By Nick Escalada

What is your favorite part of being a Cal Poly Humboldt student? Is it the quirky and intimate local community, inspiring faculty body or exciting new fields of study? If your answer resembles any of these, you may be a boring bastard who needs some enlightening. We live in one of the most uniquely beautiful regions on the planet, and that can be hard to remember when your weekend excursions consist of Dutch runs, thrifting and laps around the farmer’s market.

For starters, our campus is home to an expansive community forest with a scenic marsh and wildlife sanctuary within walking distance, but if you want some fresh air that’s not laced with THC, a quick drive up north is your best shot. Between Orick and Crescent City are dozens of miles of pristine forest, grasslands and beaches all protected by the National and State Park Service. Below is a list of essential day and overnight trips in the area you would be remiss to pass up before you graduate.

Trillium Falls Trail Loop (40 min drive)

About 40 miles up the 101 lies a left turn onto Davidson Road, where you can pull over to watch the occasional elk herd graze in the surrounding meadows. Beyond that is a questionably narrow route to Gold Bluffs Beach, which offers car camping reservations, but you’re better off making another left at the junction which will lead you to the Trillium Falls Trail. The two-or-so-mile loop makes for a laid-back tour of Humboldt’s temperate rainforest ecosystem, featuring vibrant plant life like the crack willow and American skunk cabbage. The titular falls rest near the end, and I’ll prescribe a minimum of one splash to the face for a good time. Just be careful not to slip on the mossy rocks.

Sue Meg State Park (20 min drive)

Sue Meg, pronounced Soo-May, is a shorter trip not far past Trinidad, and it is popular among travelers for good reason. Apart from its maintained campgrounds, it contains some excellent views of the rocky coastlines which occur more up in southern Oregon. Chief among these vistas are Patrick’s Point, which becomes a great spot for humpback whale watching in the early summer, and Wedding Rock, which juts out into the sea with a medieval castle aesthetic, and can in fact be just as magical for proposals! In the shadow of these monoliths is a trail to the water line, and at low tide you can explore some immaculate pools of north coast sea life.

Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway (45 min drive)

A few minutes past Davidson Road will get you to Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. If you drive up to Humboldt from SoCal, this is like a souped-up version of the Avenue of the Giants, complete with bigger trees, a bike-friendly road and several diversions worth your time. The first and most interesting one is Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, which welcomes you with a massive grassy clearing open to sightseeing, hiking and camping. This place holds your best chance of spotting Roosevelt elk, the largest subspecies of elk on the continent and native only to our area. If you’re headed up to Crescent City or Oregon, I highly recommend taking the full length of the parkway as a scenic alternate.

Redwood Creek Trail (30 min drive)

If you love nature enough, you will eventually go backpacking. It is an unfortunate pipeline, and hardcore outdoors enthusiasts need not look further than the Redwood Creek Trail just beyond Orick. The path runs along the bank of a sizable river, and certain parts may get flooded during the rainy season. But a few puddles never hurt a young adventurer like yourself, and once you push through, you will be rewarded with stellar photo ops and one or two guaranteed wildlife encounters. Two designated campsites lay partway down the trail, but the real gem of this locale is its permittance of dispersed camping anywhere on the river’s gravel bars. If civilization in Humboldt still somehow overwhelms you like it does me, you will delight in the total isolation of this forested retreat where no one will hear you scream.

Nick is a sophomore minoring in journalism who reports on happenings of all sorts. As a wildlife major, he enjoys nature-related pieces. On his off days, you can find him taking a hike behind campus or collecting shiny stuff on the beach.