Arcata Community Forest
Managed by Arcata Recreation Division
683 acres15 mi of trail
Arcata Ridge TrailFickle Hill Grade3.5Spruce City Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Jss3255 · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Arcata
42% of Arcata’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 33 miles of mapped trail cross Arcata, 3.5 per square mile of land. 42% of Arcata’s land is conserved, about 2,549 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #11 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
2,549 acres · of 9.4 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
3.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,534 ac
136 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
20 mi
14 mi lanes · 5.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
11
What kind of outdoors town is Arcata?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Arcata have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Arcata is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #11 of 847 in California. All four inputs put Arcata near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Arcata’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails3.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land136 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,534 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)#11 of 847
Water is 17% of Arcata’s area (2 of 11 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 35%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Arcata Community Forest, with 15 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Arcata Community Forest - Sunny Brae Tract
Managed by Arcata Recreation Division
335 acres4.1 mi of trail
Beith Creek Loop TrailArcata Ridge TrailPanorama Court Connector
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trail sign
Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary
Nature preserve
265 acres4 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Carlson Park
Managed by Arcata Recreation Division
19 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Redwood Park
Managed by Arcata Recreation Division
24 acres0.7 mi of trail
Redwood Park TrailNature Trail Loop
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Arcata Community Park & Sports Complex
Park
26 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Shay Park
Managed by Arcata Recreation Division
6 acres0.4 mi of trail
Shay Park to Foster Avenue spur
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 20 parks & preserves
Arcata Community Forest683 acres · 15 mi of trail · Arcata Recreation Division
DirectionsArcata Community Forest - Sunny Brae Tract335 acres · 4.1 mi of trail · Arcata Recreation Division
DirectionsArcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary265 acres · 4 mi of trail
DirectionsCarlson Park19 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Arcata Recreation Division
DirectionsRedwood Park24 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Arcata Recreation Division
DirectionsArcata Community Park & Sports Complex26 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsShay Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Arcata Recreation Division
DirectionsAldergrove Marsh22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSunny Brae Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Mad River Slough Wildlife Area24 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge18 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Valley West Park4 acres · Arcata Recreation Division
Larson Park2 acres
DirectionsWindsong Park2 acres
DirectionsWestwood Manor Park2 acres · Arcata Recreation Division
DirectionsChevret-Vaissade Park1 acres
Stewart Park1 acres
DirectionsArcata Plaza1 acres
DirectionsJanes Creek Meadows Park1 acres
D Street Linear Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,549 conserved acres
42% of Arcata’s land. Water is left out: Arcata has 9.4 square miles of land and 2.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Arcata’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city2,711 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service36 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)13 ac
State fish & wildlife10 ac
Local Resource Management Area · 1,499 acLocal Conservation Area · 845 acConservation Easement · 195 acLocal Park · 109 acLocal Other or Unknown · 47 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 32 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 39 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcata Community Forest Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 644 | Open |
| Jacoby Creek-Gannon Slough Wildlife Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 584 | Open |
| Jacoby Creek Forest Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 518 | Open |
| Sunny Brae Forest Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 336 | Open |
| Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 259 | Open |
| Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 36 | Restricted |
| Arcata Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Redwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Aldergrove Marsh Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Carlson Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
29 places to go in Arcata
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Arcata
Arcata Community ParkIn Arcata Community Park & Sports Complex
DirectionsPlus 26 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Arcata
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Arcata
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
23 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 20.8 miHorses · 17.9 miUnpaved · 22.2 mi
Arcata Ridge Trail2.3 mi
Beith Creek Loop Trail2.0 mi
Potawat Indian Health Village1.6 mi
Fickle Hill Grade0.9 mi
3.50.8 mi
Nature Trail Loop0.7 mi
Spruce City Trail0.6 mi
California Trail0.6 mi
Vista Trail0.6 mi
Lower Janes Creek Trail0.6 mi
13 more trails
Meadow Trail
0.6 miPowerline Trail
0.6 miRidge Loop Trail
0.5 miBig Rock Trail
0.5 miRidge Loop Single Track
0.4 miUpper Janes Creek Trail
0.4 miLong Loop Trail
0.4 miPanorama Court Connector
0.3 miShort Trail
0.2 miSouth Fork Trail
0.2 miRedwood Park Trail
0.2 miSitka Trail
0.1 miBig Rock Cutoff
0.1 miBiking & sports
20 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
14 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.4 mi
off-road bike paths
0.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
21Basketball
11Baseball
6Tennis
5Soccer
2Skate park
2Football
1Pickleball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Schorlig HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itWhaley HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itJacoby BuildingBuilding · listed 1982
About itHotel ArcataBuilding · listed 1984
About itPhillips HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itPythian CastleBuilding · listed 1986
About itStone HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itJohn G. Chapman HouseBuilding · listed 2011
About itJames Kleiser HouseBuilding · listed 2023
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Arcata: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 55 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 60 | 63 | 65 | 66 | 65 | 63 | 58 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 8.0 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 2.9 | 5.9 | 9.7 |
July is the driest month (0.2 in) and August the warmest (highs of 66 °F). 9.7 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Arcata →
Next door
Arcata and its neighbors
Arcata has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcata | 42% | 3.5 | 136 | 99%+ | A+ |
| McKinleyville | 11% | 1.1 | 84 | 74% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Arcata
Where can I hike in Arcata?
The longest trail networks: Arcata Community Forest, 15 miles; Arcata Community Forest - Sunny Brae Tract, 4.1 miles; Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, 4 miles; Carlson Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Arcata is conserved land?
42% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Arcata’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Arcata Community Forest (on leash), Arcata Community Forest - Sunny Brae Tract (on leash), Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary (on leash) and Redwood Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Arcata?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 14 of painted or protected lanes, 5.4 of off-road paths and 0.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Arcata?
12,499 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Arcata or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,534 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Arcata have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #11 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Arcata neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →