County Profile

Humboldt County, located in Northwest California, is the southern gateway to the Pacific Northwest. The county is bound on the north by Del Norte county; on the east by Siskiyou and Trinity counties; on the south by Mendocino county and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The county encompasses 2.3 million acres, 80 percent of which is forest lands, protected redwoods and recreation areas.
Cities
The South
The southern part of the county includes the following cities:
  • Alton
  • Carlotta
  • Hydesville
  • Rio Dell
  • Scotia
Arcata Bay
Avenue of the Giants
It also includes the Avenue of the Giants communities:
  • Garberville
  • Redway
  • Eel
  • Mattole
  • Van Duzen River Communities
  • Humboldt Redwoods
  • Richardson Grove
  • Grizzly Creek State Parks
  • The King Range National Conservation Area
The North
The northern part of the county includes the following cities:
  • City of Trinidad
  • Orick
  • Redwood National Park
  • Prairie Creek
  • Humboldt Lagoons State Parks
  • Several State Beaches
The East
The eastern part of the county includes:
  • Willow Creek
  • Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation
  • Orleans
  • A great deal of 6 Rivers National Forest Land
Highways & Travel
The southern border of the county is located 225 miles north of San Francisco, the closest major metropolitan city. The county is linked by Coastal Highway 101 to the rest of California to the South and the Oregon Coast to the North. Highway 299 links the county to Interstate 5 to the east. The county airport in McKinleyville has daily flights to San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland and Seattle.
Map of Arcata Bay