Patrick's Point State Park

Engulfed in greenery and the salty fog, our campsite at Patrick’s Point State Park was secluded by walls of cozy and brilliant green ferns, trees and natural landscape. Offering sounds of nature, we awoke each morning to hear waves crashing on the bluffs and sea lions chatting. In less than a ten-minute walk, we were exploring easy to moderate hiking trails with breathtaking views of the Atlantic, landmarks such as Wedding Rock and scanning the water for migrating whales. Throughout the trails, walkers and hikers explore green passageways that Northern California and its moist, Atlantic air has to offer. Even better, minutes away by car- the infamous Redwood Trees. Got green?

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As I pull the key out of the ignition, the radio cuts out and silence crashes in. Or what sounds like silence at first. Then I hear the breeze conducting an orchestra of spruces, firs and alders. A salty, woodsy, earthy scent fills my nose, mouth, throat and lungs, and I marvel at how long it's been since I've really stopped to breathe, how incessantly I've been caught up in the frantic, gasping pace of life. Stepping out of the car, a timeless meditation of greens, blues and browns unrolls in every direction. Troubles and sorrows shrink amid the tall battalion of redwoods standing guard, the ocean stretching past comprehension and the uncountable pebbles shining in every hue. Hiking among the "octopus" trees, sighting whales from Wedding Rock and sifting through rocks at Agate Beach, dead ends become hills, curves and open road. Back in the driver's seat, I turn the key, ready and eager to continue my journey.

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Set high upon cliffs overlooking rocks jutting up through the Pacific Ocean’s crashing waves, Patrick’s Point State Park’s campgrounds rarely fill up, even in mid-summer. Trails overlooking this rugged coast meander along the precipice and lead down to aptly named Agate Beach, festooned with brilliantly colored pebbles and the occasional surfer. Amidst the tang of salt air and the hoarse cries of sunning sea lions and elephant seals, we wandered the reconstructed Yurok Indian village near the entrance. With a five-star restaurant situated between the campground and the town of Trinidad to the south, and three large and virtually unused lagoons to the north, Patrick’s Point is the perfect staging area for exploring coastal Humboldt County.

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From an isolated stretch of the coast north of Trinidad, California, the mussel-peppered granite of Patrick's Point projects into the Pacific Ocean. Made raw by perpetual blasts of cold wind, the point is covered in a forest of mushroom-decked pine and spruce stands. Some lay in disarray, their trunks shredded by winter storms. Hike the edge of the park along the eroding Rim Trail and scan the horizon for the tell-tale spout of a migrating whale from the peak of Wedding Rock, a hundred feet above crashing waves. Climb wet cliffs and sea-stacks for commanding views of the sea, on the rare occasion that the fog lifts. Yurok dancers perform a traditional Brush Dance in Sumeg Village nearby. An abundant supply of translucent stones are waiting to be sifted through at Agate Beach, beneath a great sandstone bluff at the north end of the headland. From here, surfers paddle a quarter-mile through rocks and fierce surf to the point break, where the winter storms toppling the trees above sometimes bring forty-foot waves.

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