Humboldt Lagoons is a 5.9 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Trinidad, California that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from June until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
camping
fishing
hiking
nature trips
paddle sports
walking
bird watching
beach
forest
lake
views
wild flowers
wildlife
muddy
off trail
Tucked away along the isolated coast of Del Norte County between the villages of Trinidad and Orick lies the largest lagoon system in the continental United States. The lagoons are shallow, landlocked bodies of water along the coast which are separated from the sea by coastal spits of land. Seawater only flows in and out of the lagoons when it breaks through the spits, generally during winter storm seasons. In the early 1900's, Dry Lagoon was drained by early farmers in an attempt to grow several types of crops, none of which proved economically viable. Today, Dry Lagoon supports a wetland environment that attracts migratory birds. Additionally, several dairy ranches were established along the shores of Stone Lagoon. At Stone Lagoon the park's visitor center on HWY 101 was formerly a local motel-restaurant called the "Little Red Hen." This business operated until 1979. Today the restaurant has been remodeled into a museum/bookstore and the park office. Picnic tables, restrooms, and boat launching are all available here. The coastal beaches within Humboldt Lagoons support healthy coastal dune vegetation. The edges of both Big and Stone lagoons contain brackish marshes; Dry Lagoon supports both freshwater and a brackish marsh. The landlocked Freshwater Lagoon is surrounded by a narrow strip of freshwater marshlands. In the park's forests are Coast Redwood, Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Fir, Red Alder and large stands of Willows. Humboldt Lagoons is part of the Pacific Flyway, hosting more than 200 bird species which include: bald eagles, peregrine falcons and threatened Western snowy plovers. Black bear, Roosevelt elk herds and bobcats can be seen throughout the park. Offshore, whales, dolphins and sea lions can be encountered. The lagoons are open for fishing and exploration by boat; primarily small power boats, canoes, kayaks, paddle-boards, and even shallow keeled sailboats.
the trail is very overgrown and not at all maintained. I hiked in about a half a mile before turning back.
Haley Uriz recorded Recording - May 23, 1:01 PM
Beautiful area, however the foliage on the trail needs to be cut back....I had to turn around. Perhaps I should try again during a different time of year.
Really glad this trail has finally been maintained as I’ve been wanting to do it since I moved here. Trail was in great condition minus some muddy patches which is pretty common for this season. I saw two other couples hiking it and lots of birds! I would definitely recommend taking the offshoot to the overlook- it was by far my favorite part of the hike. The path it a bit hard to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for but if you use the waypoints on the map it’s fairly easy.
The trail was clear when I did the hike, looked like someone recently came through and cleared the trail making it an easy hike. I highly recommend taking the side trail on your map halfway through the hike.
Nikki Davoodi recorded Dry Lagoon
It was recently cleared. Very pleasant hike
Rando entre stone lagoon et big lagoon, le chemin n’avait pas été dégagé entièrement et certaines portions étaient couvertes de végétation, rendant l’avancée difficile. Il propose peu de points de vue sur les lagons pendant la marche
This would be a great trail if it weren’t overgrown and neglected. As it is, it’s a real “adventure.”
I called and spoke to the Patrick’s Point Visitor Center, which is where you need to register to stay at the Stone Lagoon Campground. They said the trail is closed and unmaintained, and that you can’t leave your car overnight at Dry Lagoon or ”it’ll get towed”. They said the only way to get to the campground is by boat/kayak via the far side of Stone Lagoon.
We were staying across the street at Elk Country RV Park, which was great, so we mainly drove by the dry lagoons and walked down to the ocean. There were elk all in the dry lagoon and it was one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen. We had our dog on the beach along with many others. We loved it!
Very overgrown. Not many places there is scenery besides what’s in front of you but if you hike to the end (you will miss the turn if you don’t have the live map going) it is worth it. The lagoon and the ocean are worth the hike!
great hike and views of lagoon
Terrible trail! Untraveled. Some parts beautiful, most bushy, swampy and overgrown.
I just did this trail today. The trail is swamped from all the rain we have had so mind the large mud holes, my shoes were caked and my socks were wet but it was awesome to be out there. The trail is in disrepair, it is overgrown in a lot of places, not too many blowdowns but it is definitely in disrepair.
Nice trail above Stone Lagoon
The trail is not in the best of repair but you can get there without too much trouble. The campgrounds are isolated from each other and there is a bathroom. Easier to kayak across Stone Lagoon.
