Humboldt County piers: Del Norte Street Fishing Pier, Trinidad Pier

Humboldt County piers

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Don’t tell San Francisco, but Coronado Ferry Landing in San Diego may have the most jaw-dropping city views in the state, including a snazzy skyline, Navy craft, the Coronado Bay Bridge and the traffic (sailboats to freighters) in the channel. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

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All aboard for spectacular views of the bay. Board a craft at Coronado Ferry Landing for the 15-minute cruise across the bay to downtown San Diego. Prepare to be dazzled. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

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Just after sunset, surfers return to shore on the southern side of the Oceanside Pier. At 1,954 feet, it’s the longest wooden pier along the West Coast. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

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The Oceanside Pier provides a perfect vantage point for watching waves -- in this case, huge ones -- crash into the beach. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

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Trim cottages line both sides of Crystal Pier in San Diego County. Each of the 21 lodgings comes with a small, private deck that looks out on the water and provides some privacy. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

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From the San Clemente Pier, the view of land trumps the view out to sea. Cliffs showcase buildings and homes that riff on classic Spanish Colonial design. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A surfer rides a wave near the wooden San Clemente Pier at sunset. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Sunset at the Manhattan Beach Pier -- early morning or late afternoon, it’s a photo op waiting just for you. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Pier 39 is the biggest outdoor, multistory shopping mall sitting on/masquerading as a pier in California. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

June 29, 2012 2:01 PM PT

Humboldt County

Del Norte Street Fishing Pier

Overview: One to skip. On the rough-and-tumble south end of Eureka, this short asphalt span sticks out into an inlet among warehouses and swampy wetlands. There is a fair amount of bird life in the wetlands but otherwise little to see. At times, there is sketchy foot traffic of the human variety.

Parking: Free street parking near the bottom of the pier.

Directions: Highway 101 to the south end of Eureka, turn on Del Norte Street and follow it to the pier.

Trinidad Pier

Overview: When a year-long construction effort is completed in September, Trinidad will have California’s newest pier. The $8.3-million project ($6.5 million is for actual construction) will have a long, 10-foot wide walkway that leads to a platform with steps down to an attached fishing dock.

Background: The original pier, built in 1946, was wood. This new one has steel pilings with a polymer coating to prevent toxins in the metal from leaching into the water. The decking is made of concrete with rebar.

Notable views: The pier is wedged into a topographically interesting position. To the left, a giant rock looms over about the first third of the structure. To the right are a gravelly beach and then a rocky promontory that parallels the pier. From the end of the pier, you can see the town of Trinidad on the cliffs above the bay.

Parking: Free in the smallish lot near the Seascape Restaurant at the foot of the pier.

Directions: From Highway 101, take the Trinidad exit and follow the road, through several name changes, as it winds through the small town and down to the parking lot near the foot of the pier.

-- Christopher Smith

Humboldt County piers

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