Adorni Center and park; or park at the boat ramp under the
Samoa Bridge/Highway 255.
4 ARCATA
COMMUNITY FOREST
The hardest part of taking a hike
through the Arcata Community Forest is staying on the trails.
Consider Nature Trail No.1, for example. From the expansive grass field
of Redwood Park a wooden staircase beckons pedestrians into the forest.
It's a climb uphill until the ground levels out on a precipice that looks
over a valley of ferns and century-old spruce, redwood and Douglas fir trees.
Hikers may feel the urge to run over the tumbled mossy trunks of fallen
trees or flick a Frisbee across this fairyland.
Don't. The City of Arcata's forest stewards fight an eternal maintenance
battle against erosion in this heavily traveled forest. Their main enemy:
people kicking new trails down the steep slopes and into the pocket canyons.
Besides, the network of established trails should satisfy the strongest
wanderlust. For a moderately challenging five-mile hike, take Trail No.1
down into the lush canyon, then up to No. 9. Turn left and go about a mile
to trail No. 8, or Community Forest Loop. Go either direction to reach the
junction and retrace your steps.
To get there find 14th or 11th streets in Arcata and drive up hill. Follow
the signs for Redwood Park.
5 ARCATA
MARSH /WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
This restored freshwater marsh offers
bipeds four and a half miles of trails along marshes, ponds, wetlands and
the north edge of Humboldt Bay.
Trails wind in loops and figure-eights through some of the best birdwatching
territory on the California coast. Black-crowned night herons can often
be seen roosting in the willows around the reclaimed logpond next to G Street.
Brackish Klopp Lake and the tidal marsh flats of the bay are favored by
godwits, gulls and pelicans.
The marsh is a wonder of human engineering as well as natural systems: It
was built as a natural sewage processing system. Free interpretive tours
are given on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. (at South I Street) and 2 p.m. (at the
Marsh Interpretive Center on South G Street). More information is available
from Friends of the Arcata Marsh at 826-2359.
To get there take I or G streets south and look for the signs.
6 HAMMOND
COASTAL TRAIL
This coastal path was originally
a railroad, built just after the turn of the century to transport redwood
logs from the Little River area south to the Hammond Lumber mill on the
Samoa Spit. The last load passed in 1958, and 20 years later local trailblazers
began working on what is today the Hammond Trail.
The northern section is a dedicated "Class 1" path, for non-motorized
traffic only. Trail users here can enjoy views of the unusual Mad River
Estuary, where water from snow melt in the Trinity Alps mixes with the Pacific
Ocean. Today the river is held back from the sea and pushed several miles
north by a thin line of dunes.
At its southern end, the four-mile trail crosses the Mad River on the aging
railroad bridge (eventually to be replaced by a less-picturesque but safer
modern structure). It follows back roads in McKinleyville to Hiller Park,
where the Class 1 section begins.
To get there take the Murray Road/McKinleyville exit from Highway 101
and head west until the trail comes into view. To start in Arcata, take
the Giuntoli Lane exit and follow Janes Road until you see Mad River Community
Hospital on the left. Turn right on Upper Bay Road, go 0.6 miles to Mad
River Road, and follow this through the pastures and dairy farms to Mad
River Bridge.
7 CLAM
BEACH COUNTY PARK
Clam Beach County Park is a paradise
for beach strolling and running. Visible from its three-mile length are
views of Trinidad Head and the wind-sculpted alder, shore pine and spruce
that cover the coastal bluffs like ivy on an old New England college.
The beach is so wide that it's possible to experience multiple microclimates:
the marine layer near the water may be cold and misty while the sheltered
dunes are warm and dry.
To get there take the Clam Beach exit from Highway 101.
For a more detailed guide to hiking, biking and running trails, see the
Run, Bike & Hike brochure published by Humboldt Visitor. It's
available in Arcata at Adventure's Edge, the Jogg'n Shoppe and Revolution
Bikes, and in Eureka at Picky Picky Picky, Northern Mountain Supply and
the Udder Place.
Comments? E-mail the Journal: ncjour@northcoast.com
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