The splendor of nature is within your reach. All you have to do is open your front door. Reconnect with the ocean by traveling a path recently reconnected to the ocean! The College Cove Trail (585 Stagecoach Road, Trinidad; (707) 677-3570) to the beach of the same name is now repaired. College Cove’s beach is also accessible by Trinidad State Beach, but only at low tide. And low tide is key for the longest enjoyment of the sands before high tide chases everyone back up the hill. Listen to the surf as you watch seabirds circling Pewetole Island. You may be too relaxed to bother with bird identification, but the pelagic cormorants do not mind. If there has been rain (and there will be) look for College Cove Waterfall to be charged up and waiting for its photo op.
Feeling more energetic? Explore the many tidal pools looking for starfish. Patrick may live in Bikini Bottom but some of his kin Piaster brevispinus (giant pink sea star) hang out in Humboldt. Once you are star-struck, become a citizen scientist by joining the California Academy of Sciences (calacademy.org) annual Solstice Sea Star Search. This survey of starfish is held during December, one of the two times each year when the low tide is at its lowest. Survey your favorite tidal pool now and return to see what goes on in June during the summer solstice low tide. Look for Piaster ochraceus (ochre sea star) at the beaches nestled from College Cove to Moonstone Beach, or your local coastal area, because places like the Lost Coast have tidal pools of their own. You are a ginormous visitor to the world of delicate creatures that easily go squish. Please get your hands wet first if you touch a dweller of the seas to stop dry human fingers from rubbing off their protective slimy (in a good way) coating. Those rocks are unforgiving so walk carefully — wear shoes that keep you safe while on slippery sharp wet rocks. Remember, don’t turn your back on the ocean because sneaker waves really are sneaky.
After the incoming tide makes beach and pool exploration dicey, the almost 200-foot-high Tsurewa (925 Lighthouse Road, Trinidad) — Trinidad Head’s ancient Indigenous name — will be high and dry. The 1.4-mile Tsurai Trail circles the sea stack giving you stunning views of the harbor (owned and operated by the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria) and the magnificent Pacific Ocean. A sweeping view of traditional Yurok territory and site of the ancient village of Tsurai gives you time to reflect on the many layers of deep meaning this landscape has for the Tsurai people. The richness of Humboldt provides for nature, too, and birds reign supreme on the many rocky outcrops jutting up from the sea. California has 1,100 miles of coast festooned with small islands and rocks like Tsurewa that are now protected as part of the California National Monument. Trinidad kicks it up a notch with its designation of a Monument Gateway. This means your feet can stay dry on shore as you discover the magic of offshore rocks.
This article appears in Humboldt Insider Winter 2026.