Parks & Recreation

The City of Fortuna owns, maintains, and operates two parks—Rohner Park and Newburg Park. Both parks are intensively managed for multiple recreational activities and special events. There is a second growth redwood forest in Rohner Park that is managed to protect its natural features and where hiking trails are available.

CITY PARKS

Rohner Park is a 55-acre park located in the center of Fortuna. It has a large Pavilion that is used for roller skating, basketball, dances, parties, and other special events. Other facilities include a Rodeo Arena, three Little League baseball fi elds, batting cages, a recreation softball fi eld, an outdoor basketball court, bocce ball courts, horseshoe pits, a volleyball court, a pistol range, a cook shack, a deep pit barbecue, two playgrounds, a recreation hall, a large picnic area, several smaller picnic areas, public restrooms, various hiking trails within a 14-acre redwood forest, and the Depot Museum. The museum is housed in Fortuna’s historic train station, built around 1889. In 1974 the City of Fortuna purchased the old depot and moved it to a new home in Rohner Park. The Depot Museum is a great place to take your family to see displays and investigate Fortuna’s past, as well as the history of the Eel River Valley. Featured displays include railroad and logging artifacts, a collection of local Native American artifacts, a general store display, a fi shing collection, a large copper Swiss cheese cauldron, and a large collection of barbed wire, tools, locks, and antique spark plugs. There are also 4-6 seasonally changing exhibits each year, as well as month-long temporary displays installed by members of Fortuna’s Relic Accumulators’

Continued on next page

Depot Museum today in Rohner Park. Depot Museum building being moved to its current location in Rohner Park in 1974. © Fortuna Depot Museum.

Parks and Recreation Continued from previous page

Club. You can also access the Humboldt Beacon archive for articles from the past.

In 1979, the City of Fortuna purchased 25 acres of pastureland and created Newburg Park. Newburg Park has a variety of recreational facilities including: two regulation hardball fi elds, two regulation softball fi elds, one regulation soccer fi eld, seven additional soccer fi elds of varying sizes, a bicycle skills course, a picnic area, a playground, permanent cornhole sets, an all-weather walking path, public restrooms, and a newly-improved bike pump track. For information, call (707) 725-7620.

Right off U.S. Highway 101 on Dinsmore Drive, you and your four-legged friend, big or small, will fi nd tons of fenced-off space to play in Fortuna’s Dog Park. After a good game of tug-of-war, take refuge under the park’s shaded gazebo area or head downtown where you will fi nd lots of dog-friendly restaurants with patio seating for you and your pup.

STATE PARKS

Headwaters Forest Reserve

Fortuna boasts one of two access points to the nearly 7,500 acre Headwaters Forest Reserve. The Salmon Pass Trail is an old logging road adjacent to

Rohner Park. Newburg Park. Photo courtesy of Fortuna Parks and Rec Department

Salmon Creek. Reserve rangers off er guided hikes to see the magnifi cent old growth redwood forest. It is a four-mile round-trip, moderate-to-slightly-diffi cult hike, and takes approximately 3-4 hours to complete. Hikes are generally limited to 20-30 people, and are conducted May 15 through November 15, weather permitting. For reservations and driving instructions call the Bureau of Land Management Arcata Field Offi ce at 825-2300.

Avenue Of The Giants

Immortal Tree, Redcrest, (707) 722-4396

Eternal Tree House, Redcrest, 26510 Avenue of the Giants, (707) 722-4262.

Grab a souvenir at Burl N’ Drift Gift Shop located next to the Immortal Tree in Redcrest or Burlwood Gallery located at 26540 Highway 254 in Redcrest. After taking in the sights, head south to experience Shelter Cove and the Lost Coast.

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Humboldt Redwoods State Park spans 53,000 acres with nearly 17,000 acres of old-growth redwood forest—the largest expanse of ancient redwoods left on the planet. The park off ers more than 250 family campsites in three diff erent campgrounds, plus environmental camps, group camps, trail camps, and a horse camp. A hundred-plus miles of trail await exploration by hiking, biking, or horseback riding. The South Fork Eel River provides fi shing, boating, and swimming opportunities with several-day use areas that are ideal for that perfect picnic or family activity. The Visitor Center at Burlington is located between the towns of Weott and Myers Flat.

Rohner Park trail. © Chris Louie California Federation of Women’s Clubs Hearthstone designed in 1931 by famed architect Julia Morgan. © Mary Bullwinkel.