Beginner *

From U.S. 101 in Eureka, take the Samoa exit (Highway 255) heading west. Turn left on I Street and drive to the end. The parking lot at the interpretive center building is your skating rink.

It's no wonder that the Arcata Marsh is known locally as one of the nicest places around to skate. The parking lot has some of the smoothest pavement you'll find in these parts, and it's located right next to 154 acres of restored marshland on the northern edge of Arcata Bay. At the side closest to the interpretive center, an asphalt path lures you into the habitat of more than 200 bird species. Even though the trail branches off into the brush, appearing to promise a variety of tours through the marshland, the pavement ends abruptly within a few yards no matter which of the paths you choose. If you can survive being deprived of a rolling marshland tour or a bird-watching expedition, you'll find the empty parking lot as smooth as butter and roomy enough even for the most awkward attempts at backward crossovers.