GEM REVEALED LAND OF BIGFOOT IS AN OUTDOORS BONANZA.

Byline: BILL BECHER

EUREKA - People in the Arcata-Eureka area of Northern California have mixed feelings about being named one of the top ten Great Outside Towns by Outside magazine. They're proud of their recreational resources, but they don't want everyone moving here.

I've loaded my car with fly rods, kayak and a mountain bike and made the 12-hour drive to the land of Bigfoot to check out these recreational opportunities.

For my first Redwood Coast adventure, I've booked a trip with Mike Kuczynski, owner of the Eureka Fly Shop, to fish the ``half-pounder'' steelhead run on the Klamath River. This is a run unique to several Northern California rivers. Normally anadromous fish like steelhead and salmon spend part of their time in fresh water and part in saltwater, returning as adults to spawn in the gravelly bottoms of freshwater creeks.

But as a sort of dress rehearsal for the spawning runs these fish will make later in their lives, the immature half-pounders return in the summer and fall to their natal streams and then go back to the ocean the following winter without spawning. I'm told half-pounders get their name from the tradition of sizing them in half-pound increments, so a two-pound fish is a ``four.''

These fish range from 1 to 3 pounds and are fat and bright from their time in the saltwater. Steelhead are closely related to rainbow trout and fight like ocean fish, which means even a small fish when hooked will run, jump and generally give you a tussle out of proportion to its size.

Running downriver in Kuczynski's jet boat to where he's located fish, I see fellow fishing creatures like mergansers and herons. The morning is the sort of overcast, misty green and gray that one associates with the Pacific Northwest. ``Good fishing weather,'' Kuczynski says.

We stop at a gravelly riffle to fish. Unlike resident trout in streams, steelhead move through the river system, often stopping for a rest in slower sections before passing through faster white-water sections. Right now the fish are lower down in the Klamath, about 10 to 15 miles from the river's mouth. The 255-mile Klamath is home to salmon, shad, sea-run cutthroats and resident trout in addition to steelhead.

We get out of the boat to wade spots with names like Boyd's Riffle, Shangri-la and Ah Pah Riffle. I get some basic instruction in steelhead fly fishing, learning to cast a floating line quartering downstream and across the river, maintaining a straight, tight line to feel the sometimes gentle takes of the wet flies. After each cast I move downstream a step or two. The name of the game is covering the maximum amount of water.

I miss the first few takes but soon am connected to my first steelie. It zigzags upstream in a screaming run, then makes a leap that shakes the hook. But there are plenty more fish in the river. Kuczynski and I are both grinning. He says about guiding, ``You can never catch your first steelhead again, but you can help other people do it.''

We see gear fishermen using a technique called ``boondoggling'' to bounce hooks baited with sacks of roe along the bottom as their boats dead drift down the river. I'm told this can be an effective way to catch steelhead.

The lower section we are fishing is mostly accessible only by boat, but above Weitchpec, Highway 96 parallels the river and there is plenty of access for fishing on foot. The Klamath River map published by StreamTime is a wealth of information about fishing and rafting access.

Fly fishing on a five- or six-weight rod, I manage to land a couple of dozen half-pounders and one adult steelhead. Most are wild fish; only a small percentage are hatchery raised, identifiable by their clipped adipose fin.

This area also supports winter steelhead runs, with fish chrome bright from the sea up to 20 pounds. But winter fishing means dodging murky water from storms and fishing in the rain and cold. Although the fish are smaller, the fall half-pounder run is a perfect introduction to the techniques needed to catch these silver bullets on a fly rod, without winter sleet blowing up your nose.

River Run

I'm making a kayak run down a stretch of white-water rapids with names like Hell's Hole and Pinball on the Trinity River west of Arcata. I meet a trio of boaters at Adventure's Edge, an aptly named shop in Arcata that caters to rock climbers, mountain bikers, backpackers and white-water enthusiasts. While I have some experience playing in the surf, this will be my first kayak trip downriver.

On the drive into the mountains, I make an important discovery about this area. Although the coastal areas are often foggy and damp - perfect redwood weather - you only have to drive a half-hour or so east to Lord Ellis Summit to burst out of the gray gloom into bright sunshine and warm evergreen forest. This area is also a winter destination for snowshoers and snowboarders.

On the drive, I chat with David Pruitt, who has moved back to the area from Southern California to finish his teaching credential and to enjoy ``boating'' the six major rivers in the area. He explains the classifications used by the American Whitewater Affiliation to categorize rapids from Class I (easy) to Class VI (extreme). He tells me that the classifications can also be described by the consequences of messing up. In Class I there are no bad consequences if you capsize, assuming you can swim. But Class VI means that ``the consequences of errors are very severe and rescues may be impossible.'' The water we are running has five Class III (intermediate) rapids, meaning if I mess up I'll probably be OK as there are no ``keeper'' holes. Keeper holes below rapids can hold you under; ``pusher'' holes push you out of danger.

We launch the boats at Pigeon Point Campground, where I get some quick lessons on how to enter and exit eddies from Pruitt and Garrett Nada, a river guide with Adventure's Edge. While I thought that water just runs downhill, exploring the river in a kayak, I soon learn that rivers are pocketed with eddies, spots where the current swirls back upstream, allowing a kayaker to rest out of the main flow.

The section we're going to run is about seven miles of flat water running through an evergreen forest, punctuated with rock shelves that form the drops and Class II and III rapids that generate the excitement of river kayaking. Nada's friend Nicole Murano is following us in a raft with her dog, Vista, sporting her own doggie floatation device.

I practice a couple of Eskimo rolls. Nada says that what's wanted are ``combat rolls,'' which doesn't mean rolling and coming up shooting; it's an expression kayakers use to describe the ability to roll a kayak upright in real white-water conditions, not just in a pool or flat water.

At the first Class III rapid, Z Drop, I follow the line shown by Nada, paddling madly through the booming white water, trying to avoid the rocks that dot the run like slalom markers. I don't exactly miss all of them, but my boat's resilient plastic hull absorbs the punishment. Whee!

I pull into an eddy to catch my breath and quiet my racing pulse. Only four more of these to get through. River kayaking is to sea kayaking a bit like mountain biking is to road biking: more technical dodging and weaving as you try to ``clean'' a section of rapids without flipping or whacking your boat on rocks, something at which I'm only marginally successful.

The featured rapid on this run is called Hell's Hole. With the river at lower fall flows, the drop-off below a narrow rock chute is at about eight feet. We land at an eddy above the rapid and scout it on foot. Nada tells me I'll probably flip at the bottom, but the water will push me out into the slower part of the river. We get back in the boats and I carefully watch as Nada cuts through the chute, then disappears as he goes over the falls.

This is probably the time to explain ``boffing,'' pronounced ``boo-fing.'' This is not something consenting adults do but rather is the onomatopoeic term for paddling hard over a drop-off and smacking down into the water. Apparently if I paddle hard just as I go over the drop, I'll boof.

I manage to negotiate the chute, but when my kayak drops over the edge, the world goes white in the foam. I've done this mouth open and come up gagging on water, so I bail out of my kayak and swim it to shore. Nada and his friend carry their kayaks back up to try another run. I decide once is enough. We run several other less-intimidating sections and land at Big Flat Campground. Time to mop up the spilled adrenaline and head back to Arcata.

Biking in the redwoods

Arcata is a college town, home to Humboldt State University, where many students interested in the environment study ecology, biology, forestry management and related subjects. It has a bit of the feel of Berkeley in the 1960s, with backpack-toting kids in an eclectic blend of lumberyards, restaurants, art galleries, brewpubs and coffee shops. I'm set to explore the Arcata Community Forest with Sherri Dobay, a local artist and cycling enthusiast.

Imagine riding your bike in a fern-draped glen shaded by tall trees, fragrant with the damp and loamy smell of redwood. It reminds me of a scene from ``Return of the Jedi,'' parts of which were filmed here. All of the roads and five single-track trails in the community forest are open to cyclists, who share the trails with hikers and equestrians. There are plenty of opportunities for short climbs and fun descents. John Dostal, a local high school football coach and president of the Big Foot Bicycle Club, has mapped out an ambitious series of loops, but we decide to just go easy and enjoy the forest.

This 620-acre park is owned by the City of Arcata. In addition to the 10 miles of trails and roads, the park is a source of revenue through ``ecologically sensitive timber harvesting.'' Dobay tells me that there is other mountain-bike riding in the National Forest land that surrounds Arcata to the east. There are also lots of scenic rides for road bikes and several local century rides.

Kayaking the coast

Trinidad sounds Caribbean but is a town just north of Arcata with some excellent sea kayaking opportunities. It's also the home of the Humboldt State Marine Laboratory. We launch our kayaks from a protected harbor owned by a local Indian tribe and paddle out to explore the rocks that dot this section of coast.

I'm paddling with Damon Maguire, a local sea kayaking enthusiast. We see oyster catchers, pelicans, dolphins and lots of harbor seals that up-periscope their heads to check us out. Mindful of the need to not disturb marine mammals, we keep our distance. The sea kicks up a bit of swell so we head north around Trinidad Head and its working lighthouse.

The coastline here has rocky cliffs, trees and sandy beaches. Lots to see and explore by kayak. Farther south is the Lost Coast, another sea kayaking getaway destination.

On the drive back to Arcata, we stop to check out the surf at Moonstone Beach, a popular spot for local kayak and board surfers.

More fun?

I've just scratched the surface of the recreational opportunities here. A half-hour north are the ancient trees of the Redwoods National Park. Local ocean water has fishing for halibut, salmon, lingcod, rockfish and surfperch. The Six Rivers National Forest to the east offers uncrowded hiking and backpacking. There is also rock climbing, whale watching, boating, beachcombing and wildlife viewing on the Redwood Coast.

While many in Southern California think of Northern California as San Francisco, there is a whole playground for fishermen, kayakers, hikers, mountain bikers and other outdoor enthusiasts in the true north of California five hours past the Bay Area. Just keep the friendly natives happy and don't move here.

IF YOU GO

Getting there: I-5 to Highway 299 just north of Redding is a straight shot from Southern California. And 299, while mostly two-lane highway, is worth the drive for the great scenery along the Trinity River. If you break up the trip in San Francisco or the wine country, you could take Highway 101. The Eureka/Arcata Airport is served by United Express, [phone], and Horizon/Alaska Airlines, [phone].

General Information and Accommodations: There are lots of charming Victorian B&Bs in the area; the Quality Inn in Eureka, [phone], is centrally located; or try the Eureka Inn, [phone] or eurekainn.com, with its grand Victorian hunting lodge feel. Information on accommodations is available from the Humboldt County Convention & Visitors Bureau, [phone] or at redwoodvisitor.org. Ask for their Outdoor Adventures guide. See also visitormags.com/humboldt/ for Redwood Coast information. There are many public and private campgrounds in the area. StreamTime, [phone] or streamtime.com, publishes excellent maps of the Eel, Klamath, Smith, Trinity and other rivers with information about fishing, camping, rafting and accommodations.

Fishing: Eureka Fly Shop, [phone], can supply tackle, information and guides for fresh- and saltwater fly fishing trips. ``D'' Fishing Guide Ed Duggan, [phone], guides fly and conventional fishing on the Trinity River. Don't forget you will need steelhead and salmon cards for these fish in addition to a California fishing license, and be sure to check current regulations for seasons and closures.

White water: Many kayaking and rafting companies operate on the Trinity River out of Willow Creek, including Bigfoot Rafting Company, [phone] or bigfootrafting.com. Milder sections suitable for family fun are available on the lower Trinity River. The Mad, Salmon and Klamath rivers are nearby, though be sure to check the flows.

Biking, hiking, backpacking and more: Adventure's Edge, [phone] or adventuresedge.com, in Arcata can supply information and outfit you for backpacking, road and mountain biking, ocean and white-water kayaking, and rock climbing.

Nearby 6 Rivers National Forest, [phone] or www.r5.fs.fed.us/sixrivers, has hiking and mountain-bike trails. Other premier backpacking areas include the Trinity Alps, Marble Mountains and Russian Wilderness areas. Arcata Community Forest information is available at [phone]. Bigfoot Bicycle Club information is at [phone]. Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, [phone], is a prime spot for bird watching. Redwood National Park, [phone] or www.nps.gov/redw/, offers hiking, biking and a chance to see majestic Roosevelt elk.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Kyaker Dave Pruitt of Eureka negotiates the dropoff at Hell's Hole during a Class III stretch of rapids on the Trinity River.

(2 -- color) Sherri Dobay of Eureka rides her mountain bike through the redwoods on an Arcata Community Forest trail.

(3 -- 4) Eureka Fly Shop owner Mike Kuczynski releases a steelhead on the Klamath River, above, while Nicole Murano takes her dog, Vista, for a raft ride, below left, on the Trinity River in the outdoors-recreation-rich Arcata-Eureka area of Northern California.

Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News

Box: If You Go (see text)