Eureka

Get in

By car

Most visitors choose to travel to the Redwood Coast by car to enjoy the picturesque scenery.

• is the primary route through Eureka and the region, linking it with the San Francisco Bay Area to the south and Oregon Coast to the north. Driving time from the Bay Area is four to six hours through the spectacular scenery of Mendocino and Humboldt Counties, including an option to traverse the scenic bypass of the appropriately named Avenue of the Giants (State Route 254) which is surrounded by towering coast redwoods. Driving time from the Oregon border is two hours, with a connection to Portland (about 7 hours) via U.S. Route 199.
• connects with in Redding (about 3 hours).
• connects the city with the Samoa Peninsula via the Samoa Bridge and is an alternate scenic (and longer) route to neighboring Arcata.

By plane

• Arcata-Eureka Airport (ACV) is a regional civil aviation and commercial airport located 16 mi north, in the town of McKinleyville, serving McKinleyville, Arcata, Eureka and other cities and towns in Humboldt County. The airport is served by:

* Skywest Airlines as United Express (San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver). * Breeze Airways (Begins March 2026) (Burbank, Las Vegas and Provo Municipal Airport) * Alaska Airlines (Begins April 2026) (Seattle-Tacoma) * Ground transportation includes Lyft (ride share), on-call shuttle, taxi, and car rentals. Click this link for a list of on-airport rental car companies and this link for other ground transport companies.

By bus

By boat

As a port city, Eureka has facilities to dock yachts and other private water vessels, most notably at the Woodley Island Marina.

Get around

By bus

Eureka Transit Service (ETS) and Redwood Transit System both run service within town, with the latter linking neighboring towns as well.

By car

Eureka is fairly easy to navigate by car, with most of the city arranged in a grid pattern. In Downtown, numbered streets (1st to 15th Streets) travel in a west-east direction, while lettered streets (A to Y Streets) travel in a north-south direction. U.S. Route 101 also goes through downtown as local streets rather than a freeway, with northbound traffic carried by 5th Street and southbound traffic carried by 4th Street.

Rental car services are available in town and at the Arcata-Eureka Airport.

By foot

Old Town and the waterfront area are compact enough to be navigated on foot, although a car or public transit is recommended for areas outside of downtown.

Stay safe

Due to its small population, Eureka and the surrounding area are very safe with low crime rates. Normal travel safety precautions should be exercised.

Humboldt County is the center of the U.S. marijuana industry and many illegal operations are in the surrounding rural areas. Some are well-guarded and armed. As a result, while it is unlikely a traveler would encounter one, avoid anything that may seem suspicious when outside the Eureka urban area.

When venturing into the surrounding forest areas and wilderness, stay on marked or well-traveled paths and take extra water and maybe a portable charger with you. Due to the dense vegetation, it is easy to become lost or encounter aggressive wildlife and cell phone reception may be spotty or nonexistent.

Go next

• Arcata - Arcata is a college town immediately to the north of Eureka and home to Humboldt State University. As no chain stores are allowed within city limits, the numerous shops, restaurants, and art galleries are all locally-owned, with most centered around the downtown plaza.
• Trinidad - A charming beach town about 20 miles north. Numerous rock formations jut out of the surrounding ocean just off the beaches of town, the largest being Trinidad Head which offers hiking trails and views.
• Redwood National Park - 40 miles north, this national park complex preserves the largest concentration of old-growth coast redwood forest which include the world's tallest trees. Numerous hiking trails and campsites are scattered along turnoffs of Highway 101, which runs through the park. Four visitor centers (of which the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center is closest to Eureka) provide maps, park information, souvenirs, and services.
• Fort Bragg - A seaside town roughly 130 miles south, Fort Bragg is also another former logging town which offers historic and natural attractions such as the unique Glass Beach and Skunk Train.
• Ukiah - The other regional center of the North Coast, albeit located inland about 150 miles south of Eureka. Home to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the largest Buddhist temple in the Western Hemisphere and numerous wineries in the vicinity.