Humboldt County Bike Month returns with free rides, events, challenges

The new 13-mile Humboldt Bay Trail corridor is at the center of Humboldt County’s Bike Month push, with free rides, commuter events and a countywide challenge built to make bicycling feel less like a weekend hobby and more like a real transportation choice between Arcata and south Eureka.

Bike Month Humboldt is being coordinated by the Bike Month Humboldt Coalition, a partnership that includes the Humboldt Bay Bicycle Commuters Association, North Coast Co-op, Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, DHHS Healthy Communities, Humboldt Bicyclists, Redwood Coast Mountain Bike Association, Caltrans District 1 Active Transportation and the Humboldt County Association of Governments. HCAOG says all Bike Month events are free and open to everyone in Humboldt County, and the campaign pairs recreation with health, transportation and climate goals.

The calendar stretches through the month with rides and community gatherings. Cal Poly Humboldt’s Bike-to-Work/School Day energizer station is set for Wednesday, May 6, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Harpst and B streets. National Bike to Work/Wherever Week runs May 11-17, with National Bike to Work/Wherever Day on May 15. The Bike Celebration & Expo is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jefferson Community Center in Eureka, followed by Bike Shorts on May 28 at Kaptain’s Quarters in Eureka and the Arcata Kids’ Bike Rodeo on May 30. Mural tours of the Manila Peninsula on May 9 and Eureka on May 13 add a local place-based element to the month.

The ride calendar also points to a broader commuting culture. Weekly Arcata-to-Eureka Bay Trail commuter rides are planned every Wednesday through the month, and coalition materials say guided commuter rides on the Humboldt Bay Trail are part of the offerings. The Bike Month Humboldt Challenge, built on Love to Ride, lets riders log trips, compete individually or as teams, and send feedback meant to help improve local streets. It can be done with regular rides or even stationary bikes, widening the invitation beyond people who already commute by bicycle.

That timing matters because the trail network behind the campaign is still new. The County of Humboldt completed the 4.3-mile Eureka-to-Arcata segment in 2025 after construction from 2023 through 2025, including three new bridges and rehabilitation of the Eureka Slough Bridge. The county describes the Humboldt Bay Trail as a paved, multi-use corridor for walking, biking, running and rolling, with access points at places including the Arcata Marsh, Foster Avenue, Tooby Road, Del Norte Street, the Eureka Boardwalk and Tydd Street.

HCAOG says transportation causes more than half of Humboldt County’s greenhouse gas pollution, which is why Bike Month is being framed as more than a feel-good celebration. The county and coalition see the trail, the challenge and the commuter rides as part of a larger effort to reduce congestion, cut emissions and make short trips by bike a realistic option for more people across Humboldt County.