Trinidad State Beach, State beach in Trinidad, California, US

Trinidad State Beach is a California state beach along the Pacific coast featuring two sandy coves bordered by rocky outcrops and sea cliffs. The shoreline curves gently around Trinidad Bay, with a prominent headland rising at one end and tide pools forming naturally between the rock formations.

The area served as a coastal settlement for indigenous Yurok people for centuries before European settlers founded the Trinidad township in the 1850s. Early settlement was tied to the natural harbor and fishing resources that the bay provided.

The tide pools at Trinidad State Beach supply specimens to Cal Poly Humboldt's Fred Telonicher Marine Laboratory in Trinidad. Students and researchers use the small marine creatures found between the rocks for coastal ecosystem studies, linking the public beach to the university's marine science work.

Access is from a signposted side road at Trinity Street and Stagecoach Road in Trinidad; the parking lot at Trinidad Bay below Trinidad Head is another common entry point. The beach lies about 20 miles (30 km) north of Eureka. Tide pools are exposed at low tide, so time your walk to the tide table.

The offshore rocks lie within the California Coastal National Monument. Tide pools here supply specimens to Cal Poly Humboldt's Fred Telonicher Marine Laboratory in Trinidad, so the pools are studied rather than only visited. The beach sits about 20 miles (30 km) north of Eureka.