Fortuna
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Fortuna

Fortuna

North Coast California town near Eureka, set inland from the Pacific in a milder redwood-country climate.

Fortuna has been described as the Jewel of the North Coast. Located about 20 miles SSW of Eureka, its location about 7 miles from the Pacific Ocean gives it a somewhat more temperate climate. Where 55-62 degrees is the summer norm in Eureka, Fortuna will regularly reach 70-75. Winters are mild and, in a word, wet.

Billing itself as The Friendly City (with signs to that effect ringing its downtown core), Fortuna has slowly grown in size from 6,000 or so in the 1970s to its current size of just over 12,000 people. Fiercely proud of their city, Fortunans have resisted efforts by the big-box stores to encroach. It retains its small-town ambience with Mom-and-Pop still manning the counter and shutting the joint down for the high school football game on Friday night.

Like many smaller areas, Fortuna is an expensive pain to get to by any method other than by car. It's served by the Arcata/Eureka Airport about 40 miles to the north, with flights on a handful of regional carriers, but the fares tend toward the exorbitant. Greyhound runs through town, conveniently scheduled from the south but less so from the north, and a regional bus links southern Humboldt with the airport.

Fortuna's signature attraction is the Fortuna Rodeo the third week of July — small-town Americana with a carnival, soap box derby, dances, and a weekend rodeo. The rest of the time the appeal is its setting: the broad Eel River flats, the redwoods nearby at Rohner Park, and the easy day-trip access to the Fernbridge, one of the oldest concrete arch bridges in the world.

Guide

Eating Out

Fortuna's eating options are honest small-town American: diners, family-run Mexican, a couple of pizza spots, and the obligatory steakhouse. Nothing here is going to compete with Eureka or Arcata, but you can eat well for not much money if you know where to go.

Guide

Getting There

Fortuna sits on US-101, the main north-south coastal route, about 20 minutes south of Eureka and about five hours north of San Francisco. By car it is the only sensible way to arrive. The drive up through Mendocino county is one of the great American road trips, particularly the section through the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, just south of Fortuna.

The nearest airport is Arcata-Eureka (ACV), about 40 miles north. United and a couple of regional carriers fly in from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver, but fares are typically high and weather cancellations frequent. Greyhound and the regional Redwood Transit System bus also stop in Fortuna for travellers without a car.

Guide

Things to Do

Fortuna is a small town, so the attractions are modest but specific. The Fortuna Depot Museum, set in the 1893 train depot in Rohner Park, holds an idiosyncratic local-history collection from the days when the Northwestern Pacific Railroad still ran. The Fortuna Rodeo is the main annual event. For the outdoors, the broad Eel River and the redwoods just south at Humboldt Redwoods State Park are within easy reach.

Guide

When to Go

Fortuna's climate is wet, mild, and quite different from inland California: summers in the low 70s, winters in the 40s and 50s, with steady rain from November through March. The third week of July, when the Fortuna Rodeo runs, is the busiest and most characterful time to visit — book accommodation well in advance for that week.

For redwood walking and Eel River swimming, August and September are the best months: the rain has stopped, the river is low and clear, and the redwoods are at their summer best. The Christmas season has its own charm — small-town America on a budget — with parades and tree lightings in early December.