Where to hike with a dog in Humboldt County: Trinidad Head Loop

This hike is so short, I easily spent three times as much time driving to the trail than I spent walking on it. But the views of the Pacific Ocean you see from atop Trinidad Head immediately dissolved every minute I spent in the car to reach them.

Just one of the many spur trails leading to great views (All photos by Nathan DeHart.)

The trail begins.

And those views begin even before you park at the beach, with the pier and cove at the foot of Trinidad Head leading you to where the pavement turns to sand. 

The parking lot was easy to find, but the trailhead wasn't, tucked discreetly into a corner of the parking lot. The trail immediately heads uphill, but the climb is short and far from arduous, especially with the ocean beckoning at every turn. 






There are many dirt spur trails leading off the pavement and I recommend heading down every one of them, as each had a better view than the last. Until, of course, you reach the one that has a rock staircase leading to a rocky cliff edge that gives you the feeling of floating above the ocean. (And can also make you very uncomfortable if you are afraid of heights.)



But even without the ocean views the trail is beautiful, lined with colorful flowers and tall hedges so lush they form tunnels and made me feel as if I were in the tropics.

This trail was likely not very exciting for the dog, she cares far more about roaming off-leash than gazing at the ocean, but it is still a great trail made even greater because I could share it with my dog.

How to get there: To reach the Trinidad Head Loop, take the Trinidad exit off Highway 101 (about 30 miles north of Eureka) and head west toward the water and the pier. Once the road ends you will find a cove to the left and a parking lot to the right. If you head past the lighthouse to the cove, you'll find bathrooms and a drinking fountain, as well as a restaurant that comes highly recommended by both the hiking book "Northern California Hiking" and a close friend, but I did not eat there.

The book also recommended doing the 1.5 mile loop in a counter-clockwise direction, which I did do, but I'm not sure it would make the views any less stunning if you went in the opposite direction.