Visit Humboldt. Free guide.
Visit Humboldt. Free guide.
Kenneth Rayburn
Available for hire
Visiting Humboldt County?
Use this helpful and informative guide for exploring the beautiful redwood coast. From outdoor activities to local eats, this guide breaks down Eureka, all the way north to Big Lagoon and everything in between.
Included with this guide:
- Weather
- Directions
- Local news links
- 3 Day itinerary
- Where to stay
- Things to do
- Local eats
- Emergency info (just in case)
- Helpful info, links, and more.
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Directions
Humboldt County, part of the emerald triangle, is located 5 1/2 hours north of San Francisco CA, 1 1/2 hours south of the Oregon border, and 4 hours east of Mt Shasta. Due to this remoteness, this County is Dimond in the rough.
Listed below are the pros and cons of each airport nearby and info on getting there. Flying into Humboldt in the summer or spring is the best bet, as winter has very unpredictable weather. However, flying ANY airline in the winter poses its challenges.
The airports below are listed closest to the furthest from Humboldt County.
Option A: Humboldt, CA
California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport
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Located in Humboldt, this relic of a airport is usually great to fly into during clear summer weather. However, due to it being built by the United States Navy during World War II to test defogging systems. Flights tend to get cancelled, rescheduled and/or you just fly to Santa Rosa for a while till it clears up. This is about a 40-50min flight. Do not try to fly here with Avello during fog. It's a nightmare. Your best bet it to fly united during midday. If you have to fly Avello during winter just know there is a higher chance you are in for a long day of travel.
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Option B: Redding, CA
Redding Regional Airport
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Located 3 hours or 148 miles from Humboldt County. This airport is a little bit bigger and offers more amenities and flight options. Due to Redding having better weather than Humboldt. This is a great option for flying year round when you need consistency.
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Option C: Medford, OR
Rogue Valley International Medford Airport
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Located approximately 4 hours, 185 miles northeast from Eureka, CA. This airport surprisingly has some of the best weather nearby. It is smaller than Redding's airport, but bigger than Humboldt's. The biggest downside or upside is the long windy mountain drive south from Oregon into California. This airport also doesn't have much as far as amenities either.
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Option D: San Francisco, CA
San Francisco International Airport
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Located 6 hours, 350 miles from Arcata, CA. This is the largest international Airport near Humboldt County. Only airport nearby to fly internationally. Definitely has the cheapest tickets, however, is very hard to get a place to stay/park sometimes as it is a large city. Lastly, flights are a little iffy during the wintertime and early morning fog.
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Where to stay?
- Standard stays.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Arcata/Eureka-Airport Area, an IHG Hotel
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Closest hotel to Humboldt Airport and right next to the freeway. Not much around it, as it's in a business district. About 5 to 10 minutes from the closeset shopping area, McKinleyville, CA.
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Ramada by Wyndham Arcata
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Right off Hwy 101 this gated hotel is close to the only 24hr restaurant in Humboldt County.
Visit Toni's 24 dinner down the street for classic late night America food.
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Hampton Inn & Suites Arcata, CA
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Located across the street from Tony's 24-hour diner and down the street from Oriental buffet this is a great central location to the freeway, food and more.
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Best Western Plus Bayshore Inn
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If you're looking for a quick place to stay in eureka this is it. Located right across from Fort Humboldt Historic Park and the Bayshore mall. This is central location to virtually everything in Humboldt and is built using modern day Victorian architecture.
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Things to do.
- Hike the redwoods and/or explore local trails. Below are our top family friendly hikes.
Arcata Community Forest
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Filled with lots of trails big and small. This is one of the closest redwood forest hikes.
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Sequoia Park
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Located across from the zoo and has a duck pond. This park is family friendly for all.
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Hammond Coastal Trail
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5.5 asphalt and gravel trail that runs parallel to the mad river. Very easy walk due to almost no incline.
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Trinidad Head Trail
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2-mile loop starting with a 15% grade climb. Mostly paved with amazing views of the Eureka Bay and Trinidad Head. Easy-moderate hike.
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Avenue of the Giants
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Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
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Shopping
While Humboldt is not known for its shopping malls. Here's a list of some of our local favorite areas to shop and walk around.
Trinidad
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Arcata Plaza
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Gazebo/Old Town Eureka
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- Arts alive
First saturday of every month
6 pm to 9 pm - FREE admission!Live music and exhibition receptions.
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Food and Libations
From the only 24 dinner in Humboldt County to local must-haves and everything in between. I have listed a couple of different restaurants that vary by category. These change from time to time to keep it interesting. Enjoy.
~ Bars.
Slice Of Humboldt Pie
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The Bigfoot Taproom
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North of Fourth
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Classy and old-school bar with indoor/outdoor fire pit, live music and more.
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~ Local brew
Mad River Brewing Co
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Six Rivers Brewery
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Humboldt Distillery
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~ 24 Hour Dinners
Toni's 24 Hour Restaurant
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~ Good Eats
The Lighthouse Grill
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The Jerk Kitchen
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Emergency Information (just in case)
~ Medical
Mad River Community Hospital
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Providence St. Joseph Hospital Eureka
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~ Police
McKinleyville Station
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Humboldt County Sheriff's Office
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kenneth Rayburn
Available for hire
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