Day 1

Fort Bragg, CA: Beach, beer & sunset

Leaving early from San Francisco our first stop was Fort Bragg.
*Recommendation: Take the 101 out of SF then cut over to the coast via Highway 20 through Jackson State Forest. This was a surprisingly slow, windy, steep and scary drive, but exciting and beautiful nonetheless!

I've had my eye on Glass Beach for a while, so we drove right there! I had heard beautiful rumors about all the sea glass, but I also heard that it had dwindled down over time, so I was pleasantly surprised by what we saw. Little specks of sea-glass littered the entire shoreline, it was so fun to sift through it all and watch the light hit the colorful pieces.




Fort Bragg is also home to the first of many breweries we'd visit. We enjoyed:

• Tasting flights at North Coast Brewing 
• Pints on the patio at Overtime Brewing
• Pizza and beer for dinner at Piaci, which was decided on after much Yelp digging, and it was just fanatic.

That evening we set out on the road along the coast to find a sweet spot for sunset watching. Along Mackerricher State Park Road we found a field above the cliffs with a couple trees to hang our hammock. It was just perfect.



*We stayed overnight at Grey Whale Inn, now closed

Day 2

Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Eureka, Trinidad: Scenic drives, Redwood walks, hidden beaches

Humboldt Redwoods State Park:

We got on the road early morning, to finally see the much anticipated Redwoods! Taking Highway 1, we cut inland back to the 101, heading towards the Southern entrance of the Avenue of the Giants.

This 31 mile scenic drive was incredible. We stopped several times when we saw an opportunity to explore the forest or a cool tree caught our eye. Windows down, sunlight beaming through the trees, it was magical.






A couple favorite pitstops we made along the way were Rockefeller Loop, Founders Grove and Drury Chaney Trail. There were a couple times I saw an opportunity to walk down to the creek/river that runs parallel to the avenue of the giants.  Never did this, but it looked very cool!

These tall trees are no joke. For perspective...

Eureka

Once we made it through to Eureka (where we'd spend the night) our first stop was of-course more beer! Lost Coast Brewery is a funky, fun and unique place with lots of yard games, outdoor seating, and just fun eclectic things to look at.

Trinidad

With the daylight still around, we headed a little bit north of Eureka to explore Trinidad. I intended for us to see the lighthouse but to my disappointment it was gone under restoration. Instead we spotted a path to the beach... We started up on a hill looking out over all the fishing boats, we hiked down the somewhat covered path to Old Home Beach, it was empty and beautiful, two of my favorite characteristics of a beach.



But one hidden beach is never enough...

Next we hopped up to College Cove Beach, this one was always part of the plan. College Cove Falls wasn't active at the time, though I imagine it's pretty cool when it is. We kinda scrambled our way down this strange steep "path" to the beach. **(Parking lot we used is located off of Stagecoach Road)

Eureka

With the sun now setting, we headed back to Eureka for the night we stopped at Redwood Curtain Brewing. This was a trip favorite! Lots of games to play and a food truck on site.

*never made it to Samoa peninsula but the Samoa cook house and Samoa Dunes Recreation Area were places I flagged.

Day 3

Redwood National and State Park: The best and most rewarding hike's you'll find

After fueling on coffee at a local shop, we set out for our first real hike today, after all that's what we came for.

All my research about Redwood Forest hikes pointed towards Tall Trees Grove hike, and I'm glad it did. (We first got a "permit" at Thomas H Kuchek Visitor Center). Hike and Creek





Another priority destination for me was Fern Canyon - It looking like something out of a movie...which it was! Part of Jurassic Park was filmed here.



Tonight we finally eared our beer. Heading back to Eureka we stopped at Humboldt Regeneration, a small local brewery for a quick fix (thanks, Yelp). Then to Six Rivers Brewery for dinner and Redwood Curtain Brewing again because it was that fun.

Day 4

Drive, wine, drive

Unlike our 3 day drive to get up here, we headed home in 1.
We went back down Avenue of Giants a second time, via the North entrance, to soak it all in from a different angle

It was a last minute decision a perfect timing to make a wine pit stop at Pacific Star Winery which has a tasting room and a yard with seats that literally look over a cliff out to the Pacific. I was in heaven. Food and ocean views.





I'll admit, I wasn't sure how impressed I'd be by the Redwood Forest.  I'd seen Redwoods before, so I wondered if seeing a bunch of them all in in one place would really be that impressive? The answer is yes...a million time yes. Pretty sure I went home with a neck ache because all I did was look up.