NorCalPulse Humboldt
12 Epic Picnic Spots in Humboldt County. Part 5 - Trinidad State Beach (Kayak Tour)
Our 5th Picnic was especially exciting as we had some special guests join us for this trip. Eureka Natural Foods, in partnership with NorCalPulse and Kayak Trinidad, ran a contest at each of their locations where a lucky winner and a guest would be treated to a kayak excursion and lunch on the beach. Writer Jessica Ashley Silva captures all the fun, food and beauty of Trinidad Bay.
Sometimes the best picnic places aren't places you walk to. For those of us yearning for adventure, we paddle to the perfect picnic spot, braving cold Pacific waters and thalassophobia, with hopes of spying some sea creatures along the way. Trinidad Bay provides an ideal coastline for beginner kayakers, with sea stacks and shoreline stretching east and south, offering beach after beach to paddle into and explore, its waters calm and protected by the massive Trinidad Head to the west.
The Place
For picnic number five in Trinidad Bay, a group of us gathered in the early morning, donning wetsuits and sea-spray jackets provided by Kayak Trinidad. Save for one, we were all first timers, and I may or may not have been experiencing mild terror at the thought of sharks plotting to tip me over and make me the main course of their own undersea picnic. We were quickly set at ease by our guides, Nick and Alex, who assured us we'd be safe under their watch; if we did fall in, they could pull us out and get us back in our boats.
Instructions for mutiny started our day. We outnumbered our guides three to one, they reminded us, and the knowledge we could overthrow our seaguides bolstered our confidence for the impending sea voyage. (Spoiler alert: there were no mutinous shenanigans, we fully adored our guides). After a short safety briefing, we loaded into our respective kayaks – single-seaters or doubles – and the guides launched us into the ocean.
"...orange and purple starfish and bright green anemones were visible above and below the waterline"
Within seconds, it was clear how easy it was to balance in the kayak; fears of flipping over melted away. The calm, waveless waters made paddling a breeze. We set out as a group around Trinidad's Little Head, made our way beyond the pier to the eastern and southern sides of the (bigger) Head, where orange and purple starfish and bright green anemones were visible above and below the waterline. We paddled past Prison Rock, Flat Rock, and a smattering of other sea stacks covered in goose barnacles and sea urchins, with colonies of cormorants and other seabirds perched on their highest points — our guides were filled with knowledge about all these local creatures. At one point, they pulled up a purple urchin, cracked it open, and gave us a bite of uni; a salty, buttery, savory delight, a little taste of the ocean – don't fret for this poor little urchin, they are pests and overpopulated. Tasty, tasty pests.
~ Looking for Epic Places to Picnic? Check out these Incredible Spots ~
Tom Creek Meadow at Big Lagoon State Park with home chef and food writer Jessica Ashley Silva
Cheatham Grove with Humboldt Foodies Group Contest Winner, Carrie Anne Nuse
Founders' Grove with Gaby Long of A Taste of Bim (Eureka)
Rohner Park with Janell Page of Clean Queen Meal Prep (Fortuna)
The kayaks come with dry hatches that work well for packing lunch and taking it with you wherever you decide to paddle. There's beach after beach stretching eastward and south with sandy shores good for beaching and hopping out for lunch (in case you don't want to eat lunch on the water, which is also an option). We settled on Old Home Beach, a half-mile stretch of oceanfront splendor with rocks to climb on, tiny streams to hop over, and the occasional driftwood shack to live in for an afternoon. A colony of harbor seals were posted up on some rocks nearby, giving us a nice little lunch-time show.
The Food
Our kayaking picnic was a fresh and healthy lunch from the Eureka Natural Foods (ENF) Mckinleyville kitchen. We tore into some sesame chicken wraps with cucumber, sprouts, and shredded carrot; they were cool and crisp, like the red and yellow watermelon we had on the side. ENF has always been a great spot to stop for lunch to-go when I'm heading out on an all-day hike (I'm a sucker for delicious and convenient). The deli has some of the best sandwiches around, piled high and scrumptious, with snacks and sweet treats in the deli case, too. And the juice and coffee bar? They make mixological magic back there – for our picnic, we had watermelon and strawberry lemonade with mint, super refreshing after a paddle in the morning sunshine.
Don't even get me started on their hot food bar… I'm obsessed (weekly menu here), but I digress.
After loading up on wraps, fruit, juice, and water, we loaded back into our kayaks and headed out for the final stretch of adventure for the day. I took off my splash jacket – it was a beautiful day, one of the warmest mornings I've ever spent on the water in Humboldt. I was the first one they launched into the water and I paddled ahead. When I stopped and looked back, the others were framed perfectly against the backdrop of Old Home Beach, their kayaks a floating rainbow of color on the sea. We decided we were ready to level up before the end of the day, so we headed west to get our first taste of open water.
The southwestern tip of Trinidad Head has a lighthouse on it, so catching a glimpse of that was the goal. As we paddled closer, the waves got a little bigger, lightly rolling and keeping us on our toes, requiring us to paddle with more presence and purpose. The fog rolled in, cloaking the western side of the Head with that classic Humboldt view – it was glorious. We floated for a bit, enjoying the vastness of the open ocean, before turning back for the day. We paddled along the sides of Trinidad Head, saying goodbye to the starfish and urchins before heading under the Seascape Pier and jumping out for the day.
We didn't see any whales, and no dolphins or river otters, either, but it didn't really matter – the day was glorious, and I'll definitely be back for more. But still, no sharks, please.
Eureka Natural Foods is a family-run grocery store serving Northern California for over 35 years. They strive to offer natural and organic products free of GMO's, antibiotics, hormones, pesticides and radiation. They believe that taking responsibility for your health through healthful eating and body care is a way of life.
Eureka Natural Foods has locations in Eureka and McKinleyville
Humboldt County's premiere paddlesports instruction & guiding center based in the beautiful seaside village of Trinidad, California. Nestled at the gateway to the California Coastal National Monument along the rugged redwood coast, Trinidad offers up some of the most spectacular coastal paddling in the world. From kayak & paddleboard rentals at Big Lagoon to beginner friendly lessons and whale & wildlife tours of Trinidad Bay to advanced instruction & coastal exploration, they can help you achieve your goals.
How to Get to Eureka Natural Foods
ENF's Eureka Location --> Click HERE for a map/directions.
ENF's McKinleyville Location --> Click HERE for a map/directions
How to Get to Kayak Trinidad
Kayak Trinidad Headquarters/Store --> Click HERE for a map/directions
Other Articles You May Enjoy
5 Reasons To Love Fortuna's Rohner Park
Hiking the Ossagon Trail At Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Connect With Us
Jessica is the admin of the popular Humboldt Foodies Facebook Group covering all things food in Humboldt County.
Photography by Jessica Ashley Silva.
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Written by Jessica Ashley Silva for norcalpulse.com
Jessica is a technical writer living in Humboldt County, California. Her freelance writing covers the tastes and sights of California's North Coast. She's an avid foodie, forager, and explorer of forests, falls, and springs up and down the Pacific Northwest.
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