Never made it to the Trinidad Head Lighthouse, but all of the glorious views from the hike up the Trinidad Head trail is enough for me to call this visit a success.
This was an impromptu hike that I ended up doing after hanging out at Trinidad State Beach. I kept seeing people walking up this paved trail behind the memorial lighthouse. Being the curious one that I am, I decided to follow behind. The trail starts right behind the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse (not to be confused with the Trinidad Head Lighthouse) and it's a short but brisk hike up Trinidad Head to the top. There's a beautiful viewpoint right at the beginning of the trail with a few benches that all face the beach. Here, you can also find a trail map with a few blurbs about the lighthouse and its' history.
There are two small trails that are only about a mile each in length. Both of them will loop you back to the start of the trailhead, but once you get to the cross, you're supposed to continue straight up the path to get to the lighthouse (if you that's your intention). Unfortunately, I didn't know of this until after I had hiked the loop. But no worries; the loop trail was a beautiful heart pumper that offered some amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and the Northern Coastline.
At the start of the trailhead, you can either go left up the paved path, or take a right up a dirt trail. The dirt trail looked to be more scenic and adventurous, so this was the one that I decided to hike. The entire first half is all uphill, but the higher you climb, the more rewarding the views become. You'll come to a few trail makers that say "spur" and these are secluded viewpoint with benches that you can sit on to relax and enjoy the view. There's one part of the trail where if feels like you're walking through a cave because the trees are all rounded off above your head. It's the neatest thing!
There are so many different plants and trees on Trinidad Head! Take your time and really enjoy the scenery if you can because it's truly gorgeous. The best view of the loop trail is right before you reach the cross. There's a "spur" where you're basically sitting on the edge of the ridge, and you can see straight down to the ocean. Super scenic and super peaceful! I bet the sunrises sunsets are marvelous up there!
I was only able to catch the beginning of the sunset while I was up there, but it was still a breathtaking view. I wish I could have brought a sandwich up there and just chilled. It's the perfect place to relax and to take in all that nature has blessed with us. This was such a great find in Trinidad and I would highly recommend it for the beautiful scenery read more