The California Getaway With The Tallest Trees On Earth, Oysters And So Much Awe

I’ve been intrigued by nan Northern California area of Humboldt County ever since nan 4th grade. That’s erstwhile my coach told america nan communicative of nan Gold Rush municipality of Eureka: In nan 1850s, erstwhile prospectors struck gold, they would outcry “Eureka!” which is Greek for “I person recovered it!” What a funny word, I thought.

My curiosity astir nan area later grew erstwhile I learned astir its logging renaissance — immense swaths of old-growth redwood forests were felled to make ships and build railroads, some of which were needed to carrier this valuable commodity to nan remainder of nan state and beyond. It wasn’t until 1918 pinch nan statement of nan Save nan Redwoods League that preservation efforts began to effort to halt nan accelerated depletion of nan old-growth forests, which, by that point, had dwindled down to betwixt 5% to 10%. From those efforts, Humboldt Redwoods State Park was established successful 1921, followed by nan statement of Redwoods National Park successful 1968. Today nan 4 parks that dress up Redwood National and State Parks screen astir 139,000 acres of onshore and protect astir half of nan world’s remaining old-growth redwood forests.

And it was nan lure of stepping beneath these giants that I, decades past that fourth-grade history lesson, yet decided to make my pilgrimage.

It took this agelong because, beloved reader, Redwood National and State Parks are not easy to get to from L.A.

By car, without accounting for postulation and breaks, it would beryllium astatine slightest a 12-hour travel on nan 101, done San Francisco, past vino state and bypassing Mendocino earlier you scope Humboldt County, wherever nan confederate extremity of nan parks begin. Realistically, it would return a fewer days and a mates of overnight stays on nan measurement to get there, which is good if you’re successful it for nan roadworthy trip; but if you’re for illustration maine and only person nan weekend, this leaves 1 option: flying into California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport, a.k.a. Arcata-Eureka Airport (ACV), nan only airdrome that services nan area. United has nonstop flights location from LAX. But Burbank Airport has Breeze Airways offering nonstop flights 3 times a week pinch prices arsenic debased arsenic $80 roundtrip.

When I landed astatine Arcata-Eureka Airport, it felt smaller than immoderate municipal airfields — and conscionable arsenic quiet. That calm group nan reside for nan remainder of nan weekend. I walked successful serene serenity betwixt trees truthful gangly and ancient they recalibrated my consciousness of time. I discovered that life successful Humboldt County, and neighboring Del Norte County adjacent nan Oregon border, moves astatine that aforesaid unhurried pace. The fog retreats slow successful nan morning. Night arrives gently, carried successful connected nan mist.

And I learned that Humboldt County — including nan cities of Eureka, Arcata and Ferdale — is afloat of treasures beyond its abundance of nan Earth’s tallest trees. Whether I was eating a greasy cheeseburger astatine a family-run diner that becomes nan societal halfway of municipality aft 9 p.m. aliases slurping oysters astatine a barroom that harvested them from its ain workplace conscionable offshore, it became clear that this spot is shaped by discovery, exploitation and preservation. What follows are hikes, sights and bites that should get you started for a play afloat of your ain “Eureka!” moments.