Sunny Brae Forest
40.8610, -124.0521
- Nearest town
- Arcata
- Map status
- Verified pin
- Visit conditions
- Check before travel
- Research reviewed
- Aug 17, 2026
Field guide
Know before you go
- Size
- 336 acres, part of the 2,350-acre Arcata Community Forest
- Status
- A tract of the Arcata Community Forest, not a separate forest
- Location
- South of Fickle Hill Road, Sunny Brae neighborhood
- Trailhead
- Margaret Lane, improved for equestrian and bicycle access
- Other access
- Fickle Hill Road on the forest's southern side
- Hours
- The Arcata Community Forest is closed sunset to sunrise
- Fee
- None published
- Dogs
- Allowed, but on leash at all times
- Bikes
- Mountain biking permitted
- Horses
- Permitted. Ask Environmental Services about the best forest access locations
- Camping
- Prohibited in all Arcata parks and community forest lands
- Trail mileage
- Not published for the tract
- Connects to
- Arcata Ridge Trail, West End Road to Buttermilk Lane — the City publishes both 4 miles and 4.5 miles
- Fickle Hill Segment
- Approved February 17, 2021; built late August through October 2022
- Map
- Sunny Brae Forest Trails Map, August 2021, from the City's Trail Maps page
- Wet weather
- The City asks people to avoid using very wet trails
The place
About Sunny Brae Forest
336 acres of 2,350. That's the figure the City of Arcata prints on its own Sunny Brae Forest Trails Map, and it settles a question people get wrong: Sunny Brae isn't a separate forest. It's the Sunny Brae Tract of the Arcata Community Forest, the southern piece of one city-owned second-growth redwood system.
City wording doesn't help. Arcata's Ridge Trail pages talk about "the Sunny Brae and Arcata Community Forests" as though they're two places, while the trail map calls it a tract of one forest. Go with the map.
The tract lies south of Fickle Hill Road. Margaret Lane is the trailhead, and the City built it up specifically for better equestrian and bicycle access, with improvements anticipated in 2024. Fickle Hill Road also gives access to the forest's southern side.
What ties the two halves together is the Arcata Ridge Trail and its Fickle Hill Segment, a crossing that links the main Community Forest trails with the Sunny Brae Tract. City Council approved that segment on February 17, 2021, and construction ran from the last week of August 2022 into October. End to end the Ridge Trail runs from West End Road to Buttermilk Lane. Length depends on which City page you read: the project page says 4 miles, the trail maps page says 4.5.
Rules are the Community Forest's rules. Closed sunset to sunrise. Dogs allowed but leashed at all times. Hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and nature walks all permitted, and the Ridge Trail is built for hikers, cyclists and equestrians together. Camping is prohibited across all of Arcata's parks and forest lands.
Total trail mileage inside the tract isn't published, so download the Sunny Brae Forest Trails Map, dated August 2021, before you go. And skip very wet trails after heavy rain — the City asks.
Same area
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Local planning questions
Frequently asked
Is Sunny Brae Forest separate from the Arcata Community Forest?
No. It's a tract within it. The City's own Sunny Brae Forest Trails Map states that the Sunny Brae Tract comprises 336 of 2,350 acres of the Arcata Community Forest. Some City pages use looser language that implies two forests, but the map is the authority.
How big is Sunny Brae Forest?
336 acres. Total trail mileage inside the tract isn't published by the City, so plan from the Sunny Brae Forest Trails Map rather than a mileage figure.
Where do you park for Sunny Brae Forest?
The Margaret Lane trailhead. The City improved it specifically for equestrian and bicycle access. Stall counts aren't published, and the forest's southern side is also reachable from Fickle Hill Road.
Are dogs allowed in Sunny Brae Forest?
Yes, on leash. The City's rule for the Community Forest trail system is that dogs are allowed but must be kept on leash at all times, and that covers the Sunny Brae Tract.
Can you mountain bike in Sunny Brae Forest?
Yes. The forest is managed for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and nature walks, and the Arcata Ridge Trail running through it accommodates hikers, cyclists and equestrians. Margaret Lane trailhead improvements were made partly for bike access.
Official and supporting sources
- City Forests
- Trail Maps (Sunny Brae Forest Trails Map)
- Sunny Brae Forest Trails Map (PDF)
- Arcata Ridge Trail Project
- Research source — cityofarcata.org
- Research source — store.avenza.com
Research reconciled 2026-08-17. Closures, fees, permits and hours can change.