Brian’s Microblog

May 15, 2026 After our Lost Coast Trail backpack we spent two nights at California’s Sue-meg State Park. This park is just north of Trinidad and was about three hours drive from Mattole beach where the shuttle dropped us back at our camper.

We arrived around seven and I was very tired so we basically parked, made and ate dinner, and went to bed. We slept well and got up around six thirty. We were both a bit tired and I still felt sick so we had a relaxed morning with lots of hot beverages.

We took a circuitous route walking to the park entrance station. The park staff had left a note at the entrance station the evening before telling us we needed to check in, plus the showers took quarters and we had only one quarter between the two of us so we needed to buy some quarters. On the way to the entrance we saw a sign for the Ceremonial Rock trail so we checked it out. There is a collection of four huge rocks rising at least fifty feet among trees that are a hundred feet tall - it is striking, especially because the surrounding large trees mean you can’t see it until you get close, and easy to see why it had significance to the people who lived here. Unfortunately because of the trees it is also difficult to capture on camera.

After climbing to the top of one of the ceremonial rocks we checked in at the entrance station and got our quarters. They have an Ohl’wo’yoch dugout boat next to the visitor center.

On our way back to the camper we explored the Sumêg Village. The Yurok tribe constructed several traditional homes and other structures here both for their own use and for interpretive/educational purposes. They also have some Ohl’wo’yoch dugout boats in various stages of construction from huge redwood logs.

I found the building construction techniques fascinating. With huge pieces of redwood available they made roofs where each shingle goes from the roof peak down to the eave. The houses are partially underground for insulation and storm resistance.

Inside the house the outer area is for storage while the lower, center level was for sleeping and eating and usually would have had a fire burning. I did not get a good photo showing it, but the smoke vent shingles are adjustable to accommodate wind from different directions. The oval entryway is intended to be large enough for people but too small for adult bears to enter.

We had some lunch back at the camper and then explored the rest of the park, from the long agate beach to several rocky points and overlooks. It’s a huge campground with over a hundred sites but most of the loops are currently closed. It appears that less than thirty sites are actually being operated now, but it looks like some of the other loops are being mowed and cleaned up in preparation for opening.

It is a state park that has a lot of history and geography to offer but we never really took note of it the several times we had driven past it on Highway 101. We liked that it wasn’t too crowded but it would have a much different atmosphere if all hundred and forty-some sites were in use. Plus, as far as we can tell, there are only two men’s and two women’s showers in the whole park.