Sue-meg State Park - California Beaches

Sue-meg State Park is the new name of Patrick’s Point State Park, a hiker’s paradise in Humboldt County. It’s a large park with several beaches and campgrounds on Patricks Point about six miles north of Trinidad, California.

This park has everything you’ll need for a fun experience along the Northern California coast. Trails, campgrounds, an historic Native American site (Sumeg Village), viewpoints, tidepools, and a long sandy beach make this park more than just a simple day trip. It’s easy to spend a weekend or longer exploring Sue-meg State Park. The quaint town of Trinidad is a short drive away so consider an extended stay.

As you enter be sure to stop at the visitor center to get more information on the park. They have maps, photos, exhibits, and a helpful staff on hand. We recommend a quick stop at Sumeg Village too in order to see the site and traditional structures for which the park was named.

Hiking trails meander throughout the woods in all directions. You should seek out the highpoints for views above the trees. We highly recommend hiking up to Lookout Rock, Ceremonial Rock or Wedding Rock which each have safely constructed viewpoints with outstanding views. If you want to visit the park’s beaches, you’ll have to hike to them too.

Agate Beach is the park’s signature sandy beach. It has colorful smooth stones in the sand as you might expect. The agates, which have been rolled around on this beach for many years, have been picked over so there are fewer of them now but you’ll still discover some. Access to the shore is down a trail from a beach overlook on the bluff.

Wedding Rock is the most intriguing area with trails, ocean overlooks, rock climbing areas, and a rocky shoreline to explore. It’s located in the center of the park near Patrick’s Point and Rocky Point. Hike up to Lookout Rock and Centennial Rock for different vantages from these high points.

Palmer Point has tidepools and ocean views. Picnic tables and benches on the bluff make this a pleasant spot when the weather cooperates. Whale watching is popular at Palmer Point during the winter and spring gray whale migrations.

The path to Palmer Point’s rocky shoreline

There are three campgrounds in Sue-meg State Park with around 120 camp sites in total. Tents and RV’s are welcomed here, but reservations are recommended in the summer months no matter your means of camping. To find a camp spot visit ReserveCalifornia and enter “sue-meg” into their search. There are several hotels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation rentals in the Trinidad area to consider as well.

Note that while this is an excellent park for hiking, dogs are not allowed on any of the trails or on the beaches. They can be walked on-leash in the parking areas and in the campgrounds however.

Day-use park hours are sunrise to sunset every day. For more information on Sue-meg SP visit the state parks website and check out the park brochure.