Arcata Marsh Trail

Arcata Marsh Trail

Arcata Marsh Trail

Location: Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, Humboldt County, CA
Miles: 2 – 4.5 miles
Difficulty: easy
Duration: 1 – 2 hours

Users: Dogs and mountain bikes permitted. No horses.

Features: Arcata Marsh, popular bird-watching destination, 250+ different species (belted kingfishers, ospreys, black phoebes and more), wooden photography blinds to hide and take pictures of birds, guided tours by the Audubon Society every Saturday at 8:30am, Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center (children activities held here)

Trail: 2 mile loop on a flat levee that can be extended on other trails for a longer trip

Trails in Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary are popular with hikers, campers, and nature lovers. There are hand-curated trail maps especially made for the adventurous soul.

Marsh volunteers lead tours of the wildlife sanctuary. Reservations are not necessary for walks and you can do your hike, rain, or shine.

Here’s a list of trails you can take:

• Oxidation Pond Trial
• Butcher’s Slough Trail
• Klopp Lake Trail
• Three Marshes Trail

The trail offers a number of activities and is accessible all year-round. Children’s Activities are also available for your kids such as Jr. Marsh Explorer, Marsh Madness Adventure Quest, and Summer Camps.

Top 3 Adventure Hacks

1) Volunteer!

To keep the trails maintained all year round, the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary and the City of Arcata accept volunteers.

Volunteers are expected to:

• Remove non-native plants
• Collect trash
• Plant trees
• Work on Trails

2) Wear your running shoes

Most of the trails are flat which is good for jogging!

3) Bring your binoculars

Of course, where there’s nature, there are birds! Since Arcata is home to more than 250 species of birds, best to bring those binoculars to look out for our winged friends.