Humboldt Bay Trail connected

Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge and more

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The Humboldt Bay Trail is meant to be one continuous trail connecting the local communities with a multiuse path. For years there has been the "Bay Trail North" and "Bay Trail South", but now, finally, it is all one trail! This connection was meant to be completed last November, but the contractor (who is of the area and knows the weather) miscalculated and didn't get the paving in before the rains softened everything too much for the heavy equipment. So we waited very impatiently for this last four mile stretch between Arcata and Eureka to finally be completed. It's more than a decade in planning and haggling and work. As of the last Saturday of June, it is officially open. I joined the Volunteer Trail Stewards cleaning up the "north" section from Arcata Marsh to No Longer Two Rocks on that day, but decided to hold off actually walking it until it was a little less busy. It looked like people had bought bikes and scooters and roller skates and weird powered things just to be out there on that Saturday. Okay, the folks on roller skates hadn't just got them. It was just a bit much that day and I turned around at Bracut. What I'm really looking forward to on this trail is the section at the old mill where the trail diverges from the old railroad bed of the Great Redwood Trail to follow the outside edge by the bay. I started at Arcata Marsh near the Interpretive Center, so that would be a while off still.

A middling tide level at Arcata Marsh, the Interpretive Center at the far right.

It's a short gravel connecting path to arrive at the paved multiuse trail. I turned south soon passing the signed trail to the "Ox Pond" (Oxidation Ponds, which come in South and North flavors) which I've never quite wandered onto. Not today, either, because there was much to cover.

Looking south on the Humboldt Bay Trail as it passes the oxidation ponds.

There's still a little while before getting to the new trail. Most coming to see it start at the south end where you can be on it in a few hundred feet instead of just over a mile. I have to drive past the north end to get to the south end and that just seems like a waste of gas.

Benches along the way, looking out over a random bit of Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge and then Humboldt Bay all the way to the peninsula.

Samoa Bridge making its hops across Humboldt Bay in the distance.

The remaining flow in an area covered at high tide.

The old mill site with a cloudy Kneeland far beyond.

Trail follows the bay at a distance until that curve brings it next to the highway. There's three older bridges along the way to the new section, each with a parallel old railroad bridge. These are all metal and can be loud on the crossing. They also get a bit slick in the rain.

Canada geese taking off with a backdrop of Eureka.

The old railroad bridge beside one of the multiuse trail bridges.

The Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge is sometimes signed, and when it is that includes a warning against entry.

Most of the way, the highway is right there.

Still the bay edge presents interest.

Arriving at what was formerly known as Two Rocks because two rocks sat at the abrupt end of the path, there is now fresh black paving. The old sign that directed all users onto the side of the highway has been cut off and adorned with a brand new California Coastal Trail marker. The little connector path has been removed as well. No one would want to use it. The paint had gone on since I last saw it and there's still some other little additions going in.

No longer Two Rocks, just wonderful trail continuing on.

The only remaining piece of routing people onto the side of the highway now proudly proclaims there is one less hole in the California Coastal Trail.

I couldn't help but notice that they've gone with a bridge with an asphalt surface this time around. There was no bridge here before and the rails with a few of the ties dangling from old nails have been cut off.

No more rails stretching across a long gone bridge.

It's not that much further to Bracut, where I turned around on opening day. The action was witnessed by at least 20 people. Today there would have just been the cars although there were still frequent users passing.

Arriving at Bracut. Bread and landscaping are for sale here.

A little care crossing the entry to the Bracut area and then off to more wild and free trail. Perhaps tame and solidified is more accurate.

The sign that went up and told us all there really would be a trail here soon. The finish year has been edited.

We must be crossing where the bay would usually have long fingers sticking out into the flats.

Humboldt bay south of Bracut.

Long fingers pointing at the far off marine layer.

I guess we had to keep the billboards, even having to swerve for one.

Approaching the old mill where the trail diverges from the railroad grade. Here the tracks were removed. (Apparently this was a mistake.)

I was quite tired of listening to the highway by the time I got to the diversion around the old mill. It's clear others continue along the tracks for their own purposes. This is the bit I was looking forward to, so I wouldn't be doing that.

The railroad continues, passing the remaining eucalyptus trees. These were removed from beside the trail for safety.

The longest bridge of the new path launches the trail over an inlet to the hardened edge around the old mill.

Buildings that seem big enough for airplane hangers are on display from the trail.

An abandoned rail car to go with the abandoned engines by the marina.

We are determinedly fenced off from the site, but the bay is free. This section comes with a hill! It must climb almost 10 feet! It's probably more than half the overall climb on this trail.

The northern view back the way I came.

More of the old mill buildings.

A climb! Can you see it?

We get benches and interpretive signs along this section of trail.

A song sparrow sings.

Coming around again with Murray Field (the airport) beyond the highway.

Sea gulls collecting food the way they're meant to.

Another bridge put me alongside the highway once more. Noisy highway. This end is a lot shorter as it follows near the edge of the cars. The mix of land and sea nearby is again Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge and probably some state wildlife area too.

Bridge back to the zooming car area.

The shore birds take flight.

The bay edge retreats away from the highway before the trail, but both get there.

Curving land and bay edge.

The tracks are not in good shape here.

A long-billed curlew looks on from fairly close.

Approaching the last bridge. I've been here before and was really wondering what would become of this bridge.

The highway crosses Eureka Slough over there on its pair of bridges.

The bridge does look a little different now. Much has been cleaned up and changed around. It has railings and paint and a continuous surface to walk on now.

Ultimately, the bridge was most interesting as a support for bird watching. The edges of Eureka Slough were covered with hungry critters working the mud.

Western sandpippers.

All the little spots out there on the shallow flats and along the grassy edge are birds of one sort or another.

Past the end of the bridge, things become very familiar again. There was some work on the junction. Off in the distance, I could see the dilapidated building of the Blue Ox Mill is no longer a building. I didn't get far past the junction, so didn't go have a good look at it.

The rubble pile at the Blue Ox Mill should be easy to see from the next bridge.

The end of the new section as it pops into the Eureka Waterfront Trail.

Back across the bridge now painted in rainbows. The bit between the uprights used to be able to rise.

The highway bridges are also made with these moveable sections. No tall boats go through here anymore.

And now got to go all the way back again, past the various buildings at the old mill and Bracut showing in white.

The tide had gone out, which I at first noticed by how far out the wading birds were wading. The particularly tall birds were spots in the far distance.

Those wading birds, including two egrets that seem halfway out.

Then there's the artifacts of old supports uncovered by the retreating water.

Back around the old mill.

The mud extends further and further, leaving all sorts of puddles.

An old fence line?

A great egret passes on its tall stilts.

But uncomfortable, it takes flight.

It's strange to see striped shore crabs running around the the weeds.

Back at the cut off rails where now the channel of the outflow is visible. Polarizing filter, that could be useful.

The flat walking was giving me back pains by the time I got back to the old trail. It is way way too flat. And 2 of 4 skateboards seen were powered anyway. Half of everyone wants powered travel these days. Surely there can be little hills.

Another channel emptied by the tides.

Back to the marsh, I could at least get off the paving.

This California quail couldn't find the way through at the bottom while the tiny babies and a mama streamed through.

And so I returned a bit unhappy at all the flat. Was the little bit of interest really worth all that flat to get to it? Well, walking beside the bay is often interesting more than just if it is a brief excursion from the noisy cars on the highway. I only saw a few other walkers, but lots of people on rolling things. It's certainly worth something. But ow.

*photo album*




©2025 Valerie Norton
Written 29 Sep 2025