
town.petrolia
Photo Credit Copyright Elijah Nouvelage
Mattole Valley is where the first oil well was drilled in California. The oil eventually dried up & what is left is a small town in a beautiful green valley, with a general store, a post office & one gas station. This location is also a point where the small Juan de Fuca plate joins the North American and the Pacific plate - right on the San Andreas, so earthquakes are quite common here and off the coast.
Mattole Valley is where the first oil well was drilled in California. The oil eventually dried up & what is left is a small town in a beautiful green valley, with a general store, a post office & one gas station. This location is also a point where the small Juan de Fuca plate joins the North American and the Pacific plate - right on the San Andreas, so earthquakes are quite common here and off the coast.
Coastal
location:
Humboldt County
S of Eureka
off Interstate 101
recreation:
parks, forests, rivers & lakes:
petrolia campgrounds
Humboldt Redwoods Camping
BLM Camps - Kings Range/Lost Coast
Mattole Campground BLM @ Coast
Honeydew Creek Campground
Horse Mountain Campground
Tolkan Campground
Nadelos Campground
Arthur W. Way County Park

description:
Small, rural town close to beach in NorCal. Set amongst hills, creeks and rivers, Petrolia was an oil drilling region (hence the name), but now an agricultural area. The coastline is extremely rugged w/ cliffs, rocks and heavy surf.