Grassy dunes and windswept beaches extend along the mile-wide, 10-mile long Samoa Peninsula, Humboldt Bay’s western boundary. At the peninsula’s south end, Samoa Dunes Recreation Area is good for picnicking, fishing and camping.
Samoa Dunes Recreation Area
North Coast & Redwoods
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
4.12 MILES
A 67-acre old-growth redwood grove is a surprising green gem in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It has biking and hiking trails, a children’s…
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
2.81 MILES
This pristine wildlife refuge protects wetland habitats for more than 200 species of resident birds and their feathered friends migrating annually along…
25.96 MILES
Coastal bluffs jut out to sea at this 640-acre state park, where sandy beaches abut rocky headlands. Easy access to dramatic coastline makes this is a…
Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary
9.8 MILES
On the shores of Humboldt Bay, this sanctuary has 5 miles of walking and biking trails, plus outstanding birding. The Redwood Region Audubon Society…
4.14 MILES
The best community historical museum on this stretch of the coast houses a set of typically musty relics – needlework hankies and paintings of the area’s…
10.84 MILES
The university on the northeastern side of town holds the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT), a world leader in developing sustainable…
4.56 MILES
Of Eureka’s fine Victorian buildings, the most famous is the ornate 1880s home of lumber baron William Carson. It took 100 men two years to build. Today…
10.35 MILES
This handsome 1915 building was designed by a well known San Francisco architect of the time, W H Weeks. Built as a hotel, the first guests were…
Nearby North Coast & Redwoods attractions
1. Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
2.81 MILES
This pristine wildlife refuge protects wetland habitats for more than 200 species of resident birds and their feathered friends migrating annually along…
3.85 MILES
Come see the fanciful, astounding, human-powered contraptions used in the annual Kinetic Grand Championship race from Arcata to Ferndale. Shaped like…
3. Morris Graves Museum of Art
4.06 MILES
Across Hwy 101, this hit-or-miss museum shows rotating Californian artists and hosts performances inside the 1904 Carnegie library, the state’s first…
4.12 MILES
A 67-acre old-growth redwood grove is a surprising green gem in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It has biking and hiking trails, a children’s…
4.14 MILES
The best community historical museum on this stretch of the coast houses a set of typically musty relics – needlework hankies and paintings of the area’s…
7. Romano Gabriel Wooden Sculpture Garden
4.14 MILES
The coolest thing to gawk at downtown is this collection of whimsical outsider art that’s enclosed by aging glass. For 30 years, wooden characters in…
4.56 MILES
Of Eureka’s fine Victorian buildings, the most famous is the ornate 1880s home of lumber baron William Carson. It took 100 men two years to build. Today…