Ma-le'l Dunes is the publicly accessible section of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge's coastal dune complex, just west of Manila and reachable from Arcata in about fifteen minutes by car. Unlike the adjacent Lanphere Dunes, which require guided tours, Ma-le'l is open for unguided hiking year-round. Trails lead through dune scrub, past small deflation plain ponds, and out to a long stretch of Pacific beach that sees far fewer visitors than the more accessible spots south of Eureka.
The beach here is broad, fog-swept, and frequently empty. It's not a swimming beach — the surf is powerful and the water is cold — but it's a spectacular place to walk. Shorebirds and harbor seals are commonly seen along the tideline. The trailhead is at the end of Young Lane off the Manila peninsula road.