A 67-acre old-growth redwood grove is a surprising green getaway in the middle of residential Eureka. It  has biking and hiking trails, a children’s playground and picnic areas, creeks and duck pond and a small  fun-sized zoo that opened in 1907. The oldest accredited zoo in California houses red pandas, river  otters, a barnyard petting area, and a walk-in aviary with exotic birds. 

The most popular attraction is the Redwood Sky Walk, an instant hit following its 2021 debut. Soar as  high as 100 feet above the forest floor on the elevated trail. While the world’s tallest trees can feel  remote in their incomprehensible heights from ground level, the Sky Walk brings humans closer to the  mighty trunks for unrivaled views of the forest. The entire quarter mile route is wheelchair-accessible  too, save for the “adventure leg,” a narrow segment with open mesh decking that offers oohs and aahs  with a back and forth sway. Humboldt residents can take advantage of a modest price discount. Tickets  include admission to the Sequoia Park Zoo.

Visit the biggest of all Humboldt dunes, a sprawling, 1 million-cubic-yard sand mountain barely  contained by the Ma-le’l Dunes Cooperative Management Area. Jointly supervised by the Bureau of  Land Management and the Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge, this federal preserve features rare coastal 

plants and animals, a spooky skeleton forest and, once one trudges to the top of said dune, panoramic  views of ocean, bay and inland mountains. Look for beach strawberries, sea rocket plants and rare  Humboldt Bay wallflowers, or crisscrossing tracks left at night by foxes, skunks and raccoons. The  southern unit, which permits horses and dogs, is open daily. The northern unit, which offers more direct  access to the monster dune, is open weekends.

While inside Redwood National Park, most of Bald Hills Road resembles anything but a primeval forest.  Rather than foggy groves, the area is dominated by sunny prairies, with occasional clumps of oaks, once  grazed by sheep and cattle. The grassy hillsides, with panoramic views of the redwood groves below in  the Redwood Creek valley, offer perfect places to picnic, especially in the spring when wildflowers like  purple lupines pop up everywhere. To start, from U.S. Highway 101 just north of Orick, turn east on Bald  Hills Road, pass the signs for the Lady Bird Johnson and Tall Trees groves, and ascend into what looks  like a scene from The Sound of Music. Three suggested lunch stops: Dolason Prairie, which includes a 9- mile trail for the ambitious; Schoolhouse Peak, which at 3,097 feet is the highest point in the park; and  the old Lyons Ranch, whose original barn and bunkhouses are intact and worth exploring. The barn is  11.5 miles from U.S. Highway 101. The bunkhouses, which require a few miles of unpaved road, are just  shy of 18 miles from the highway. Bonus tip: Keep an eye out for rare California condors, which are  periodically released into the wild from a sanctuary in the Bald Hills. 

As arboreal hunters search the depths of Redwood National and State Parks for giant trees, hidden in  plain sight is one of the most photogenic champions: the so-called Picnic Tree, an old growth monster  near the campground of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It’s been featured in travel magazines and  websites, but few who pass notice it on the edge of a cozy picnic spot, steps from the Prairie Creek  Visitor Center. This massive vertical spire has sprawling roots flaring around its base like the foot of a  mastodon, shading a moss covered stone grill that adds to its prehistoric charm. Should you eat here  among the Giants, there are plenty of picnic tables, and you can work off the meal with a stroll on the  Revelation Trail—an easy, wheelchair-friendly mile that showcases more monster trees. 

Lacks Creek is a recreational hidden treasure and offers a wide range of outdoor activities. Ride a horse  or bike along the multi-use trails, or find your own secluded campsite with a view. Lacks Creek is located  in Humboldt’s northern Coast Range, about 15 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and 20 miles  northeast of Eureka. The area includes 9,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management public lands, 7,000  acres of which are within the Lacks Creek watershed. The management area is surrounded by large  private land timber holdings, and the region contains some of the most productive and intensively  managed commercial forest lands in the United States. The immediate surroundings are sparsely  populated with scattered ranches in adjacent Redwood Valley. For directions, drive east on Highway 299 for 18 miles from Highway 101. Turn left at the Redwood Valley turnoff (Bair Road) and travel 4 miles.  Make a right turn at the sign that reads “Hoopa – 22 miles”, and travel 6 miles up this windy gravel road.  The entrance is a left turn. 

Trinity River Farm, located in the mountains of eastern Humboldt County near the small town of Willow  Creek, is a family-run business that grows great-tasting fruits and vegetables. The owners of the farm,  the O’Gormans, keep their roadside store open from April 1st until the end of October. Along with their  produce, they sell bedding plants and many local jams, jellies and sauces. Farmer Tom O’Gorman has  created a beautifully landscaped spot and he encourages visitors to walk freely around and picnic. Tom  is particularly proud of the wide variety of trees that he has grown over the years and welcomes anyone  interested to ask for a tour. 

Waste goes in and pride comes out in Arcata’s pioneering wastewater treatment plant, also known as the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, a 307-acre expanse with freshwater marshes, salt marsh, tidal sloughs, grassy uplands, mudflats, brackish marsh and 5 miles of walking and biking paths. Located at the north end of Humboldt Bay, the sanctuary is situated along the Pacific Flyway, a major migratory route for thousands of birds that breed in the far north and winter in California, Mexico and Central and South America. It has probably the most populated bird coastal site between Bodega Harbor and Washington, with literally thousands of birding visitors annually and organized bird walks held at least weekly on the year-round viewing deck. Start at the Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Center, which explains the low tech wonder and explores the many birds that reside there full or part time.

A popular hiking and cycling trail just north of Arcata showcases the varied landscapes of the Redwood Coast. Taking hikers and bikers across open fields, lush woodlands and a stunning beach, the Hammond Trail is simply amazing. The 5.5-mile segment of the California Coastal Trail is a multi-use trail that’s open for hiking, biking and horseback riding. It stretches north from the Arcata Bottoms up to Clam Beach County Park in McKinleyville. It starts at the Mad River pedestrian bridge, originally the site of a wooden covered bridge built in 1905. It was later replaced with steel and used as a railroad bridge up until 1961. The southern stretch of the trail provides panoramas of the ocean and Mad River. Keep an eye out for seals, sea otters, herons, ducks, cormorants and Aleutian geese.

After reaching the town of McKinleyville, the trail meanders through neighborhoods and Hiller Park. Beyond the park, the trail zips through a conifer forest and spectacular bluffs. There are picnic tables and benches situated along the path so you can rest and take in the view. Continuing north, you’ll descend onto a short, paved section that crosses Strawberry Creek. The trail ends with a nice walk in the sand at Clam Beach County Park.