Gold Bluffs Beach(Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park)

Located along the northern portion of Humboldt County shoreline, Gold Bluffs Beach is a large beach with light brown sand and sparse vegetation. This beach is situated below oceanfront bluffs and is a part of a state park named Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. As an interesting fact, the beach was named "Gold Bluffs" as deposits of gold were discovered in the area around the beach in the 19th century. However, efforts to mine gold from the area around the beach were abandoned due to the difficulty in separating the sand. Gold Bluffs Beach does not have lifeguards. 

The beach and the area around it have many other amenities including hiking trails, toilets, and picnic tables. Dogs on leash are allowed on the beach in certain designated parts of the beach. 

Gold Bluffs Beach offers many fun activities including hiking, sunbathing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, fishing, camping, and picnicking. The water near the beach is unsafe for recreational activities including swimming and surfing as the water here has dangerous currents and extremely strong waves. Depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals in the water near Gold Bluffs Beach including migrating whales, seals, dolphins, and sea lions. If you like birdwatching, you can see many kinds of wonderful birds around Gold Bluffs Beach including heron, gulls, falcons, and rare western snowy plovers (which are classified as endangered under the federal 1973 Endangered Species Act). In addition, you can also see elks and bears around Gold Bluffs Beach. However, if you encounter an elk in the beach or the area around it we recommend being extremely careful as approaching an elk is not only dangerous, but is also prohibited under the local regulations. If you like camping, a state-park owned campground is present near Gold Bluffs Beach. This campground accommodates both tents and RVs. The campground offers many amenities including showers, restrooms, fire pits, and picnic tables. If you are planning to camp in Gold Bluffs Beach, you can visit Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park’s webpage in the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s website for more helpful information about camping reservations.

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park has many amazing hiking and biking trails which you can use to explore its vibrant redwood forests. In addition, you can see many wonderful animals and birds here including squirrels, bats, bears, coyotes, elk, deer, crows, ravens, jays, and murrelets. Another beautiful natural feature of this park is the Fern Canyon, whose towering walls are draped with seven different varieties of ferns. Another beautiful natural feature of this park is the Fern Canyon, whose towering walls are draped with seven different varieties of ferns.

Getting to Gold Bluffs Beach is easy - from United States Highway 101, you need to divert towards Davison Road and follow it for around four miles. This road will lead you to the entrance gate for Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Once you pay the entrance fees, you can continue north on Gold Bluffs Beach Road which offers access to multiple parking lots. These parking lots have access trails that lead to Gold Bluffs Beach. We recommend being careful while driving to Gold Bluffs Beach as the access road to the beach is narrow and winding.

As an interesting fact, this canyon was featured in the Jeff Goldblum movie The Lost World: Jurassic Park. This unique canyon offers a slightly strenuous yet memorable hiking experience. However, if you are planning to hike in Fern Canyon, we recommend foregoing doing so during rainy weather as the canyon becomes waterlogged and dangerous during this weather.

Lagoon County Park has a large lagoon named Big Lagoon which offers many fun aquatic recreational activities including kayaking, canoeing, swimming, and boating. The park also offers many other fun activities including hiking, fishing, wildlife watching, picnicking, and camping.   Patrick’s Point State Park is spread over one square mile. The park has hiking trails which offer a unique insight into the vibrant coastal biodiversity of Humboldt County. In addition, the state park also has a visitor center, a campground (which accommodates both tents and RVs), a native plant garden, and a reconstructed Native American Yurok village (known as the Sumêg Village). The Sumêg Village also organizes interesting Native American cultural ceremonies which offer a unique and memorable insight into the culture and beliefs of the local Indigenous people. As an interesting fact, portions of the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park were filmed in this state park. If you are planning to camp in Patrick’s Point State Park, you can visit the state park’s webpage in the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s website for more helpful information regarding the camp rules and amenities. If you are looking for another attraction near Gold Bluffs Beach, the Tour Thru tree (also known as Tour-Thru tree) is a giant redwood tree with a large tunnel running through it. This tree is a popular local attraction and many cars drive through the tunnel within this tree every year. In addition, the area around this tree has picnic tables, restrooms, a gift shop, and is also known to be home to many emu birds.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Gold Bluffs Beach within a 45-minute drive. The Larrupin’ Cafe is an upscale restaurant which serves outstanding New American cuisine. Log Cabin Diner offers fantastic breakfast dishes including eggs, burritos, sandwiches, French toasts, and biscuits and gravy. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Gold Bluffs Beach, the modestly-priced EdeBee’s Snack Shack offers delicious comfort foods including burgers, sandwiches, fries, and barbecued meats.

If you are looking for a hotel near Gold Bluffs Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 45-minute drive.  Lost Whale Inn offers many amenities including beautiful gardens, an outdoor hot tub, a sauna, complimentary breakfast, and afternoon tea and wine. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star View Crest Lodge which offers complimentary breakfast and is located conveniently close to some of the major landmarks in Humboldt County. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Gold Bluffs Beach, the 2-Star Trinidad Inn which offers many amenities including horseshoe pits, half-basketball courts, fire pits, barbecue grills, and seasonal complimentary continental breakfast.