Possible drowning victim pulled from Trinity River near Willow Creek

A possible drowning victim was pulled from the Trinity River south of Willow Creek, drawing emergency attention to one of Humboldt County’s most heavily used summer river corridors. A Coast Guard helicopter was also responding as crews worked the scene.

The initial wording identified the incident as a “possible drowning victim,” and it did not name the person or spell out how the call unfolded. Even so, the location alone makes it significant in Humboldt County, where the Trinity River around Willow Creek, Kimtu Beach and Big Rock river access fills with campers, swimmers, anglers and tubers during the warmest months.

That same stretch has generated a steady run of serious river emergencies. On July 23, 2021, Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Kimtu Beach at about 6:18 p.m. for a possible drowning, and county records later said the case involved the drowning death of an Arcata woman. The county posted the incident as a Trinity River drowning investigation on July 26, 2021.

Willow Creek saw another close call on March 31, 2021, when a Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy assigned to the Trinity River Division was contacted about multiple swimmers in distress at the Big Rock river access. Deputies rescued three people who were stuck on a rock in the river.

More recently, on May 15, 2024, deputies were dispatched to the Kimtu Beach area of Willow Creek at about 6 p.m. for a possible drowning involving an adult male. The county later posted the case as a Missing Person / Presumed Drowning, then identified the Trinity River drowning victim on May 30, 2024. On April 22, 2024, deputies also responded to Tish Tang Campground near Hoopa after a juvenile female was swept away by the Trinity River current.

Those cases show how quickly conditions can turn dangerous in the Trinity corridor, especially where access is limited and help may be far from the water. The river can look calm from shore while current, cold water and submerged hazards pull swimmers off balance in seconds. Humboldt County has repeatedly warned about local river safety after drowning incidents, and the county’s records show the Trinity has remained a recurring site for water rescues and drowning investigations for years.