Humboldt County
Sourced from Wikivoyage. Text is available under the CC-by-SA 3.0 license.
Cities
- - Home of Humboldt State University
- - The Victorian Village
Understand
Humboldt County is the southern gateway to the Pacific Northwest. The county is bound on the north by Del Norte County, on the east by Siskiyou County and Trinity County, on the south by Mendocino County, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The county encompasses 2.3 million acres, 80 percent of which is forest lands, protected redwoods and recreation areas.
The southern part of the county includes Alton, Carlotta, Hydesville, Rio Dell and Scotia; the Avenue of the Giants communities; Garberville and Redway; the Eel, Mattole and Van Duzen River communities; Humboldt Redwoods, Richardson Grove and Grizzly Creek State Parks; and the King Range National Conservation Area.
The northern part of the county includes the City of Trinidad, Orick; Redwood National Park; Prairie Creek and Humboldt Lagoons State Parks; and several State Beaches.
The eastern part of the county includes Willow Creek, Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, Orleans, and a great deal of Six Rivers National Forest land.
The southern border of the county is north of San Francisco, the closest major metropolitan city.
The coastal towns are generally quite cool in climate, while just a few miles inland the fog and overcast are less prevalent. For example, Blue Lake could be quite sunny, while Arcata could be drizzly, or Fortuna warm and pleasant, while Ferndale is socked in. If after several days of mist you seek sun, it is possible at times to walk a few miles east to find it.
Get in
There are only 3 roads in. The county is linked by Coastal Highway 101 to the rest of California to the South and the Oregon Coast to the North. Highway 299 links the County to Interstate 5 to the east, offering access from Redding. Finally, California 36 provides access to Humboldt from Red Bluff through the Siskiyou Mountains. Route 36 is a particularly winding road that should be used with caution in the winter.
The Eureka/Arcata Airport is a regional airport 20 minutes north of Eureka. It is served by Horizon/Alaska and United and Delta Air Lines. The County airport in McKinleyville has daily flights to San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland and Seattle.
Do
Events
Humboldt County FairHeld annually since 1869, has a lot of country feel to it and a good time for the family.
Stay safe
Northwest California is the epicentre of the USA's marijuana growing industry, and there are many large operations hidden in the greenhouses and hills of Humboldt. Some of these operations are well-guarded (think attack dogs, snipers and automatic weapons), and while you are unlikely to stumble on one it is best to avoid anything that looks suspicious.
Cope
Listen
KSLGHumboldts New Rock - Tune into stream.
KHUMRadio Without the Rules - Tune into stream.
KHSUDiverse Public Radio - Tune into stream.
KMUDRedwood Community Radio - Tune into stream.