Editor’s note: last time I visited the Redwood Empire, friend Rebekah Kakuk gifted me a copy of Sea Kayaking the Redwood Coast (2011) by Explore North Coast, a local kayaking club in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. The book contains many routes from protected flat-water paddles to exposed, inaccessible stretches of wild coastline, most of which I’ve never seen. Here’s a report on Humboldt Lagoons State Park. It’s good to have friends, and it’s good to have maps and guides.
Ket-‘oh is the Yurok word for where dry land, fresh water, and sea meet. Humboldt Lagoons SP includes Big Lagoon, Stone Lagoon, and Freshwater Lagoon, as well as Dry Lagoon, which is now a marsh, bordered by dunes, forests, prairies, and coastal scrub. The varied environment is rich in wildlife and beautiful scenery. On this trip I visited Stone and Big Lagoons.
Stone Lagoon
Chah-pekw O’Ket-toh is the Yurok name for Stone Lagoon, located on Yurok ancestral territory between Orick and Trinidad at the mouth of Redwood Creek. The lagoons are shallow bays between rocky headlands where coastal wave action forms sand bars that separate the lagoons from the Pacific. The lagoons are resting areas for migratory waterfowl, and I saw (and heard) multitudes of birds. Otters, raccoons, Roosevelt elk, black bears, black tailed deer, bobcats, and mountain lions live here. Condor have been reintroduced and may be seen up Redwood Creek. Foxgloves and tiger lilies festoon the roadsides.
Surrounded by wetlands, the Ket-‘oh are considered to be some of the most biologically diverse places on earth. Humboldt State Park is part of the largest lagoon system in North America, and the lagoons are significant resources for the Yurok people. Before Europeans arrived, Stone Lagoon supplied fish and ducks for a Yurok village which was destroyed by immigrants during the California Gold Rush. You can learn more about Stone Lagoon and its original inhabitants at the Visitor Center.
On Stone Lagoon there’s a hike and boat-in campground surrounded by old growth Sitka spruce, with picnic tables, fire rings, and a vault toilet. After picking up a permit at Sumeg State Park down the road, I dropped the X-15 at the put in at the Visitor Center and parked. You can leave your vehicle there overnight. Circling to the west, I paddled counterclockwise most of the way around the lagoon before arriving at the campground.
Stone Lagoon is a birder’s paradise, and at the campsite I heard many calls, some I recognized and many I didn’t. After lunch and a nap I paddled off to explore the spit. There were fleets of pelicans in the lagoon, on the spit, and fishing in the sea. The spits are steep and offer protection from the wind if needed when paddling on the lagoons, but I found a low spot, drew the boat out, and took a stroll.
There were many varieties of mat-like wildflowers blooming in the sand. The vistas were wonderful and after taking a look at the hanging gardens on the cliffs and taking some photos, I sat down to enjoy the splendor of wild sea and westering sun. A halcyon day.
All day the weather had been sunny and warm, and since it was the dark of the moon, at night the stars and Milky Way were amazing. Around 3 a.m. a light fog rolled in and things got damp, but the tent fly was up and anything that wasn’t in the tent was under cover in the kayak.
Packing up early next morning, I was back at the Visitor Center and loading the boat onto the truck by 7:30 or so. Paddling across the glassy water in the morning mist was magical. As I transferred gear from the boat to the truck, an otter family swam by, chirping and diving in their sinuous way, foraging for breakfast. The Seascape Restaurant at Trinidad Harbor provided me with coffee, pancakes, and bacon and then it was off to check out Big Lagoon.
Big Lagoon
The wind on the coast typically picks up in the afternoon, although Stone Lagoon had been pretty mellow. Still, Big Lagoon has a lot more fetch, and I wanted to be on the water early. Per the book, I decided to paddle up Maple Creek, which supplies Big Lagoon. Having more or less circumnavigated one lagoon, it seemed appropriate to do a little creeking. Also, Stone Lagoon is only about 3 miles around, while Big Lagoon is roughly a 10-mile circumnavigation, and since I wanted to spend the afternoon hanging out with Rebekah a shorter paddle was in order.
I paddled east toward the creek which runs under the bridge where Highway 101 crosses the marshes. The water was shallow in places, and there was a lot of water weed, but it wasn’t a problem. Skirting the tule reeds that appeared on the approach to the marsh, I found an opening and paddled into a world of reeds and tall grasses, prime bird and elk habitat.
According to the book, it’s possible to paddle some 2 miles up the creek. There was no wind in the channel, and it got warm. Since the creek was full of fresh, clean water, a dip seemed appropriate. Sandy beaches, pock-marked with elk hooves, appeared in the tule from time to time and I stopped on one. Plunging into the creek was so refreshing I did it 3 times. The first time felt great, the second time felt kind of cold, and the third time the ice-cream headache was coming on, but afterwards I felt totally rejuvenated.
Continuing up the creek, willows began to replace the tule. Soon I was paddling through a soft, dim world of water and willow, the willows forming a tunnel and reaching down to touch the water. The channel started to narrow and the creek got shallower, but still I paddled along, entranced. There were many birds foraging and calling. There was plenty of water to float the boat, but eventually I turned around and paddled out, happy to have chosen this way of exploring Big Lagoon.
Paddling out of the tule back at the lagoon, the wind had risen, but not badly. I passed a fisherman fishing for cutthroat trout and steelhead on the way back to the take out at Big Lagoon Campground. This county campground has a day-use area with beach and lagoon access, restrooms, and a small boat ramp to the lagoon. The campground has 25 first-come, first serve sites, and coin-operated showers. Kayaks are available for rent from Kayak Trinidad – (707) 329-0085 or www.kayaktrinidad.com According to the book, it’s roughly a 6-mile paddle from the boat ramp to and up the creek and back. It took me about 2 hours, with one stop for the cold plunge. A pleasant day.
Despite being July, there weren’t a lot of people on the lagoons. A few kayakers, some SUPs, a couple of oared rafts, and 2 Epic surf skis were all I saw on Big Lagoon, and only 2 other kayakers on Stone. I had Maple Creek all to myself. There were very few people on the spits, although they’re great places to hike and hang out. In the spring and fall you might have the place all to yourself. Much gratitude to Rebekah for the book and to California State Parks and the Yurok tribe for their stewardship of this unique wonderland. I’m looking forward to the next adventure kayaking the Redwood Coast.
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Hello-do you by any chance know the name of the river in Redwood where soarin over california was filmed? The ride at disneyland
Hi Luis! I believe that is actually Redwood Creek in Humboldt County.