Touring * Street * Historic * Slalom *

As you enter Eureka on U.S. 101, the northbound lane becomes Fifth Street and the southbound lane becomes Fourth Street, both one-way avenues through town. Turn north on L Street and follow it up to the waterfront area. Turn left after crossing Second Street to park in the lot across from the Eureka Recreation Center building. If this parking lot is empty enough, you'll notice the roller hockey lines painted on the pavement.

A tour of Eureka on in-lines is a good way to get a feel for the history of Humboldt County itself. Eureka was founded in the spring of 1850 after gold in the Trinity region brought wagon loads of miners north. They soon discovered another valuable resource in even greater abundance: lumber. Located on the Humboldt Bay, Eureka became an important port for fishing and whaling vessels as well as those that brought in supplies for the miners and lumbermen. Today you can skate on the Eureka waterfront, through Old Town, and past beautifully restored Victorian homes, all within close proximity to the bay and one another.

Start your tour on the short Eureka waterfront path (only a third of a mile), down at the water's edge. The eight-foot-wide asphalt trail begins next to the small amphitheater at the east end of the parking area and passes under Highway 255 at the boat launching ramp.

The highly textured surface on the ramp keeps boats from slipping away, but it's too rude for words from a skater's point of view. Beyond the boat ramp, the waterfront trail continues only a few more yards before terminating at a small gravel parking lot.

Return to the Eureka Recreation Center building and skate on its waterfront side. A concrete sidewalk imprinted with a wood-grain texture leads to a bay-front viewing platform. If you cross the parking lot on the other side, another short stretch of asphalt and sidewalk (take your pick) takes you a block further to a disappointingly early end.

Eureka's waterfront skating may be short, but that leaves you with lots of energy for skating up to the Carson Mansion and touring the improved sidewalks of Old Town. From the Second Street entrance to the waterfront parking lot, turn east on Second and skate up the short hill to beautiful Carson Mansion, raised in 1885 by lumber magnate William Carson. (He had it built by mill workers during a slow period in the industry to keep them busy.) Today it's a private club that's not open to the public, but the spectacular exterior and grounds are the showpiece of the town.

The fancy Second Street sidewalk running from the mansion to downtown passes some homes that can only be described as shacks--they're old, all right, but definitely not preserved. Fortunately, most of the buildings are in better repair once you reach the business district, where there are signs that the Old Town improvements are still a work in progress. The centerpiece of Old Town is the plaza's brick gazebo with its inviting spiral ramp. Watch the pigeons scatter when you roll back down!