Fields of wildflowers in Arcata Bottom

Spring arrives early along the coast of California. Even the far North Coast.

The days are noticeably longer, the daffodils are in bloom, the robins are back, and baby calves are huddled in a barn. The calendar says spring won’t be here for another month, but Mother Nature has her own agenda.

Arcata, in Humboldt County, is a bike riders dream. The Arcata Bottom, a vast agricultural land that stretches to the ocean, is flat, bucolic, and beautiful. Roads meander from farm to farm with miles of old barbed wire fencing to keep the sheep and cows in their fields.

Young calf at the fence line

Canada geese descend on the fields in masses while still more fly above. Sandpipers dig for food in mud flats while robins pull up huge worms from grassy pastures.

The Bottom is full of old barns

All this just minutes away from downtown Arcata, a small university town six miles north of Eureka. There are plenty of inexpensive motels to choose from for your weekend on the North Coast. The area code for all of the motels is (707):

• Super 8   822-8888
• Motel 6   822-7061
• Comfort Inn   826-2827
• Quality Inn   822-0409
• Howard Johnson   826-9660
• Hotel Arcata   826-9660
• Days Inn   822-4861
• Fairwinds   822-4824
• Best Western Inn   826-0313
• Quality Inn   822-1071

Timing an Arcata Bottom bike ride is easy. With the wide open spaces, there’s full sun all day. And because of its location, there are many options for breakfast, lunch, ice cream…all things necessary on a casual bike ride. And getting lost is never a problem with the ocean to the west, and Arcata to the east.

Come to Humboldt County for a springtime bike ride in Arcata.