From the parking lot, follow the beach south. Atop the nearby wooded bluffs are some excellent environmental campsites. About a half mile along, the mixed black-and-white sand beach broadens. You'll reach the north end of Big Lagoon about 0.75 mile from the trailhead.
Now you'll walk the crest of the barrier beach, dotted with sea rocket, dune tansy and sand verbena. Two miles out, you'll notice a couple of low spots in the sandspit. During very high tides, waves crest the sandspit, spilling into the lagoon.
Three miles along, you'll get a good view of Big Lagoon at its widest- more than a mile across. On the east side grows a forest of Sitka spruce and some wind-sculpted redwoods.
Humboldt Lagoons is located 40 miles north of Eureka and 55 miles south of Crescent City on Highway 101. (Latitude/Longitude: 41.1900 / -124.1206)
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