Sue-meg California State Park

on April 16, 2024

Introduction:

What? :

Sue-meg is a 640-acre park in the heart of the California coast's redwood country. It doesn’t have any redwoods of its own, but since it’s only about 20 miles from Redwood National and State Parks, it tends to act as an overflow campground for visitors to the redwoods.

The park is on the rocky Trinidad coast and is dominated by a dense spruce grove. There’s a large beach (Agate Beach), tide polls, and a reconstructed Yurok village. It is fun place to spend the night and explore the shores and the cliffs.

Although Sue-meg is not a big park (only 1 square mile in size) it do have more than 120 campgrounds sites, so it is very popular during the summertime.

Where? :

The park is located west of highway 101 (exit 734).

The park is 25 miles north of Eureka and 56 miles south of Crescent City, 7 miles north of Trinidad.

Google Map Link

Additional Blogs on Nearby Locations:

When? :

Year around park.

As many other places on the north California coastline also here the temperatures are mailed year-round (65-35f). You can expect fog all year especially during the summer. Rainfall averages about 60 inches a year, most of it between October and April.

Due note 1: Until 2021 the park name was Patrick’s Point State Park. Sue-meg is the original indigenous name for the area.

Due note 2: Sue-meg has about 120 camping sites that are mainly good for drive-in tent and small RV (up to 31 feet) camping. It does not offer any RV hookups. Usually, it’s easier to get reservations here than in Redwood National Parks, but based on my personal experience it is usually full during summer months.
For campsite reservation visit:

https://www.reservecalifornia.com/Web/

Due note 3: Near the campsites (each with a table, fire pits, and cupboard) you can find water faucets, restrooms, showers, and dump-station.

Due note 4: Swimming is not advised. The ocean off Sue-meg State Park is cold and dangerous.

Due note 5: Dogs are permitted only in the campground and day-use areas, not on the trails or on the beach.

Due note 6: In Agate Beach you may find agates, collecting stones at Agate Beach is allowed, but no more than one armload is permitted per person.

Due note 7: The southern part of the park near Palmer’s Point is an excellent place to explore the tide pools.

Due note 8: From the cliffs along the coastline, you may see during spring and fall the migration of gray whales along the west coast of North America (from Alaska to Baja California and back).

My thoughts:

I try to get camping site here during one of my visits but fail, it was fully booked.

During my March 2024 visit I came here at the morning, went down to Agate Beach at the north section of the park and later went and did the cliff loop trail. I also visit the reconstructed Yurok plank-house village.

It is fun place to visit, relatively easy hike along the cliff front with options to go down and explore tidepools.

The Visit:

Although the park is in the redwood area of northern California there are very few redwoods at Sue-meg. The woods surrounding the large grasslands patches in the park are mainly Sitka spruce, red alder, Douglas-fir, western hemlock, and shore pine.

The park is family friendly and an excellent place for a day or two of relaxing camping. There are many things to see and explore, with network of trails connecting the campgrounds to the park attractions.

If you are coming here only for the hike, exploring the Agate beach and the visit the native Yurok people village than half day visit will be enough.

Native People:

Yurok people have lived in and around Sue-meg State Park for generations. Yurok people-built villages of redwood planks along the coast and major waterways. In 1850, when gold was found in California's interior, the Yurok people were overwhelmed by an influx of settlers. The native people were hunted down, and the survivors were forced onto reservations. Today, over 6,000 Yurok live in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

In the middle of the park there is small, reconstructed Yurok plank-house village.

You can get into the half-buried houses located in an open grassy section in the middle of the park.

Agate Beach Hike:

Agate Beach is located at the north side of the park. A short but steep trail start from the Agate Beach parking lot and lead you to the beach below.

Here you can go and explore the tide pools near the cliff or walk north on the long open beach.

When I visit here, right after the rain there was a small waterfall on the creek leading to the beach, you can see the waterfall midway going down on a short side trail.

Rim Trail - Loop Hike:

My recommendation for a hike in the park is 3.8-mile-long loop hike that following most of the park ocean cliff edge using Rim Trail.

I started my hike at Agate Beach parking lot, went south and enter the trail.

Here, I simply follow the trail that is clearly marked. Along the hike I took side trail to the right heading to the ocean or cliff viewing points.

One of the nicest viewing points is Wedding Rock, here you have a large platform curved in the rock.

On this side trail you can also have another trail that is heading to the rocks near the ocean.

I keep hiking on the Rim Trail south, passing below Lookout Rock heading to Penn Creek. After passing the Penn Creek wooden bridge I start to get back.

On the way back I cut the heart of the park, partly on roads or trails leading to the park gate.

I pass near the close visitor center and take the trail leading to the old, renovated Yurok people village in the middle of the park.

I visit the village and after that I went in the direction of my starting point, at Agate Beach parking lot.

This is a fun hike that combine, ocean view, cliffs, forest hike and interesting history of the native Yurok people.

www: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=417

Map: https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/417/files/Sue-megSP_FINALWebLayout_20220112.pdf

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