This is an amazing beach in Trinidad. It is dog friendly so you can bring your four legged friends…read morehere as well. You will see dogs running around and having the time of their lives The parking area can fill up at certain times of the year (the busier season), although usually has room for everyone. It's a very short walk from the parking lot to the beach. It's better to come during low tide. It has beautiful views and is very peaceful. Moonstone Grill, a restaurant just up the hill, opens for dinner. They have amazing food and incredible sunset views overlooking the ocean!

Turn in here... I see a beach!…read more On our way to a 4-day road trip at the Oregon Coast we made our first stop at Moonstone Beach. We estimated we'd reach our lodging destination at a certain time but we like to leave room for side trips we stumble upon along the way (like this one). Moonstone Beach is not too far from Clam Beach. We've been to this part of the state before when we went on a tour of the Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City. The parking area is not a long walk from the beach -whew- and it was low tide at the time so it was nice. We walked all the way to the north end of the beach to the cave. Few people in November, some walked the beach, many brought their dogs to play and run around. There was some rock climbing going on too. Beautiful beach in Humboldt County! The tide was starting to come in as we were leaving... Moonstone Grill, a restaurant just up the hill you'll see before heading down to the beach, opened at 4:30p daily for dinner. We arrived at the beach at 1:00p so we weren't able to try. Review #3241

My son brought us here since it's one of the places the college kids hang out at…read moreThere was a small lot which led to a gorgeous trail covered in trees When we emerge from the trees, it was the ocean with the most insane view ever It's a walk, not a hike so very easy I could see why the kids like to hang out here When we went, it was mostly families, but I imagine it changes later in the day Definitely check this place out. It was gorgeous. A completely different view of the previous hike I had done in Trinidad

We go up to Eureka about once a month, especially in the summer, and are always trying to find new…read moreplaces to explore. Everyone kept saying that Trinidad has some very nice scenic beaches to explore. So we did an eeny meeny miney more and ended up picking College Cove. People definitely were not lying about the steep downhill trek to get to the beach. Some parts at least had stairs, others I pretty much had to crab crawl down to avoid slipping and falling. However as said it is definitely doable, just a bit of a pain. Once you reach the beach you stand in awe and amazement at all of the rock formations. We went on a Wednesday morning around 11 a.m. and there were other people there as well. By the time we decided to head out an hour later there were more and more people showing up. It's no fun BTW trying to stand to the side on your trek back up while people are trying to come down at the same time. There were a ton of starfish on the far left of the beach. Not much for seashell finding or small beach rocks. The beach was pretty clean, nice to not see litter on the beach like some other beaches. It's not that terribly big of a beach either, my guess is it's likely more quiet earlier in the morning vs mid morning and afternoon. With so many different beaches in Humboldt, there really is no need to go back to this one. Despite the beautiful rock formations (which you can find at a lot of northern west coast beaches), and the starfish, I feel what you get for the trek down isn't all that worth it.

The Azalea State Natural Reserve is an area protecting Azalea plant species…read more.. From their web site: "A reserve for western azalea (Rhododendron occidentale). Each spring, a profusion of pink and white blossoms scents the air. There is a picnic area available. Plan to visit in April and May when azaleas are in bloom." http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=420 So you want to plan your visit in the April/May time frame - if you want to have a chance of experiencing the Azaleas when they are in bloom. Other times, of the year, it's a nice, peaceful place for a hike! #AzaleaStateNaturalReserve

This small state reserve in northern Humboldt county, off the 101, just below McKinleyville. Off…read moreNorth Bank Road, just about a mile or so down on the left hand side(north) of the blacktop. Is one of the top flower watching destinations in California. This state maintained reserve is loaded with western azaleas, and in the springtime it becomes alive with color and fragrance. Because of the temperate climate, blooms can be found year around. Walking trails are literally covered with pink and white blossoms from late April to June (depending on the weather) and the scent of these beautiful trees flowers can be smelled from yards away, lofting through the air - you find yourself lost in a maze of trails with millions of blooms all around. This unassuming little park is really a very amazing place to walk, look, relax and enjoy nature. There are picnic areas, and a couple different maintained low to medium grade walking trails - also a paved parking area. There is also a trail that crosses the roadway and leads into the far side of this cool place. The reserve is open from sunrise to sunset, year around. There are no dogs allowed in this fragile natural reserve, so please leave your fur friend at home or in the car. This natural state reserve, is one of the best places for blooms in the springtime in the entire state - and well worth the effort. A true 5 star gem on the north coast. 00154

So. Many. SAND DOLLARS!! It's mind blowing - every few feet there's another one, and another one,…read moreand another one!! And this is probably the first California beach I've ever had all to myself! I think I saw 1-2 other people and that was it...fantastic!! I visited in March as part of my Redwoods trip...it's easy to get to along the Redwoods Coast - highly recommend if you're in the area. It was cloudy, cold, and windy - but that made it even more gorgeous! Very cozy...I loved it! The colors were dramatic and waves were angry - such a mood!! To get to the beach, you have to walk over a stretch of sand dunes dotted with clumps of beach grass. And then it's wide open beach after that. Lots of shorebirds, sand dollars, and shells to keep you occupied. There are looming mountains off in the distance. So photogenic! There's a small-ish parking lot (I didn't see any bathrooms) with a gate that indicates the entrance to the beach walk. Before you get to the parking lot, there's a yellow sort of gate area that they close at a certain time every evening - there are plenty of signs to tell you what time it closes and don't get caught behind it after hours or you'll have to call the cops and get towed! Apparently, down the other road to the right of the gate takes you to a boat ramp and horse staging area. Be sure to make a stop at the nearby Mad River Bridge too - you can miss it!! Totally worth it - especially since you're already in the area (see my bridge review - it has a cool history and views)!

This beach hold many memories of bon fire nights with friends along with star gazing nights…read more Beware this beach is open sunrise to sunset so make sure to park outside the fenced area if you want to stay after closing. Also be careful when waking in the areas where folks have bon fires by the beach, there are many sharp objects such as construction nails and such especially since people prefer to use wood pallets for bon fires. Back in the day there way no fenced area so it was fairly easy to stumble on rocks or sharp grass back to the car especially if a friend had too much to drink. Once in awhile you will see dark objects bobbing their heads in the water. Don't be too alarmed it might be a seal. I wasn't sure at first but I made sure to zoom in on my camera ;-)

Very relaxing and I felt my dog was very safe there. There was plenty of open space so dogs could…read morebe by themselves if they wanted to. We will return.

The best park in Mckinleyville! Lots of open space and green…read moregrass and good times! Close to everything.

Headwaters Forest Reserve is an amazing place and full of natural beauty! The Reserve is managed by…read morethe Bureau of Land Management in consultation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The trails are well maintained and there is a decent size parking lot. This Reserve protects 7,472 acres of old growth redwood groves, other forest stands, streams, and wildlife. This is an amazing place to go hiking at there is a Headwaters Education Center if you want to learn more about this area. There are different hikes you can take varying in length. Some of the trails are paved and some are unpaved. Dogs and bikes are allowed on some of the trails and not on others. The Elk River Trail is the longest trail and it is 11 miles roundtrip. This area is so peaceful and tranquil and loved that this area has been preserved so that everyone can enjoy it!

The land consistently gets trimmed and cared for…read more I have come here for doggie hikes, walks, forest runs and to admire the river/nature. Overall, the high review comes after the expansion of their parking lot. If you are familiar with this place you will know that it used to be a two-way entrance now it is a one-way. Careful when coming in because a car might be backing up or confused it is a one way! I highly appreciate that on the trail they consistently have signs to show you if you are allowed off trailing or not. It is helpful to see a map in case you are unsure how far you want to go in. Take into consideration the amount of miles going in and out. Usually my partner and I go up to the 2nd mile maker which is the bridge overlooking the river. And building up your tolerance from there.

Great place to spend the day on the beach, rock hunting, camping, or exploring trails!…read more Hands down one of my favorite places in northern California to spend a day on the beach. If you're looking for a dip in the ocean this is not the spot for you, as the waves are pretty big and can be dangerous. As for rock collecting are some beautiful jaspers, agates, jade, and others. There's also a lot of cool driftwood, although you're not supposed to collect it. This visit was the first time I explored some of the trails, which were super cool and worth it. Wedding rock is a must see! I'd love to stay in one of the small cabins or dry camp here one day, but for a small fee of I believe $8 you can spend the day here. I highly recommend it!

Sue-Meg State Park is located about 30 miles north of Eureka in the small town of Trinidad. You can…read morestroll through the forested area and also have stunning ocean views of the Pacific Ocean. If you are lucky, you may be able to see sea life. It's an excellent place to explore the natural beauty of this park! There are a lot of amazing beaches and parks in Trinidad and I would recommend putting this one on your list as well. This reviiew is only for visiiting this park, although you can camp here as well. The facilities like the bathrooms are kept clean and you can walk down to wedding rock for beautiful views!

Pretty cool trail. Tucked up in a community forest plenty of insects, birds, trees, and greenery :pread more

GREEN DIAMOND TRAIL Found this trail on YELP, located at the…read moreedge of town using their map. Started at an open gate onto a dirt road through a massive Redwood forest. This trail has no signage...so a gps mind is helpful. I used the go out, out and out and find a way back plan. Lots of crisscrossing dirt roads, found some new, hard to follow, barely there single tracks, dead-ends, a small jump park and some super fun but short runs. Unfortunately it was muddy and I should actually have stayed off some of them but I was in a controlled state of lost. It was late afternoon and you would get into these shoots/gullies that got dark fast so I made a premature turn back on a brutal up hill. My STRAVA map gives me a much better look at the layout now. It's a new trail system with potential for growth. There is a small trash problem that has the neighborhood on edge...so pack it out! Skill level- medium , fun level- high. .

We drove here per a recommendation from someone we talked to where we were camping. We hadn't been…read morehere before and it really was worth checking out! Gorgeous big trees and the information center was awesome as well. Something for everyone visiting here and I did a lot of walking and forest bathing. We visited the "Big Tree".

If you stay in the meadow you will be able to see the elk. These images were taken around 4:30pm…read more We visited the big tree trail and no elk were seen ~11am. Yesterday we drove by the meadow ~ 7:30pm and there were plenty of elk on meadow; however we didn't decide to stop because we knew we were coming back the following day. So seems like the best time to get up close and get amazing shots of the elks would be late afternoon to early evening between the hours of 4pm-8pm; as they are grazing the meadow for dinner.