Humboldt County | Highway 1 Road Trip Itinerary (Part 3)
Today’s travel post is the third and final portion of our Highway 1 Road trip! I’m starting where we left off leaving Fort Bragg, CA headed north. But if you haven’t read part 1 and 2, be sure to check those out at the links below:
24 Hours in Big Sur | Highway 1 Road Trip Itinerary (Part 1)
For this leg of the trip, we had two jam packed days of travel through Humboldt County all the way up to the California-Oregon border. But we managed to stop at a good number of amazing destinations along the way. It was incredible to see what a different terrain this area of California has, especially coming from Southern California. Follow along below to see all our road trip destinations!
STOP AT SOME ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS
I feel like there is nothing more “American road trip” core than stopping at some tacky roadside attractions along the way. And Norther California did not disappoint in this regard. While I wouldn’t say these were necessary worth the money, it was still a fun way to pass the time and stretch our legs along the long and windy route north.
Our first stop after leaving Fort Bragg was the Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree (67402 Drive Thru Tree Rd, Leggett, CA) in the town of Leggett. This tree is actually pretty amazing to see, as it is about 300 feet tall. The opening for you to drive thru is a very very tight squeeze so be sure to fold in your mirrors. There is also a parking lot next to the tree if you feel your vehicle is too big to make it through. But it does make a very cool photo op!
The town of Leggett is technically the end of Hwy 1 in Northern California, so at this point you will be traveling along Hwy 101 up the rest of the coast. And you are officially in Redwood country so be ready to see a LOT of amazing trees. The other roadside stop we made was the Grandfather Tree (779 US-101, Piercy, CA 95542), but it is definitely more like a quick photo and maybe a gift shop stop than anything else.
DRIVE THE AVENUE OF THE GIANTS
As we continued up Hwy 101, entering into Humboldt County, the highway actually forks off into another road called Avenue of the Giants. And I would highly recommend taking this scenic route up through the forest if you are passing by this area!
This route does take a bit longer but it was so worth it for the beautiful redwood views in my opinion! Daniel and I stopped off at a pull over spot with a few parking spaces and we walked into a grove of enormous redwood trees. It was such a peaceful and amazing place to see. If you bring a cooler of food, this would be a perfect spot for a lunch picnic in the forest.
GRAB A BLACKBERRY POPSICLE AT FLOOD PLAIN PRODUCE
Our next stop was a “blink and you’ll miss it” type destination along the Avenue of the Giants. So I would actually recommend putting it into your GPS if you have enough service (30873-30901 Ave of the Giants, Scotia, CA 95565). There is a small produce stand on the side of the road called Flood Plain Produce and they are famous for their blackberry popsicles! We pulled over and walked around back to find the owner preparing to open the stand for the season. We lucked out because, although she wasn’t actually open yet, she had a few popsicles ready to go in her cooler. They were delish, I would definitely go back!
EXPLORE FERNDALE
Our next destination was the town of Ferndale, CA. This charming Victorian village is actually on the National Register of Historic places. It was founded back in 1852 when the town became known for their prosperous dairy industry.
We walked up and down Main Street just taking in all the amazingly preserved storefronts and through some of the side streets to see some beautiful Victorian style homes. We also stopped into Golden Gait Mercantile (421 Main St, Ferndale, CA 95536), which is the town’s general store. Everything was so quaint and charming!
SHOP AROUND OLD TOWN EUREKA
We wanted to make it into a few shops on our list before they closed for the day so we hurried our way from Ferndale into Humboldt County’s most well known city of Eureka, CA.
Located in the historic Old Town area of Eureka, we stopped into Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate (333 1st Street, Eureka, CA 95501) for some local chocolate! The factory shop was so cute inside and they even had samples of all the different types of chocolate they make. You can even schedule a tour of the factory in advance if you have the time. Their chocolate makes for a great souvenir if you are looking to bring something back for your friends and family (or yourself).
Another shop that we loved nearby was a stationary store called Just My Type Letterpress (324 2nd St, Eureka, CA 95501). They had the cutest paper goods, postcards and prints by local artists. Another great souvenir option!
STAY AT THE BEAUTIFUL SCOTIA LODGE
We were exhausted from our busy day of driving, so we spent the rest of the evening relaxing at the beautiful hotel in nearby Scotia, called the Scotia Lodge (100 Main St #361, Scotia, CA 95565).
Scotia Lodge is a 22-room historic boutique hotel and I can’t even explain to you how beautiful the interior is. It was my dream hotel!! There were so many perfectly-curated spaces with lounge seating all around the property. And they even had an onsite restaurant and bar, Main and Mill, which we got dinner from that evening.
I loved this hotel and would highly recommend it to anyone traveling through the Humboldt County area! It was a bit far from the hustle and bustle of Eureka, but I actually preferred the quiet small town location.
BREAKFAST AT LOS BAGELS
The next morning we got an early start, and headed out for some breakfast back in Eureka at Los Bagels (403 2nd St, Eureka, CA 95501). This place was super busy with locals grabbing bagels and coffee so you know it is a good spot. I had one of their specials, the “cucumbin” bagel!
ADMIRE THE ARCHITECTURE OF CARSON MANSION
Before heading out of Eureka, we wanted to be sure to visit one of their most famous landmarks, the Carson Mansion (143 M St, Eureka, CA 95501). While you can’t actually tour the inside of the mansion because it is a private club, it is still amazing to see the incredible architecture of this historic Victorian home! And across the street is another Victorian beauty, The Pink Lady Mansion (202 M St, Eureka, CA 95501).
VISIT THE REDWOOD SKY WALK AT THE SEQUOIA PARK ZOO
Our next destination was one of my highly anticipated experiences of the trip, the Redwood Sky Walk at the Sequoia Park Zoo (3414 W St, Eureka, CA 95503). Not only did we get to explore the zoo and see some amazing animals, we got to experience the Redwood trees from a whole new perspective.
The Redwood Sky Walk is a self-guided experience within the zoo where you can walk out on platforms and bridges that give you unique views of the amazing forest. At the highest point, you are 100 feet above the forest floor! They even have a few “adventure segments” of the sky walk that are open mesh bridges that sway with the wind, which are actually a bit terrifying.
It was a really cool experience and a great way to see a new perspective of the Redwood forest!
STOP BY THE SEASIDE CITY OF TRINIDAD
Our next stop as we made our way back up the coast was the seaside city of Trinidad, CA. We stopped by the Trinidad Pier (Trinidad Wharf, Trinidad, CA 95570) to take in the beautiful ocean views from this fisherman’s wharf. There were a ton of starfish in the water which was really cool to see from the pier.
We also wanted to stretch our legs a bit so we stopped by the College Cove Trailhead and hiked down through a forest trail to a beautiful secluded beach at College Cove.
VISIT BATTERY POINT LIGHTHOUSE IN CRESCENT CITY, CA
Our final stop before we reached the California-Oregon border, was Battery Point Lighthouse (Lighthouse Way, Crescent City, CA 95531) in Crescent City, CA. This beautiful building is registered as a California Historical Landmark and is only available to walk out to during low tide. The actual house is so cute and we loved just walking around the property and taking photos!
And that officially wraps up our Highway 1 Road Trip! I’m sure we didn’t even scratch the surface of all the amazing things there are to see and do along the west coast of California. But we had such an amazing time and fell more and more in love with this beautiful state we call home!
I hope these travel itineraries have inspired you to do your own exploring around Highway 1! If you decide to take this road trip, let me know what your favorites places were that you stopped. I’m already researching where to explore next in California and can’t wait to get traveling again.
xo Rachael
