Page 99 - 2024/2025 Travel Guide to CALIFORNIA

DRIVE-THRU TREE PARK, Leggett, right; Battery Point Lighthouse, Crescent City, top; Scenic Northern California Redwood Highway, opposite.
INSIDER’S TIP
Once a seedy skid row, EUREKA’S WATERFRONT has been transformed into the city’s liveliest and most inviting district, with Victorian storefronts housing restaurants, galleries, shops and museums, all crowned by the iconic CARSON MANSION, a masterpiece of over-the-top Victorian opulence. visiteureka.com
The sounds of chainsaws and buzzing sawmills that once dominated the North Coast are rapidly fading as the lumber industry winds down. In former mill towns such as Fort Bragg, tourism is replacing timber as innovative galleries, restaurants and brew-pubs spring to life.
Although it’s sometimes called the Redwood Empire, the North Coast is more than just tall trees: It’s also salmon- fishing boats bobbing in tiny harbors; Roosevelt elk bugling across misty meadows; steam trains chuffing through a damp and dripping forest; hole-in-the- wall restaurants serving fish smoked according to traditional Native American
MUST
SEE,
DO
• FOREST TRACKS Built in 1885 to haul redwood logs from the tangled backcountry to coastal sawmills, the iconic Skunk Train now carries passengers on two different runs. The Pudding Creek Express, starting at Fort Bragg, runs year- round along the Pudding Creek Estuary and the Wolf Tree Turn runs from Willits to the majestic Wolf Tree, seasonally. And don’t worry. The train’s name derives from an original, stinky gasoline engine that long ago was consigned to the junkyard.
• skunktrain.com
• BOULEVARD OF BIG TREES The Avenue of the Giants is a 31-mile detour from Highway 101 that weaves in and out of lofty, old-growth redwood trees like a slalom course. The route takes you through the heart of Humboldt Redwoods State Park, one of the best places along the North Coast to gaze up in awe. Sunnier and drier than redwood parks farther to the north, it’s less tangled with undergrowth, making it easier to wander and wonder.
• avenueofthegiants.net
• COMMUNITY FOREST Arcata, with a town square lined with a mixture of hippie-chic boutiques, eclectic restaurants and old-time lumberjack bars, is home to Humboldt State University. Spend some time wandering its community forest and the innovative wastewater treatment facility that has become a thriving sanctuary for migratory birds.
• cityofarcata.org
• SEA AND SKY COUNTRY A full five sensory experience is guaranteed as you stare out at the sea in Mendocino Headlands State Park. Undeveloped bluffs along a rugged coastline, this secluded perch is timeless. Go for the scenic coastal hiking trails, views and cast your gaze on the lush meadows dotted with wildflowers in spring.
• parks.ca.gov
• VICTORIAN HAMLET Gaily painted Victorian mansions line the streets of Ferndale, an idyllic hamlet on the Eel River delta in southern Humboldt County. Lovingly preserved, they give the town a turn-of-the-last-century look that has proven irresistible to Hollywood. More than a dozen movies have been filmed here. Main Street’s shops keep the Victorian theme going, with old-fashioned mercantiles and even a blacksmith shop. Cradled between two redwood forests, the entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• visitferndale.com
2024-25 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 97
KRIS WIKTOR/SHUTTERSTOCK; EVENFH/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: VIRRAGE IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK