The hook
A fishing village of fewer than four hundred people sits over a rock-studded harbor on the far north coast, with ten beaches within a few minutes of its one main street.
01Why it's worth it
Trinidad is what the north coast towns all used to be: a working harbor sheltered under the bulk of Trinidad Head, a small fleet of fishing boats, and a village on the bluff above that never grew past a few hundred people. The coastline around it is the draw — ten public beaches inside a couple of miles, from the driftwood crescent below the harbor to College Cove, reached through the woods and a natural arch at the north end of Trinidad State Beach. Offshore, the water is crowded with sea stacks that belong to the California Coastal National Monument; Trinidad is one of its gateway towns. On the bluff stands the Memorial Lighthouse, a 1949 replica of the 1871 original that keeps its Fresnel lens and fog bell and serves as the town's monument to those lost at sea. In the Humboldt corpus it's the most-loved place on the coast, and locals treat it as the anchor of any trip north.
02How to experience it
It's off 101 about five and a half hours north, fifteen minutes past Arcata. Walk the harbor and pier first, take the loop trail around Trinidad Head for the water views, then pick beaches — College Cove for the arch and quiet, Trinidad State Beach for the easy one. The town has a couple of good places to eat and makes the natural base for Sue-meg, Fern Canyon, and the redwood parks, all within half an hour.