Patrick's Point Overview

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Difficulty: Easy
Length: 5.7 miles / 9.2 km
Duration: Half day

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Overview: This loop walk provides an overview of much of Patrick Point but still leaves out plenty of activities and destinations for the rest of the day or weekend. It takes advantage of trail segments throughout the park to build one larger walk. At the same time, it can provide a foundation for detours down to beaches, tide pools, and most of the park's other attractions. To really see everything here, it takes a weekend trip. When talking with camping visitors, I was amazed at the number who keep coming back year after year!

Patrick Point is well known for a lot happening in a small place with several miles of trails, beaches, tide pools, a local famed Wedding Rock (still a popular place for weddings), and the list goes on.

Patrick's Point State Park is a 640 acre park located about 25 miles North of Eureka in the heart of California's coast redwood country.

The park activities include:
Hiking, biking, several camp options, a visitor center, interpretive programs, an active reconstructed Yurok Indian village.a native plant garden, visitor center, and 3 group picnic areas.

The park's forests are primarily spruce, hemlock, pine, fir and red alder which abound on an ocean headland. The forests are broken by extensive wildflower meadows.

The dramatic shoreline includes sandy beaches and sheer cliffs rising above the Pacific Ocean. Opportunities are here to explore tide pools, search for agates, driftwood, whale watching, sea lions, and birding.

Tips: Address
4150 Patrick's Point Drive
Trinidad, CA 95570

Location/ Directions:
The park is 25 miles north of Eureka and 56 miles south of Crescent City.
Latitude: 41.139833
Longitude: -124.14959

Operating Hours:
call the park

Contact:
The Ranger Staff:
(707) 677 - 3570

Supervising Ranger:
(707) 677 - 3132.

Weddings, special events or school groups:
Contact the Interpretive Specialist at
(707) 677 - 3110.
Reservations should be made at least one month in advance.

Seasons/Climate/Recommended clothing:
40 - 65 degrees during summer.
35 - 55 degrees during winter.

Patrick's Point has night and morning fog almost all year. During the summer it sometimes doesn't lift for days at a time although beautiful, crystal-clear days can often be enjoyed in spring and fall.

Rainfall averages about sixty inches a year, most of it falls between October and April.

ADA:
Camping
Agate Campground. Two generally accessible campsites are available. They include firm surface activity areas, accessible tables, fire circles and spigots. An accessible restroom with showers is available.

Trails
Campfire Center Trail. 0.22 miles, paved and level.
Nature Trail: (Native American Plants Trail) 0.16 mile. An interpretive nature trail with packed soil through forest. Restrooms are generally accessible.
Patrick’s Point Campfire Center Spur Trail. 0.15 mile. See campfire center trail, described above.
Patrick’s Point Access Trail: A short paved level trail about 500 feet long. Located at Wedding Rock parking lot.

Exhibits/Programs
Visitor's Center: Accessible parking is located adjacent to the visitor center with built-up curb ramp. The interior of the visitor center is generally accessible with assistance provided in the sales area as needed. Restrooms: Unisex restrooms in a close by separate building are available.

Points of Interest

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Highway exit at Patricks Point Drive

Take the Patricks Point Drive Exit. Follow Patricks Point Drive southerly to the park entrance (west of the highway).

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Visitor Center Turnout

Main entrance.

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Sumeg Village Trailhead

Trail head to Sumeg Village, a Sumeg canoe and informational signage.

The trail is a hiking/walking only trail.

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Trail Head

The trail head for the start of this walk. Across the road behind the entrance kiosk is the Penn Creek Campground Trail Head.

The primary forests and vegetation encountered will include:
Sitka spruce
Red alder
Douglas fir
Hemlock
Pine

If you've been hiking a lot of Redwood trails in Northern California lately, this will be a pleasant change.

The trail through this section is well graded and well traveled though bikes are not allowed.

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Penn Creek Campground

The trail enters the campground between sites 10 and 11.

Head clockwise down the paved road just past the opposite side of the campground restrooms to the continuation trail head of the Penn Creek Trail.

Water, showers and ADA restrooms provided. The campsites are quite nice with fire pits, benches, and food storage.

The next trail head is between Sites 7 and 9 near a trash station.

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Trail Head

This trail is marked no dogs, no bikes.

It starts off in low brush and Sitka forest.

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Trail Junction

The trail intersects with a portion of the California Coastal Trail, marked by a stone pillar. Head southerly (right). The trail will roughly parallel Patrick's Point Drive.

The Sitka Spruce has a very shallow root system which you can’t help but notice as you walk. As the trail progresses it will enter dense fern-dominated bog areas with periodic foot bridges over small creeks.

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Junction

Continue on the main trail. The side trail appears to head toward a road. There will be an immediate footbridge crossing over the tiny Penn Creek.

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Beach Creek Campground Parking

Beach Creek Group Campground can accommodate up to 100 people. The sites have tables and fire pits. Available here are water, restrooms, coin operated showers.

Our trail enters on the northerly side of the parking area. The continuation trail becomes increasingly difficult to find here. I would recommend going past the restrooms in a clockwise loop around the site, trying to miss crossing the occupied campsites. Patrick's Point Drive will keep you from going too far astray. Just past the sites at the far end the trail can be rejoined.

A faster path would be to cross the campground meadow, though there appear to be no obvious trails around individual campsites at the far end.

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Edge of Campsites-Volunteer Trail

If you're not familiar with the term, a "volunteer trail" is a non-official trail created by visitors.

Between the last point and this one is such a trail, in places it all but disappears in the brush. From around this point it becomes fairly easily traced to the next official trail to Palmer's Point.

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Creek Crossing

A fun little crossing. Walk across the 2" pipe while using the branch handhold for balance. It's short and fast. Continue along the trail.

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Massive Sitka Root mass.

A massive downed Sitka's root mass has taken out a short section of trail, the detour is easily followed.

Just down the trail additional downed trees have opened up the forest canopy.

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Trail Head

The trail intersects with the access road to Palmer's Point. Head down the road to the point. You'll note that across the road, about 150' westerly, will be the next trail head.

Head down the road past the meadows.

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Scenic View

A bench and scenic point overlooking the bay below, Patrick's Point, and Abalone Point.

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Patricks Point Overlook and Trail Head

Parking, scenic overlook, informational signage, and a trail down to the cove below.

If you've got the time, head down to the cove but stay well clear of waves. The park rightly advises no swimming, and strongly advises against even wading due to currents, a very strong undertow, and hidden holes. The area does get unpredictable rogue waves.

Tide tables are posted to facilitate visits to the tide pools below.

When done, head back up the road to the Rim Trail.

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Trail Head-Rim Trail

The trail head for the Rim Trail forms the next segment of this loop which follows the coastal bluff's top and at places, edge.

Along this segment are frequent vistas and overlooks along the rough coastline. For most of the walk the trail is under forest canopy.

The trail provides access to a number of additional destinations that include:

Abalone Point 0.6 miles
Lookout Rock 1.1 miles
Patrick's Point 1.1 miles
Wedding Rock 1.2 miles
Mussel Rock 1.4 miles
Agate Beach 2.0 miles

The trail continues through Sitka Spruce, fern, and shrub forest. It was initially set well back from the bluffs but there are tantalizing views down gullies to the coastline shore and through the vegetation.

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Bridge

Here you’ll come across a nice little bridge crossing Beech Creek with a waterfall down in the gully below. The trail has been generally level, following the contour line as it winds through the low coastal hills.

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Junction

Continue northerly on the Rim Trail toward the Abalone Campground.

Return trails from here will take one toward the Amphitheater, access roads, Beach Creek, and the park's core.

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View

As the trail rounds a nose, a wide view opens up that includes Abalone Point to the south, a valley below to the beaches, and nearly due north.

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Junction.

Here you’ll come to a junction with unmarked trails that will lead you to the park's amphitheater (south), Abalone Campgrounds (north), and toward the park entrance (east). From this point several service roads become accessible that will lead to most regions in the park as well.

Follow the trail over the bridge crossing and trends towards the coast and in a northerly direction.

The trail is either old asphalt or chip-seal paving.

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Bridge

A short bridge.

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Trail Collapse

A portion of the trail has collapsed down the bluff, however it is readily crossed.

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Nose with View

Backtracking a few feet is a walk out to a steep sided promontory with a view down a large gully to the coast below.

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Junction

Rim Trail junction.

North to
Patrick's Point 0.2 miles
Mussel Rock 0.6 miles
Agate Beach 1.0 miles

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Road

Meeting with an old service road, follow it through the Sitka Forest out toward the coast.

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Junction

Follow the trail northeasterly.

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Lookout Rock Parking Area

Head towards the northerly side of the lot and follow the trail.

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Junction

Trail between Lookout Rock and Rim Trail. Head downhill toward the coast. There will be steps down to another junction, past rock outcroppings.

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Junction

Located just past the rock outcroppings. Follow the trail out to Patrick's Point. It'll take you down-slope and down some steps out onto a rock-paved and fenced viewing area.

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Patricks Point Lookout

Views along the coast and down into the coves on either side.

When done, retrace back to the junction and then follow the parking lot to your right, north to the trail down to Wedding Rock.

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Trail Down to Wedding Rock

This little jaunt starts off easy down some steps and into a gully, drops down and follows a ridge out to the rock itself. On the way there will be side trails to the coves on either side of the rock.

Cut into the rock is a steep staircase trail with a few awkward steps to make the trip interesting. Take care on these steps - folks with back and leg problems will find them a challenge.

Wedding Rock is a popular stop at Patrick's Point and can often get crowded.

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Wedding Rock

The park's original caretaker was married here in the early 1900s. Over time he built the stone and mortar steps, walls, and platforms to facilitate a growing business renting the site out for other people's weddings.

To this day, the park continues that tradition and at a very good price. A happy little note: the proceeds stay with the park.

The views are fantastic up and down the coast. It's also common to encounter an Interpretive Ranger out here relating stories and talking about the natural and cultural history of the region.

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Return to Parking Lot

Return to the parking lot and follow the Rim Trail as it heads in an easterly direction parallel to the service road.

Shortly it will head back into forest cover.

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Rim Trail

Continue on the Rim Trail. Some of the plants along this segment include Columbine and Twinberry. Sword Ferns are also common.

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Junction

The trail down to Muscle Rocks.

Continue on the Rim Trail.

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View Point

Looking north along the coast to Agate Beach and up to Humboldt Lagoons SP.

Some local plants include Sword Fern, False Lilly of the Valley, and Alpine Lady Fern.

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Bridge

A horsetail-filled creek and view down a gully toward the coastline.

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Trail Closure and Detour

The Rim Trail is closed at this point due to a cliff slide which removed a segment of it. Agate Beach can be reached via the Agate Beach Campground and the Agate Beach trail.

And yes, there are Agates to be found on the beach. Quantities and availability appears subject to seasonal winter beach erosion and the volume of park visitors.

Follow the trail that heads into Agate Beach Campground.

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Agate Beach Campground

Follow the road through the center of the camps that takes you past Sites 83-97.

This drive in campground has restrooms, showers, a total of 38 sites that include 3 ADA sites.

When approaching a restroom near the camp's center keep an eye open for the Trail Head for the Ceremonial Rocks.

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Trail Head

Ceremonial Rock. The trail will start immediately on a gentle down-slope into dense woods and into a small fern and broad-leaf shaded creek with bridge.

Head up the other side of the gully and across a park access road. Many of the trees in here are imported Monterrey Cyprus.

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Meadow

The trail crosses a broad fern and grass meadow with Shasta Daisy assorted ferns. After the meadow the trail passes into a Cyprus forest and across a bridged dry creek.

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Junction

3-way Junction, head up the northerly trail to Ceremonial Rock.

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Junction

Ceremonial Rock Junction. Follow the sign in to the heart of several building-sized rock outcroppings.

These rocks were at one time "sea stacks" like the Wedding Rock we visited earlier. They give dramatic evidence of the rise and fall of sea levels and geologic uplift.

Routes have been created to provide easy access to the tops. Below, between the rocks you’ll find a pleasant hollow, several benches, and a fun place to explore.

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Ceremonial Rock Top and Viewpoint

107 feet above the lands below and 287 feet above sea level, the top of Ceremonial Rock provides a stunning panorama of the coastal lands below. It's one of the "must see" locations within the park.

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Junction

Return to the junction and follow the trail southward (right) back in the direction of the Red Alder Campground. From there, follow the trails back to the Visitor's Center.

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