California Redwoods Travel Guide: Part 1: Getting There

So you decide to go see the redwoods, and figure you'll just hop on a big jet and be there in no time. Not quite so simple! If you want to see the Redwood Empire, home of the grandest of the tall trees and the most remote, natural expanses of redwoods left on earth, you'll need to put in a little effort. 

Flying in: The Eureka-Arcata Airport (code ACV) is located in neither Eureka, nor Arcata. It is in McKinleyville, several miles north of my delightful home town of Arcata on Highway 101, 300 miles north of San Francisco, and 400 miles south of Portland. Flying into this location can be expensive, so plan ahead.  Reserve your rental car in advance to be sure it will be available. Though buses do stop at the airport, the itinerary in this guide (and any decent travel itinerary for this region) requires a car.  You may want to know that the airport was built for the purpose of testing defogging systems on military aircraft; or, then again, you may not. A fun way to take off at the airport is for the plane -  preferably one of the turboprops - to shoot off the runway and over the nearby seacliff. You feel as if the world dropped out from underneath you. If the fog is out, you may see spectacular views of the deep green forests of the coast, stepping up in into higher mountains further inland. If you are driving, check the final installments in this series - I'll have tips for Bay Areans or Portlanders making the drive.

Airlines: Horizon Air flies out of Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles on small jets. United Airlines flies out of San Francisco (primary) and Sacramento (secondary) on small turboprops.  See the Convention & Visitor's Bureau site for the latest list of airlines; airlines do come and go here due to the low volume.

  

Rental Car: You will be going on one potentially muddy dirt road. Compacts are generally fine, though, but rent to your comfort level. The Convention & Visitor's Bureau has the scoop on all the companies that do business at ACV, including rental cars and airlines.

Your journey here by air will take an entire day from anywhere except San Francisco. When you transfer to your final leg at SFO or SMF (Sacramento) you'll most likely get on a small turboprop, a 31-seater with 3 seats across and no usable toilet. The flight is mercifully short.

Arriving from the south you may ride up the California coast, increasingly remote with each mile. You are flying into a tectonic red zone, the conjunction of three tectonic plates near the tiny settlement of Petrolia, and you may swoop over the bald hills sprinkled within the vast forests. On approach, you'll see remote houses on ridgetops, where some Humboldters make their homesteads with extreme privacy and plenty of natural beauty.

Hotel: You're staying in my hometown, Arcata, about 10 miles south of the Airport on HIghway 101. When staying in Arcata, the Victorian village I claim as my hometown, it's best to immerse yourself in the place rather than stay at some chain hotel. These choices are all in the historic part of town and are walking distance from most of the shopping and the old Minor  Theatre (see next installment for details about Arcata and its culture).  If you must do the chain hotel routine, all of them are located in an area north of town called "Valley West" - you'll drive right by it as you come into Arcata from the Airport.  Look for hotels with addresses on "Valley West Boulevard".

A nice little hotel, the Hotel Arcata isn't opulent, but it's above average. It's location is my primary reason for recommending it - it's on the Plaza. While the stodgier residents of Humboldt sometimes fear the Plaza, it's quite safe - safer than the more conservative towns to the north and south, in fact - and full of interesting characters, and not in the "big city" sense of the word. The architecture is delightful Victorian and the shops are excellent. A restored movie house beckons down the street. Outdoor outfitters are just a step away. In any case, this is where you'll get a real sense of the culture of the town. More on that in the next installment. Ask for a room that looks out onto the plaza side, if possible. Bring earplugs. You never know what's going to go on out on the Plaza.

Victorian B&B in Arcata. Walking distance to Plaza, but it is a few blocks and you'll walk back up a hill on the way back. No matter. You need the exercise, and it'll help you see the town.