Where to find California’s most gorgeous, loneliest beaches

For many in the Bay Area, Humboldt County is that far north part of California, a place known for redwoods, a now-legal cannabis industry and a historical embrace of adventurers and iconoclasts.

But the county also is home to some of the most gorgeous beaches in the state. More than 100 of California’s 840 miles of coastline run through Humboldt County, from the rugged shoreline of Redwood National Park to the isolated shores of the Lost Coast.

The county’s most accessible beaches, to the south and north of Humboldt Bay, rival some of Southern California’s most famous for offering miles and miles of broad, white sand, all set against the backdrop of mountains and forests. Some Humboldt beaches feature nationally recognized sand dunes, while still others feel like hidden gems, located in coves at the bottom of steep paths and nestled between cliffs and crashing waves.

What adds to the beauty of Humboldt County beaches is that they are, well, lonely, but in the best way possible. Depending on the day or season, you might easily find yourself enjoying an entire beach to yourself, with all the solitude and beauty that comes with so much uninterrupted nature.

Humboldt County is far enough away – a six-hour drive from the Bay Area up winding and sometime two-lane Highway 101 – that it doesn’t get the crowds of Mendocino or Monterey.  With a population of 135,000, the county also is one of the least densely populated in the state, despite the existence of two bustling towns: Eureka, the one-time “timber capital of California” and the largest coastal town between San Francisco and Portland; and Arcata, the hippie-chic home of Cal Poly Humboldt 

Beaches in Humboldt don’t necessarily draw crowds because the Pacific Ocean here comes with advisories about frigid temperatures, rough surf and sneaker waves. Summer days in Humboldt also tend to mean fog and wind near the ocean, so local families head to inland beaches along the Eel, Mad or Trinity rivers if they want sun, heat and water fun.

That leaves the many beaches along Humboldt’s coast wide open for people who don’t mind bundling up a bit. Surfers have their favorites, of course, and everyone else can still enjoy picnics, beach walks, horseback rides or simply gather with friends for summer bonfires.

If you’re planning a picnic, you’ll find great snacks and sandwiches at the Wildplatter Cafe in the Wildberries Marketplace in Arcata, Los Bagels in both Arcata and Eureka, and Ramone’s Bakery and Cafe in Eureka, Arcata and McKinleyville.

Here are nine Humboldt beaches worth checking out.

Gold Bluffs Beach

This may not be the most remote beach in Humboldt County, but it’s close. It’s a 10-mile drive along a narrow, unpaved road to reach Gold Bluffs Beach, which is part of Redwood National Park and Prairie Creek State Park, just north of the tiny, ramshackle town of Orrick. The beach is nestled against bluffs, and the sand seems to stretch on forever. You’ll likely share the landscape with a herd of wild Roosevelt elk that like to graze in meadows near the beach campground.

The beach road also leads to the trailhead for the famous Fern Canyon. This narrow gorge, lined with living-walllike displays of ferns and mosses, is a World Heritage Site and became known to movie lovers in Steven Spielberg’s “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.” From May 15 to September 15, the park limits the number of visitors to protect this canyon’s natural resources, which means day-use reservations also are needed to visit Gold Bluffs Beach. Learn more at https://redwoodparksconservancy.org/.

Humboldt Lagoons

Some 35 miles north of Eureka, Humboldt Lagoons State Park and Big Lagoon County Park serve three enchanting bodies of water that hug close to the ocean and constitute the country’s largest lagoon system. Each lagoon offers its own landscape of forest, marsh, prairie, coastal scrub and dunes. There’s also a fourth lagoon, but as its name implies – Dry Lagoon – it was drained by early farmers to the area.

There are several long, sandy beaches tumbling down into the Pacific nearby, but people are discouraged from swimming here. The lagoons, on the other hand, offer plenty of opportunities for water play, including kayaking, sailing and windsurfing. The shallow areas of Big Lagoon are popular swimming spots, particularly near the boat ramp in the county park.

Agate Beach, Sue-meg State Park

This long, narrow beach stretches north from the dramatic, lushly forested promontory that makes up Sue-meg State Park, north of Trinidad. Agate Beach was named for the abundance of semi-precious stones found here by the original Native American residents who used it in their traditional jewelry. A steep, twisty hike from the park’s Agate Beach campground takes you down to the beach.

Trinidad State Beach

This beach runs along the western shore of this picturesque oceanside village, starting just north of Trinidad Head, a rocky promontory that shelters Trinidad Harbor and offers 360-degree coastal views along a 1.3-mile trail loop. You can reach the south end of the beach from the Trinidad Head parking lot, just off Lighthouse Road. Or you can go to the park’s Elk Head parking lot, off Stagecoach Road, which offers trails down to College Cove, the northernmost section of the beach. Both ends of the beach offer up-close views of dramatic sea stacks and crashing waves, with rocky Pewetole Island in the distance.

Moonstone Beach, Trinidad

This especially picturesque destination often tops local lists because it offers something for everyone. Surfers love it, as do couples exchanging wedding vows and Humboldt State students cutting loose. Moonstone County Beach lies just north of the mouth of the Little River, where the current is slow and shallow enough that parents feel OK letting their kids splash there on warm days. The beach has tide pools and sea caves, too. The popular, bluff-top Moonstone Grill, a local favorite for special occasions, overlooks the beach and serves classic seafood and steak dinners Monday through Saturday.

Little River State Beach and Clam Beach County Park

Little River State Beach and Clam Beach County Park are part of the same long, open expanse of sand and dunes that are visible as you travel north on 101 between Arcata and Trinidad. These are favorite destinations for dog-walking, beach-combing, kite-flying and even horseback riding. Clam Beach also is one of the few beaches were people can camp on the beach. And the parking lot offers access to the popular Hammond Trail, a 5.5-mile multi-use path that hugs the coast as it climbs. From the top of the bluff, you can see the Mad River meandering towards the ocean, past dunes that in June were populated by sleeping sea lions. The trail continues south through residential neighborhoods and farmlands west of the town of McKinleyville and ends at the scenic Mad River Hammond Bridge.

Ma-le’l Dunes

Just a few miles west of Arcata, you’ll find the West Coast’s most pristine dune system. In 2021, the Interior Department designated Ma-le’l Dunes as a national natural landmark. This Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service landscape once provided all the plant and animal life and other natural resources needed to sustain the Wiyot people. Visitors can follow trails along a slough and salt marshes or climb over massive dunes to the beach, all the while watching in real time the forces of the ocean and wind shape the sand into ever-shifting configurations.

Centerville Beach, Ferndale

This long, sandy beach extends for miles from the Lost Coast Headlands to the mouth of the Eel River. The added treat of visiting this beach is that it passes through Ferndale, the storybook Victorian village. Centerville Road takes visitors through scenic farmland before heading — seemingly — straight out on the beach. Look for the giant white cross rising from the sand beneath sandstone cliffs. This monument commemorates 17 passengers and 21 crew members who died in 1860, after their steamer ship, the Northerner, struck a rock near Cape Mendocino and wrecked near the beach.

Black Sands Beach, Lost Coast

As the name suggests, this beach is famous for its black sand, which provides a stunning contrast to the slate blue of the ocean and the grassy headlands of the Lost Coast, one of the country’s least developed coastal areas. The mountains along the Lost Coast were supposedly so steep and geo-technically challenging, it wasn’t practical to extend Highway 1 through here. The only way in and out is via the narrow, pothole-pocked and sometimes unpaved Mattole Road. It’s an incredibly scenic drive to Black Sand Beach, but allow at least two hours, expect to have no cell phone service for much of the journey and check road conditions before you leave.