Take that thorny problem to the nearest labyrinth and contemplate solutions as you center your mind. Let a local community garden or farm help because the best therapy is ripping up weeds. Or planting flowers and veg. Your pick. Explore the galleries that show off Humboldt in all its glory. Don’t forget the kids! Humboldt is its own world. Help them explore it from top to bottom. Start with the rocks right outside and work your way to finding out what dwells beneath the cerulean waves
of the Pacific.
Outdoorsy Types
Humboldt’s community gardens provide more than just a way to grow food, although it is fantastic that the Mad River Community Hospital Farm provides fresh produce for its Garden Cafe and the Wiyot Tribe Community Garden helps feed tribal elders. Some, like Henderson Community Garden in Eureka and Fortuna Community Garden, provide rental plots so residents can grow vegetables to please their own palates. Many gardens distribute produce to local residents, or have plant and seeds available for sale or exchange. Most of them could use some volunteer labor, which is a great way to learn about permaculture, from the best way to compost to making supports for rampant peas. Many are happy to have you just stroll through their bounty to revitalize your spirit. Check out the 27 gardens listed in the Cooperation Humboldt Local Food Guide (cooperationhumboldt.com/food-guide-2022). If you’re a local with no garden nearby, maybe it’s time to gather the troops and start one up. Contact the North Coast Community Garden Collaborative (Redwood Community Action Agency, 904 G St., Eureka, 707-269-2071) to find resources and ideas. Now go get some Humboldt dirt under those fingernails!
For those looking for a wilder experience, stop in at Kayak Trinidad (322 Main St., Trinidad, 707-329-0085) to find your next adventure. Jason Self and his team of licensed guides are ready to help you dip your novice toe in Humboldt’s waters, be it lagoon or bay. Imagine whales swimming alongside your colorful kayak. Bring the family and book a tour. Schedule a session to work on your technique as it’s been a few years (or maybe a decade or two) since you last paddled. If you already know your way around but lack the accouterment, you can rent all you need to get back into the flow. The store is filled with the promise of adrenaline adventures.
Sunny Brae Community Forest is a quiet delight waiting to be explored. This 171-acre tract of redwoods is nestled behind Sunny Brae, with trails that connect to Arcata Community Forest (a whopping 2,350 acres including Jacoby Creek). Take a good look as you approach on Buttermilk Lane. The land rises up and so will you. Park along 2205-2255 Margaret Lane to access Trailhead 1. Enter the woods by steep stairs or warm up a bit on the switchback ramp. Trailhead 2 is located on 2098-1800 Panorama Court but be warned: It is narrow and nearly perpendicular. Check for the designated one-way trail (and no horses) so bicyclists can enjoy the downhill rush safely. Dogs and their humans also roam these woods, so you may be subjected to a sniff test before an ear scratch is allowed. Marvin Musick’s family did right by him with a memorial bench placed at the perfect place for you to take in Humboldt’s forest magic. Visit the city of Arcata’s website to download the trail map and the Redwood forest bird checklist (144 species!).
Foodies
Art’s House Restaurant (39116 State Route 299, Willow Creek, 530-629-3663) is aptly named. The artistry the staff pours into their shakes is a sight — and taste — to behold. The Creme Brûlée shake will inspire gourmand dreams, while a sip of the Dr. Evil might bring a pinkie finger to your smile. It’s not just the shakes that will pull you in. Did you see the plate of French toast topped with mango preserves and fresh whipped cream? Did I mention the matcha mango marmalade custard? Or the rice crispy chicken sandwich with jalapeño ranch? And you get a free shake on your birthday? This is a restaurant worthy of pilgrimage.
Blue Lake’s Dog House (Perigot Park, 312 S Railroad Ave., 707-601-1302) is the place for a dog like no other — a hot dog, that is. The Bratty Dog comes with sauerkraut made by the mother-daughter team Darcey and Meghan. Their potato salad is worth a special trip, too. Eat your way across the country from the Big Apple Dog (an apple and brie delight) to the celebrated hound of Chicago, the Windy City Dog (think relish and celery salt). Celebrate the Humboldt coast with the Umami Dog, complete with Larrupin’ mustard (is there any other kind?). Handy benches overlook the park’s baseball diamond and community garden, satisfying both the sports fan or flower child.
Head out to Noble Berry Farm (3563 Fieldbrook Road, McKinleyville, 707-834-6299), where family memories are made. And jam. Lots of delicious jam. Acres of blueberry varieties wait for you to pick them. Noble planted his berries in 2008 and has spent 15 years doing the best job on the planet. The farm’s main crop is ready come solstice and they keep Humboldt in the blue until September. Class trips and groups are welcome, too. The time to pick is afternoons on Wednesday through Sunday. Keep an eye on the farm’s Facebook posts to see when the blueberries are ready for you. The farm sells some veggies and their neighbor’s strawberries when available. “Pick n grin” is Noble’s motto, so cue those smile muscles and grab a bucket.
Art Lovers
In one painting at Schlueter Gallery (330 Second St., Eureka, 707-498-0059) Humboldt’s public workers are captured by local artist Stock Schlueter as they responded to a broken water main. It hangs among his many luminous landscapes of Humboldt and the world beyond. His talented wife, Rachel Schlueter, is represented with her sensitive portraits of people and fabulous felines. The gallery also shows the works of other locals like Jim McVicker and George Van Hook, who exchanged painting techniques on camping trips with Schlueter in the early 1980s. The Schlueters host portraiture painting sessions so you can pick up their techniques without having to sleep in a tent. Stop in and admire the fine eye of Eureka’s creative couple.
The talented artists of Phosphene (426 Third St., Eureka, phosphenehumboldt@gmail.com) are barely contained by this small gallery. Their colorful paintings and collages are displayed along an impressive collection of metalwork and handcrafted jewelry. The local zines rotate on a rack of creative outpouring, both fiction and non. Who can resist the selection of snazzy stickers designed by Humboldt’s artists? Ask about the gallery’s name while you’re there because artists know a lot of cool stuff.
The galleries of Shelter Cove are not on the beaten path. The remoteness of the Lost Coast inspires local artists, daring them to capture its magical light and raw beauty. The Shelter Cove Art Gallery, located in the Inn of the Lost Coast (205 Wave Drive, 707-986-7521) is open daily, presenting gorgeous glass work and luminous paintings in a drop-dead gorgeous setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Run by the Shelter Cove Arts and Recreation Foundation (SCARF, 707-986-7120), the gallery hosts five receptions per year on major holidays, like the Fourth of July. Twice each year, they host an artist in residence in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management. Arts At Heart (533 Machi Road, Shelter Cove, artsatheartmakers@gmail.com) is the gallery of the Lost Coast Makers Collective. Visit artsatheart.com to preview the many gorgeous pieces available. There are glowing woodworks, flowing fabrics and inspired sculptures. The collective has hosted workshops on copper etching, watercolor painting and making wind chimes so keep an eye on its calendar for upcoming opportunities to expand your artistic expression.
With the Kids
Sometimes the best things in life are in your own front yard, or Pacific Ocean. Bring the family to Cal Poly Humboldt’s Telonicher Marine Lab (570 Ewing St., Trinidad, 707-826-3671) to show them that what lurks beneath are not monsters but some really cool creatures. The outdoor touch tank lets little fingers feel the gentle stickiness of an anemone’s tentacles — similar to a kitten’s tongue. Peer into the algae room to see bubbling glass jars of living green goo. If your young ocean explorer gets hooked, check out the summer education programs (day camps fill up quickly). There is also a preserved giant squid that will give your child an eye-level view of this elusive denizen of the deep (tentacles safely deactivated). FYI, the parking may be tight but admission is free.
Humboldt Lagoons State Park is a treasure tucked away in Northern Humboldt. Pack the family into the car and hit the road. The Chah-pekw O’ Ket’-toh Visitor Center (15336 U.S. Highway 101, Trinidad, 707-677-3570) is a cultural gem on the shore of Stone Lagoon. Your children can learn from the Yurok Tribe, which operates the center, hearing about its leadership of conservation efforts protecting and restoring Humboldt’s lands and waters. Then take the kids out to the California Coastal Trail (day use access 4 miles north of the center). Scope out the lagoons for a future paddle with kayaks rented at the Welcome Center. You can enjoy the stunning beauty of the lagoons and ocean while they run off some steam before the trip home.
Speaking of gems, have your children ever wondered why Moonstone Beach is called Moonstone Beach? Or about the volcanoes that spewed lava all over Humboldt long before Humboldt was Humboldt (hint: think Trinidad Head)? Time to learn about Humboldt’s geology. Visit the Cal Poly Humboldt Natural History Museum (1242 G St., Arcata, 707-826-4479) for a bedrock education. The Humboldt Gem and Mineral Society hosts junior rockhounds once a month, as well, so check out its Facebook page for location and times for your kid who fills their pockets with rocks. (Here’s hoping you discover them before laundry day.)
Not Strictly for Tourists
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Starting in July, Humboldt’s Hometown Store (394 Main St., Ferndale; 707-496-0588) adds the Newspaper Office to its Escape Rooms to challenge those who solve mysteries before the first commercial break. The Locker Room can hold the key to a birthday blast for the teen who just discovered their inner sleuth. The doors are not locked, so it is a safe and fun way to entertain friends, family or clever coworkers. Or challenge yourself to Escape the Cell — one to four people, handcuffs and no hints. Visit humboldtshometownstore.com to make a reservation.
The scent of summer is in the air and it’s Friday night. What to do? Head to Old Town Eureka and mingle at the Friday Night Market. The food trucks wait to tempt your taste buds as the creative endeavors of local artisans at their vendor booths catch your eye. Move with the live music as you follow the flow of the crowd from delight to delight. Join the fun every Friday night from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (except July 4, when the holiday street festival takes over).
Looking for a way to center yourself? Labyrinths, an ancient form of earthworks built by prehistoric peoples and 11th century monks, may hold the key.
All Happy Now at Humboldt Botanical Garden (7707 Tompkins Rd, Eureka, 707-442-5139) was created by Peter Santino as an artistic merger of the labyrinth, ziggurat and Fermat’s parabolic spiral. Channel your ancestors as you mediate and stroll your way around this fabulous landscaped coil. There is a $10 charge to enter the gardens. Take in their beauty while you are there.
The Lost Coast Labyrinth (1025 Upper Pacific Drive, Shelter Cove) is nestled in tall trees encouraging visitors to enter its quiet circle. This earthwork was created by the Shelter Cove Arts and Recreation Foundation in 2024, and is dedicated to Karin Dunphy who planted the project’s seed.
Look to the Southern Humboldt Community Park (1144 Sprowel Creek Road, Garberville) for your next labyrinth adventure. Teacher Gillian Brown designed the earthwork as she completed her master’s thesis on labyrinths and completed it in 2008 with the help of Kay Christian. Wind around the spiral as you unwind your mind.
For a more medieval take on the labyrinth, visit the small memorial garden alongside St. Alban’s Church (1675 Chester Ave., Arcata). This is not a walking labyrinth, but one to trace with your finger. The colored mosaic is located in front of a wooden bench, a lovely corner of Humboldt in which to contemplate your world.
This article appears in Humboldt Insider Spring/Summer 2025.