Eureka, CA Road Trips

1 Morris Graves Museum of Art, 636 F St, ☏ +1 707-442-0278. W-Su Noon-5PM. This is a very respectable museum for a smaller area, and the architecture itself is quite artistic. The structure was the first Carnegie library in California and was completely renovated in the late 1990s. The Museum today houses seven galleries including a Courtyard Sculpture Garden, a Museum Store, classroom facilities, an Arts Resource Center and a Performance Rotunda. Adults $5, Students/Seniors $2, Children (17 & under) Free. Also free the 1st Saturday of each month. (updated Mar 2025) 2 Sequoia Park Zoo & Redwood Sky Walk, 3414 W St, ☏ +1 707-441-4263. In operation since 1907, the Sequoia Park Zoo is the oldest zoo in California has long been considered one of the most important cultural facilities in the area. It also features the Redwood Sky Walk, an approximately 0.25-mile long sky walk suspended 100 feet above the ground that provides visitors a chance to view coastal redwoods above ground level. Adults $24.95, Seniors/Military $22.95, Children (3-12) $12.95, Children 2 and under Free. Discounts for Humboldt County residents. (updated Mar 2025) 3 Carson Mansion, 143 M St, ☏ +1 707-443-5665. Regarded as one of the most extravagant Victorian-style homes in the United States, the Carson Mansion was constructed in 1884 and served as the home for local lumber baron William Carson. Members of the Carson family sold the mansion in 1950 to the Ingomar Club. Not open to the public, although visitors are permitted to photograph the house and surrounding garden. (updated Mar 2025) 4 Old Town.

Waterfront Trail. A 6-mile pathway along Humboldt Bay from Truesdale Street next to the Bayshore Mall to Pound Road. A mostly flat trail that offers glimpses of local salt marshes and dunes, with birdwatching opportunities. Lost Coast Trail, ☏ +1 707 825-2300. A 24-mile section of the Lost Coast Trail leads north from Black Sands Beach to the Mattole River, along the wilderness beach. This is a rugged hike, not a simple walk on the beach, and is one of the few coastal wilderness hiking experiences in the U.S. Cannifest (Halverson Park). Community festival in early September. Full Throttle Sportfishing, Woodley Island Marina, ☏ +1 707 498-7473. During fishing season, Captain Gary Blasi takes anglers out on his 22 ft boat the Seaweasel. Prices vary depending on what fish and how long you're out for. He fishes for Tuna, Salmon, Rockfish and Halibut. $150 for a half day or $250 for a whole day. Prices are per person. $150. Humboats Kayak Adventures, Dock A, Woodley Island Marina, ☏ +1 707-443-5157. A kayak and canoe specialist, certified by the ACA and BCU, catering to all levels of paddlers. Northwind Charters, ☏ +1 707 616-5803. Northern California salmon, tuna, rockfish, and halibut saltwater sportfishing hook and line-caught fishing experts. $150.

Lost Coast Brewery, 617 Fourth St, ☏ +1 707 445-4480. 11AM-1AM. Located in a 100-year-old building, a restored wood frame structure built in 1892. Samoa Cookhouse, 511 Vance Road. This is the last remaining lumberjack style cookhouse in America. There is no menu. You get what the cook serves and you can eat all you want. Dinners usually consist of soup, salad, fresh bread, and either porkchops, fried chicken, beef, plus desert (usually pie). In Samoa, California right across the bridge from Eureka. Ramone's Bakery and Cafe, 209 E St, ☏ +1 707 445-2923. Awesome local cafe in Old Town. Been going there for decades. $. (updated Mar 2018)

The SpeakEasy, 411 Opera Alley (in Old Town's Opera Alley between E and F, between 2nd and 3rd), ☏ +1 707 444-2244. 4-11. New Orleans inspired bar that hosts live blues music, burlesque, and other prohibition themed fun; located in a 120 year old building which no doubt served the same purpose during the real days of prohibition. No food is served, 21 and over only. Beautiful ambience, perfect for a romantic meeting or a nightcap after a long day's travel. Plenty of local beer selection as well as an extensive drink menu. Open every day at 4! $$.

Best Western Bayshore Inn, 3500 Broadway St, ☏ +1 707 268-8005, toll-free: +1 888-268-8005, fax: +1 707 268-8002. Best Western Humboldt Bay Inn, 232 W 5th St, ☏ +1 707 443-2234, toll-free: +1 800-521-6996, fax: +1 707 443-3489. Motel 6, 1934 Broadway St, ☏ +1 707 445-9631, fax: +1 707 444-3217. 1 Eureka Inn, Trademark Collection by Wyndham, 518 7th St. Check-in: 2ː30PM, check-out: 11AM. (updated Mar 2025)

Most visitors choose to travel to the Redwood Coast by car to enjoy the picturesque scenery. is the primary route through Eureka and the region, linking it with the San Francisco Bay Area to the south and Oregon Coast to the north. Driving time from the Bay Area is four to six hours through the spectacular scenery of Mendocino and Humboldt Counties, including an option to traverse the scenic bypass of the appropriately named Avenue of the Giants (State Route 254) which is surrounded by towering coast redwoods. Driving time from the Oregon border is two hours, with a connection to Portland (about 7 hours) via U.S. Route 199. connects with in Redding (about 3 hours). connects the city with the Samoa Peninsula via the Samoa Bridge and is an alternate scenic (and longer) route to neighboring Arcata. 1 Arcata-Eureka Airport (ACV IATA) is a regional civil aviation and commercial airport located 16 mi (26 km) north, in the town of McKinleyville, serving McKinleyville, Arcata, Eureka and other cities and towns in Humboldt County. The airport is served by: Skywest Airlines as United Express (San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver). Breeze Airways (Begins March 2026) (Burbank, Las Vegas and Provo Municipal Airport) Alaska Airlines (Begins April 2026) (Seattle-Tacoma) Ground transportation includes Lyft (ride share), on-call shuttle, taxi, and car rentals. Click this link for a list of on-airport rental car companies and this link for other ground transport companies. 2 Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach, 6th and C Sts (curbside bus stop behind the Denny's parking lot).

Eureka Transit Service (ETS) and Redwood Transit System both run service within town, with the latter linking neighboring towns as well. Eureka is fairly easy to navigate by car, with most of the city arranged in a grid pattern. In Downtown, numbered streets (1st to 15th Streets) travel in a west-east direction, while lettered streets (A to Y Streets) travel in a north-south direction. U.S. Route 101 also goes through downtown as local streets rather than a freeway, with northbound traffic carried by 5th Street and southbound traffic carried by 4th Street. Rental car services are available in town and at the Arcata-Eureka Airport. Old Town and the waterfront area are compact enough to be navigated on foot, although a car or public transit is recommended for areas outside of downtown.

Due to its small population, Eureka and the surrounding area are very safe with low crime rates. Normal travel safety precautions should be exercised. Humboldt County is the center of the U.S. marijuana industry and many illegal operations are in the surrounding rural areas. Some are well-guarded and armed. As a result, while it is unlikely a traveler would encounter one, avoid anything that may seem suspicious when outside the Eureka urban area. When venturing into the surrounding forest areas and wilderness, stay on marked or well-traveled paths and take extra water and maybe a portable charger with you. Due to the dense vegetation, it is easy to become lost or encounter aggressive wildlife and cell phone reception may be spotty or nonexistent.