Humboldt County · Northern California
A ten-mile stretch of coast with a beach at each end and a cliff road in between. Drive it in twenty minutes or spend a whole day—the difference is mostly down to the tide.
The shape of it
Moonstone Beach sits where the Little River reaches the Pacific. Trinidad is a working fishing village on a bluff ten miles north. Between them runs Scenic Drive: narrow, cliff-hugging, and unpaved in places.
The whole thing is free, with no gate or permit. The small pullouts are what make it—almost all lead somewhere worth stopping.
Most people drive south to north, starting at Moonstone and finishing with dinner in Trinidad. The beaches come first, the views build, and you end up somewhere with food.
The route
In order, driving north. You can cover every stop in an afternoon, or spend most of the day on the first one.
Free parking · 15 min from Arcata
Wide sand, salt-bleached driftwood, and the Little River wandering across the beach before it meets the ocean. At low tide, tide pools open up with sea stars, anemones, and hermit crabs.
Come an hour before low tide, not at it. More reef keeps appearing while you are there.
Short walk from the pullout
A brief path from a small car park leads to a grassy bluff over sea stacks and heavy surf. It is the most photographed view on this stretch and only five minutes from the car.
If you only stop once between the two beaches, stop here.
Steep, short path down
A cove wrapped in cliffs, reached by a short but properly steep path. Good for beachcombing and for feeling like you have found somewhere other people missed.
The climb back is the price—skip it for dodgy knees or a pushchair.
Village, harbor & a loop trail
A fishing village on a bluff with a small harbor, pier, and working boats below. Park near the pier and walk the Trinidad Head Trail for a sequence of ocean lookouts.
The trail is the best short hike on this coast, and where this drive should end.
Just north of Trinidad · formerly Patrick's Point
Continue north for Agate Beach, the Rim Trail, Wedding Rock, Ceremonial Rock, and Sumêg Village, a reconstructed Yurok village built with the Yurok people.
Add an hour and this becomes a proper day out rather than a drive.
The village
One of California’s smallest incorporated cities, set on a bluff above its own harbor.
What you get is a working fishing village with a coastal walk attached: boats coming and going, a pier, a handful of places to eat, and offshore rocks laid out in front of it all.
Below the bluff
Small, active, and the best place to see what this coast does for a living. Parking here is also the trailhead for the Head.
In town
The small white lighthouse in town is a memorial replica. The working Trinidad Head Light sits on the headland and is not open to the public.
North of town
A sheltered crescent with sea stacks offshore and a short path through the trees. Quieter than Moonstone and good for a wander at any tide.
Offshore
Green Rock, Flatiron Rock and their neighbours are part of the California Coastal National Monument and seabird colonies.
The walk
A loop around the headland that keeps handing you a better view than the last. It is short, climbs steadily, and is the single best hour on this stretch of coast.
Start at the harbor and climb gradually onto the rock. The path circles the headland, keeping ocean on one side while the view changes as you turn.
On the seaward side, you look down on the working lighthouse. At the top is a granite memorial cross marking the 1775 Spanish landing, with benches set where the views are best.
The one thing that decides your day
This coast is a different place at low water. High tide means a walk and a view; a good low tide means exposed reef and everything living in it.
Practical
Where to stay
Trinidad has a handful of rooms and they book out. Bayside puts you fifteen minutes from Moonstone, with a town and a kitchen behind you.