What attracted me to Stone Lagoon was the beautiful refections in the lagoon. I photographed it early in the day with fog still on the water and later in the day.

Stone Lagoon breaches its 1.5-mile ocean barrier much less frequently than Big Lagoon; years may elapse between breaks. Watch for river otters or Roosevelt elk that graze south of Stone Lagoon.

Humboldt Lagoons State Park lies on the sandy, windswept edge of ocean and forest. Formed by the clash of two tectonic plates, it’s part of the largest lagoon system in the United States. Forty miles north of Eureka, the park includes Big Lagoon, Stone Lagoon, and Freshwater Lagoon, as well as Dry Lagoon, which is now a marsh, bordered by dunes, forests, prairies, and coastal scrub. With such varied habitats, wildlife thrives. On a single visit, you can see whales and elk, trout and salmon, pelicans and woodpeckers.