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    Samoa Dunes Recreation Area

    4.1 (17 reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 6:00 pm

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    Neal E.

    Samoa Dunes Recreation Area is a coastal dunes area on the Samoa Peninsula - on the North Side of Humboldt Day. It's managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Department of the Interior. There are a lot of activities to be experienced here. The BLM has designated ORV trails for use by folks with Off Road Vehicles. There are places to grill and picnic, or just walk along the beach. There are a number of interpretive signs at various locations along boardwalks and trails. Also of note is that specific areas are cordoned off from the public - to protect some ecologically fragile areas, including certain plant species. Lots of folks here enjoying the outdoors! #SamoaDunesRecreationArea #BureauofLandManagement #BLM

    Derek B.

    This is a great place to come to enjoy the ocean, bay, sand, trails and ATVs. Something for everyone. The bay side has little beaches and coves to relax or walk your dog. The dunes have places to ride ATVs, and the ocean and jetty are open to explore when conditions are safe. This is also a great place to watch the sunset as there is plenty of room to spread out usually. I give this three stars though despite my love for it because of some of the unsavory characters that I have encountered lurking around the campgrounds nearby, or inconsiderate people blocking access to the beach, etc. While it has nothing to do with the place, the vibe can definitely change depending on the day.

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    1 month ago

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    7 months ago

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    7 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Flat spacious land. It was cloudy here and I guess good place for ATVing. Otherwise, I thought it was okay. It is near Samoa Cookhouse.

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    12 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    7 years ago

    The Trinidad beaches are more spectacular but the dunes in Samoa are really amazing, and there are so many fun, easy access beaches!

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    12 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    13 years ago

    This beach is great for people riding on the dunes, terrible for families! Atvs riding all over, very loud. Also it's exposed. Noisy!

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    13 years ago

    Great beach when the weather isn't too windy. We like to take the dog, and walk on the beach.

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    Mad River Beach

    Mad River Beach

    4.2(22 reviews)
    12.3 mi

    So. Many. SAND DOLLARS!! It's mind blowing - every few feet there's another one, and another one,…read moreand another one!! And this is probably the first California beach I've ever had all to myself! I think I saw 1-2 other people and that was it...fantastic!! I visited in March as part of my Redwoods trip...it's easy to get to along the Redwoods Coast - highly recommend if you're in the area. It was cloudy, cold, and windy - but that made it even more gorgeous! Very cozy...I loved it! The colors were dramatic and waves were angry - such a mood!! To get to the beach, you have to walk over a stretch of sand dunes dotted with clumps of beach grass. And then it's wide open beach after that. Lots of shorebirds, sand dollars, and shells to keep you occupied. There are looming mountains off in the distance. So photogenic! There's a small-ish parking lot (I didn't see any bathrooms) with a gate that indicates the entrance to the beach walk. Before you get to the parking lot, there's a yellow sort of gate area that they close at a certain time every evening - there are plenty of signs to tell you what time it closes and don't get caught behind it after hours or you'll have to call the cops and get towed! Apparently, down the other road to the right of the gate takes you to a boat ramp and horse staging area. Be sure to make a stop at the nearby Mad River Bridge too - you can miss it!! Totally worth it - especially since you're already in the area (see my bridge review - it has a cool history and views)!

    This beach hold many memories of bon fire nights with friends along with star gazing nights…read more Beware this beach is open sunrise to sunset so make sure to park outside the fenced area if you want to stay after closing. Also be careful when waking in the areas where folks have bon fires by the beach, there are many sharp objects such as construction nails and such especially since people prefer to use wood pallets for bon fires. Back in the day there way no fenced area so it was fairly easy to stumble on rocks or sharp grass back to the car especially if a friend had too much to drink. Once in awhile you will see dark objects bobbing their heads in the water. Don't be too alarmed it might be a seal. I wasn't sure at first but I made sure to zoom in on my camera ;-)

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    Mad River Beach
    Mad River Beach - Lots of sand dollars!

    Lots of sand dollars!

    Mad River Beach - Butterfly flowers?

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    Butterfly flowers?

    College Cove

    College Cove

    4.2(5 reviews)
    21.1 mi

    My son brought us here since it's one of the places the college kids hang out at…read moreThere was a small lot which led to a gorgeous trail covered in trees When we emerge from the trees, it was the ocean with the most insane view ever It's a walk, not a hike so very easy I could see why the kids like to hang out here When we went, it was mostly families, but I imagine it changes later in the day Definitely check this place out. It was gorgeous. A completely different view of the previous hike I had done in Trinidad

    We go up to Eureka about once a month, especially in the summer, and are always trying to find new…read moreplaces to explore. Everyone kept saying that Trinidad has some very nice scenic beaches to explore. So we did an eeny meeny miney more and ended up picking College Cove. People definitely were not lying about the steep downhill trek to get to the beach. Some parts at least had stairs, others I pretty much had to crab crawl down to avoid slipping and falling. However as said it is definitely doable, just a bit of a pain. Once you reach the beach you stand in awe and amazement at all of the rock formations. We went on a Wednesday morning around 11 a.m. and there were other people there as well. By the time we decided to head out an hour later there were more and more people showing up. It's no fun BTW trying to stand to the side on your trek back up while people are trying to come down at the same time. There were a ton of starfish on the far left of the beach. Not much for seashell finding or small beach rocks. The beach was pretty clean, nice to not see litter on the beach like some other beaches. It's not that terribly big of a beach either, my guess is it's likely more quiet earlier in the morning vs mid morning and afternoon. With so many different beaches in Humboldt, there really is no need to go back to this one. Despite the beautiful rock formations (which you can find at a lot of northern west coast beaches), and the starfish, I feel what you get for the trek down isn't all that worth it.

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    College Cove
    College Cove
    College Cove

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    Samoa Dunes Recreation Area - beaches - Updated August 2026

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