Rees Hughes shares some of his favorite hikes from his book, Hiking Humboldt Volume 2. This was recorded in a ZOOM Webinar during sheltering in place for COVID-19.
Continue ReadingZig Zag Trail
Prairie Creek Redwoods National and State Parks
This area of California contains some of the largest redwoods on Earth and holds extensive old-growth forests, protected as a national park in 1968. This particular walk, using the Zig Zag Trails and Prairie Creek Trail, is entirely in old growth. It offers an enigmatic temporal departure into a rare forest type. In addition to redwoods, other conifer specimens like Douglas-fir, western hemlock, and Sitka spruce are coupled with clandestine western redcedar and Port-Orford cedar—be sure to look carefully and learn your conifers well. Watch for grand firs that occur infrequently along the road, particularly at the south end of Elk Prairie.
Continue ReadingTrillium Falls Trail
Description: It is amazing that, just a stone’s throw from Arcata Redwood Company’s Mill B, these old-growth redwood groves would survive. Much of the credit must go to the efforts of the Save the Redwoods League. A number of the leaders and benefactors are memorialized on the plaques on this walk. This trail passes 10-foot Trillium Falls and spends more time in the forest before gradually dropping back toward the wetlands along Prairie Creek. These wetlands are one of the most dependable locations for viewing Roosevelt elk. As interpretative displays in the Elk Meadow Day Use Area illustrate, from 1948 until restoration in the 1990s this was the location of Arcata Redwood Company’s Mill B and its massive 8-acre asphalt-covered log deck.
Continue ReadingEureka Waterfront Trail
The route is now complete!
In mid-November 2019, the city of Eureka completed the Eureka Waterfront Trail by connecting a one-block section on 1st Street. This now allows bikers and walkers to hike from Tydd Street to Herrick Avenue — all on paved Trail!
Continue ReadingRees Hughes and Humboldt Trails
Learn about current and future opportunities with the Volunteer Trail Steward program and Humboldt Trails with this interview with Rees Hughes. For 10 years now Volunteer Trail Stewards have made it possible for the county and municipalities to expand our trail system. Maintenance and upkeep is always a concern, but volunteers have kept costs so low expansion is possible.
More opportunities available at Humboldt Trails.
2019 Humboldt County Trails Updates
Inland Mountains
Chris Valle-Riestra is an exceptional volunteer and trail steward–with a particular fondness for the Klamath Mountains. He has been spearheading trailwork in the Orleans Ranger District for many years and knows the trails well .
He has updated conditions of trails on the forest for fall 2019. Click through to the hiking descriptions and read his comments.
Continue ReadingBig Tree – Elk Prairie Loop
Prairie Creek Redwoods National and State Parks
The most extensive accessible trail system in Humboldt County is in the Elk Prairie/Big Tree areas of Prairie Creek Redwood State Park and Redwood National Park. This trail system offers many ways to mix and match the trails that network this area. Included in the route are magnificent old growth redwoods, picturesque Prairie Creek, the open grasslands of Elk Prairie, a nature trail, and miles of accessible trail.
Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park
Hiking and wildflower adventures
Description: Located on a bend in the Van Duzen River, Owen R. Cheatham Grove is a majestic patch of old growth redwoods spared by the founder of what would become the Georgia-Pacific Plywood and Lumber Company. The short hike loops through the grove. From the west side of the parking area two trails lead across the riverbed to the Van Duzen River. Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park offers a small network of trails on the north and south side of the Van Duzen River. A summer bridge crosses the Van Duzen to 1.5 miles of additional trails on the south side. The north side trails include a nature trail with interpretive signs, a meandering walk up and down the hillside east of Grizzly Creek, and a stretch of trail west of Grizzly Creek.
Winter Hiking and Wild Plants
Hiking Humboldt and Del Norte counties in the winter
Astounding diversity of terrestrial cryptogams exists in the Klamath Mountains—represented by mosses, liverworts, lichen, ferns, and forest mushrooms. In northwestern North America, thousands of species of fungi are complimented by 900 mosses, 1500 lichens, 250 liverworts, and 100 ferns. Winter hiking offers a winder into the life of cryptogams. This is the time of year, after the first rains, that they spring into green. Moisture plays a key role in cryptogams reproduction.
This is the time of year to revel in the cryptogams because this diverse group needs water because they reproduce with spores.
Interested in more? Check out the Conifer Country blog.
Thanks to Cliff and KHUM for capturing this discussion on Happy Trails.
Other great winter trails
Potawot Health Village
The natural and intentional landscaping has matured into something quite special at the Potawot Health Village in Arcata, California. A sinuous series of wetlands have been created, native grasses and other plants reintroduced, and an extensive food garden and orchard established. While none of the trails are particularly long, they can be combined for a pleasant walk. By parking on Janes Road or in the Mad River Hospital parking lot and walking on the marked shoulder of the entrance parkway into Potawot the walk can be extended. A self-guided nature tour is available with numbered stops on the trails. Seating and a picnic table are spaced around the grounds.
Getting there: Drive 10 miles north on US 101 and take Exit 716B (Giuntoli exit), proceeding on Giuntoli Lane to the west (follow the roundabout to the third exit). The route passes over 101, rounds a traffic circle and continues on west, veering left (south) and becoming Janes Road. From the initial turn onto Giuntoli Lane to the signed entrance to Potawot is about one mile. Turn left into the entrance parkway for 0.3 mile to parking. Several access points to the trail complex exist south of the parking lot and entrance parkway.
Humboldt County Wildflower Hikes
Michael Kauffmann spoke with Cliff Berkowitz on KHUM’s Happy Trails about places to visit–starting now–to explore spectacular Humboldt County wildflower hikes. Flowers start flowering early because of the temperate nature of the region. This means that you can find wildflowers starting in January near the coast, all the way to June and July inland in our mountains.
Humboldt County wildflower hikes by flowers
January-February Bloomers
Fetid Adder’s Tongue (Scoliopus bigelovii)
- Russ Park in Ferndale
- Rohner Park in Fortuna
- Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park (Cheatham Grove)
Trillium (Trillium spp.)
March-April Bloomers
Orchids
- Lanphere and Ma-le’l Dunes
- Humboldt Redwoods State Park
- Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park (Cheatham Grove)
Lupines
- Bald Hills in Redwood National Park
May-June Bloomers
Visit the Klamath Mountains
Highlights from 2017
Welcome to a Brave New Year
Here are a few highlights from the world of Backcountry Press in 2017.
Happy Trails and other adventures in 2018 and thanks for your support.
Hiking Humboldt v2 Released
Rees Hughes and Jason Barnes teamed up to create an incredible guidebook to Humboldt County.
Wildflowers of the Trinity Alps Released
Ken DeCamp, Julie Kierstead Nelson and Julie Knorr teamed up on this ode to the Klamath Mountains.
Podcast with Ken DeCamp
The author of Wildflowers of the Trinity Alps discusses the history of the new book.
The Eclipse
On 8.21.2017 a once in a lifetime event occurred, witnessed herein on Oregon’s Ochoco National Forest.
Obi Kaufmann’s Favorite Books 2017
Wildflowers of the Trinity Alps makes Obi’s favorites list for the year, thanks Obi!
Mapping California’s Rarest Conifer
CNPS and Michael Kauffmann worked to map and inventory yellow-cedar in the Siskiyous.
10 Extraordinary But Little Known Humboldt County Walks
Thursday, October 12, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
HSU Library Fishbowl (2nd Floor of the HSU Library)
Ready to find your new favorite place to go for a walk?
Hear tales from the trail as Rees talks about Humboldt County walks and shares images to inspire (and inform!) your next hike. All walks featured appear in the book Hiking Humboldt Volume 2: 101 Shorter Day Hikes, Urban and Road Walks.
These include walking the 0.4 mile long Loleta Tunnel, exploring Lacks Creek and Schoolhouse Peak/Lyons Ranch, walking the Ft. Seward Road or the Dyerville Loop Road, finding fossils on the Centerville Beach to Fleener Creek Loop, and more.
This is a free event. Please be in touch with questions: hughes@humboldt.edu
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1. whittled stick
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Humboldt Made
One of our main goals here at Backcountry Press is to work with business partners as close to home as possible. With recent shifts in on demand printing, were able to print both Hiking Humboldt Volume 1 and Volume 2 on recycled paper right here in Eureka at Times Printing.
From their website:
Times Printing has a long and rich history in Humboldt County. A fourth generation, family owned and operated business, the company has enjoyed serving the region since 1854.
Before being renamed Times Printing in 1939, the company was known as the Times Publishing Company. Originally the print shop for the area’s first newspaper, the Humboldt Times, Times Publishing Company printed the newspaper and other jobs such as books, business cards and letterhead. In 1946 Arthur Smith bought Times Printing, thus cutting its ties to the Humboldt Times and becoming an independent company.
Thanks for supporting independent publishing printed in Eureka!
