If you love to ride your ATV or have been itching to try the sport, head to the Samoa Dunes Recreation Area. This is a great place to go for an afternoon of launching up and over sand dunes, making sharp turns and triggering sand to shoot into the air. With more than 140 acres of trails and beach, there is plenty of space to play. Bring you own ATV since they are not available to rent. There is also a 75-acre riding area known as Eureka Dunes, which is now open to off-highway vehicles. It extends about one mile north of the park.
Take a break from all the fun to cook some food on one of the grills. If you are not an ATV enthusiast, you'll still enjoy the many other activities the park provides, such as strolling down the jetty, hiking, surfing, fishing, seeing the starfish clinging to the jetty rocks, beachcombing or birdwatching. While walking around, you may even encounter heaps of shells, which were discarded by the Wiyot Indians who used this land long ago as a seasonal gathering site for shellfish.
A variety of sea- and shore-birds can be seen nesting and resting in the cypress tree groves throughout the 300-acre park. The northeast 40 acres are protected habitat for the endangered Humboldt Bay wallflower, which, as an indicator species, functions like a canary in the coal mine for its immediate surroundings.
WHERE: Take Hwy 255 off Hwy 101 in Eureka. Go across the Samoa Bridge and turn left (south) onto New Navy Base Road. Drive about 4 miles down the road to the end.
MORE INFO: BLM, 707-825-2300
