Paddling near McKinleyville, CA

McKinleyville sits in Humboldt County on California's rugged Redwood Coast, where the paddling scene revolves around protected lagoons, tidal bays, sloughs, and stretches of open coastline. Humboldt Bay — with its wildlife refuge waters, eel grass beds, and tidal sloughs — is the dominant flatwater destination in the region, while the coastal lagoons of Humboldt Lagoons State Park draw kayakers and SUP paddlers seeking calm, sheltered water backed by redwood forest. Trinidad Bay adds a more exposed coastal experience for those ready for ocean conditions.