Rohner Park

Fortuna's redwoods were cut once and then left alone. That's what makes Rohner Park worth an hour on foot: the Rohner family and the City kept a second harvest off this ground, so the understory has had a century to fill in. Evergreen huckleberry, salal, oxalis and clintonia lily grow thick under the trees, along with ferns, wildflowers and mushrooms. Most forest in this part of the state has been logged twice.

Nearly two miles of hiking trail run through that forest, per Fortuna Parks & Rec. Individual trails aren't named or mapped by the City, so plan on wandering rather than navigating; the Fortuna Chamber points people at an AllTrails route called the Rohner Park Loop. Chamber material puts the whole park at 55 acres, a figure the City itself doesn't publish.

Everything else here is a working municipal park, and a busy one. Three Little League diamonds, batting cages, a recreation softball field, an outdoor basketball court, pickleball and bocce courts, horseshoe pits and a volleyball court sit alongside two playgrounds — one for ages 5 to 12, one a tot lot. Firemen's Pavilion holds a gymnasium and a public roller-skating rink used for dances and events. A rodeo arena rounds it out, and the annual Fortuna Rodeo runs here.

Fortuna's train depot, built around 1889, was moved to the park in 1974 and opened as the Depot Museum in July 1976. Inside are railroad and logging artifacts, local Native American basketry, a general store display, a large copper cauldron, and collections of barbed wire and antique spark plugs. About 3,000 people come through annually.

Two rules catch people out. Glass containers are banned outright, and alcohol needs advance City permission and is confined to designated picnic areas. Park closes at dusk. Camping and overnight parking aren't allowed.