From the South

When traveling from the South (San Francisco, Santa Rosa), good gas stops prior to Humboldt are the Ukiah Costco and the Coyote Valley Casino (just north of Ukiah). Be sure to check out portions of Avenue of the Giants, a 31-mile parallel route that runs alongside Highway 101 between Phillipsville & Pepperwood. Our favorite stretch runs from Myers Flat to just past the Founders Tree. Be sure to check out the numerous stops with access to the Eel River.

From the North

When traveling from the North (Portland, Eugene, Medford), good gas stops include Seven Feathers Casino (Exit 99, OR), Grants Pass Fred Meyer, and (closer to home) Elk Valley Casino in Crescent City. A slight detour in Southern Oregon could bring you to the lovely town of Ashland, and a nice byway from there would would show you Jacksonville and the Applegate Valley. Highway 199 in Northern CA takes you alongside one of the West Coast's mosdt pristine and beautiful waterways, the Smith River. A good turnout to check out the Smith is Jedediah Smith Day Use Area. Further to the south, a wonderful route parallel to Hwy 101 is the Newton B. Drury Parkway which leads into the Elk Prairie Redwoods, a plethora of old growth trees and interesting trails. If time allows, be sure to take Davison Rd for 10 miles (gravel) in order to explore Fern Canyon, setting of such films as Jurassic Park and Star Wars. Be advised, your vehicle will need to ford a small stream.

Lodging

Lodging can be bit of a trick in Trinidad itself; there are more AirBnbs and VRBOs but they can be expensive.

One of the better options relatively nearby is probably the Holiday Inn Express near Redwood Coast Airport, though not really walkable to anywhere (except the regional airport).

There are a few hotels on the east side the Giuntoli exit in north Arcata, but some of the places are a bit sketchy. I’d probably just stay at Hampton Inn over there. There’s a Ramada across the freeway from Giuntoli which looks alright.

Finally, Hotel Arcata is quirky and kind of old school, located right on the plaza in downtown Arcata.