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North Coast California Native Plant Society

North Coast California Native Plant Society

    Home » Education » Explore Outdoors

    Explore Outdoors

    Places to See Wild Native Plants

    Seeing native plants in their natural habitats is one of the favorite activities of CNPS members and something we want everyone to do. The chapter helps make this happen by offering short plant walks near our population centers and by organizing day trips and a few over-nighters to more distant sites. These trips are open to any interested person, not just members. We welcome beginners and experts; we enjoy learning from each other. See the activity list for upcoming trips, and look at the lists of past trips in the left column of that page.

    Many wonderful guides to hiking in our area are in bookstores and on websites.  I find especially useful the two Hiking Humboldt volumes from Back Country Press.  Volume 1 by Ken Burton has hikes at least 5 miles long (which can be customized shorter), and volume 2 by Rees Hughes has shorter hikes.  For hikes in the Redwood parks, Jerry and Gisela Rohde have written Humboldt Redwoods State Park the Complete Guide and Best Short Hikes in Redwood National & State Parks.

    The places we visit are usually open to the public.  We encourage you to explore there on your own. 
    The plan is to add information about each place on this list.  If you would like to help develop and improve this list, please contact me! Carol Ralph, Field Trip Chair

    Siskiyou Wilderness serpentine outcrop. on a July 2010 North Coast CNPS field trip.
    Checking out a plant during a field trip.

    Places Very Near Arcata-Eureka listed north to south

    Little River State Beach
    Hammond Trail
    Azalea State Reserve
    Mad River County Park
    Lanphere Dunes Unit
    Jolly Giant Creek
    Humboldt State University campus – conifers
    Arcata Community Forest
    Arcata Town and Forest–Native Plants in Gardens and Nature. (Godwit Days walk)
    Arcata Marsh
    Jacoby Creek Canyon
    Jacoby Creek Forest
    Ma-le’l Dunes North and South
    Humboldt Coastal Nature Center
    Manila Dunes
    Eureka Dunes
    North Spit
    Humboldt Area Foundation
    Sequoia Park, Eureka
    Elk River Trail in Headwaters Forest Reserve
    Hikshari’ Trail

    Places North of Arcata-Eureka near to far, with approximate hours driving time

    Baker Beach & Luffenholz Beach0.5
    Trinidad Head0.5
    Trinidad State Beach0.5
    Elk Head0.5
    Patrick’s Point State Park0.5
    Big Lagoon County Park0.5
    Stagecoach Hill Azalea Management Area.0.5
    Dry Lagoon-Stone Lagoon Trail0.5
    Stone Lagoon north end0.5
    Lost Man Creek Trail0.75
    Old State Highway around Freshwater Lagoon1
    Bald Hills Rd1
    Redwood Creek Trail1
    Dolason Prairie Trail1
    Skunk Cabbage Trail1
    Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park–various trails1
    Carrother’s Cove Trail (Prairie Creek Redwoods SP)1.5
    West Ridge Trail (Prairie Creek Redwoods SP)1
    Coastal Road1
    Flint Ridge Trail1
    Coastal Trail–Requa to Lagoon Creek1
    Coyote Creek Basin (Bald Hills Rd.)1.25
    Mill Creek Campground1.5
    Dead Lake1.5
    Lake Earl1.5
    Point Saint George1.5
    Tolowa Dunes – Dead Lake2
    Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park2
    Stony Creek Trail near Gasquet2
    South Fork Smith River2
    French Hill Rd2
    Myrtle Creek Trail2
    Rock Creek Ranch, South Fork Smith R.2
    High Divide Rd2
    Point St. George2
    Bear Basin Butte & Buck Lake3
    Sanger Lake3
    Rough and Ready Botanical Wayside3
    Oregon Caves National Monument3
    Siskiyou Mts. around Selma; Siskyou Field Inst.3
    North Fork Smith Botanical Area3

    Places East of Arcata-Eureka alphabetically, with approximate hours travel

    Ammon Prairie2
    Bair Rd.1
    Big Flat, Trinity Mts.3
    Board Camp Mt.1
    Burnt Ranch Campground2
    Cedar Camp area, out of Orleans2
    Cold Spring near Horse Mountain (2016) (2021)1
    Cook and Green Pass3
    Crogan’s Hole2.5
    East Fork Willow Creek1
    Fish Lake and Four Nearby Lakes2
    Friday Ridge Rd.1
    Grays Falls Campground2
    Grays Falls Day Use Area1.5
    Grouse Mt.1
    Groves Prairie2
    Horse Linto Campground1.25
    Horse Mountain Botanical Area1
    Horse Mtn. to Spikebuck Meadow1
    Horse Mtn. to Grouse Mtn.1
    Hwy 299 (Fall Tour)0.5
    Kangaroo Lake4
    Lily Heaven (Bluff Creek Rd.)2
    Mad River Buttes (Board Camp Mtn.)2
    Mt. Lassen4
    Pine Ridge1
    Poker Flat & Kelly Lake3
    Scott Mtn. & Mt. Eddy3
    East Boulder Lake and Scott Mountain Botanical Area3
    Tangle Blue Lake and Scott Mountain Botanical Area3
    Spike Buck Mountain1
    South Fork Trinity River Trail2
    Sugar Lake3
    Titlow Hill1
    Waterdog Lake2

    Places South of Arcata-Eureka alphabetically, with approximate hours travel

    Alder Point3
    Bear River Ridge1
    Benbow to Garberville Trail2
    Bull Creek – Albee  Creek area2
    Canoe Creek in Humboldt Redwoods S. P.2
    Elk River Trail, Headwaters Forest0.5
    Grasshopper Peak, Humboldt Redwoods S. P.2
    Grizzly Creek Redwoods S. P.1
    Guthrie Creek2
    Headwaters Forest1
    Hidden Springs Beach Trail1.25
    Humboldt Bay NWR – Loleta1
    Humboldt Botanical Garden0.5
    Lassics Botanical and Geological Area3
    Mail Ridge (Dyerville Loop Rd.)2
    Mattole Rd.1
    Mattole River/Lost Coast Trail2
    Mendocino – Jughandle, etc.4
    Rohner Park, Fortuna0.5
    Russ Park, Ferndale1
    Ruth Lake and Environs2
    Shapeero property, Hydesville0.5
    Table Bluff County Park0.5

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