Ma-le'l Dunes Cooperative Management Area
Verification pending
- Nearest town
- Manila
- Map status
- Directions withheld
- Visit conditions
- Check before travel
- Research reviewed
- Aug 17, 2026
Field guide
Know before you go
- Size
- 937 acres total. BLM manages the southern 206 acres; USFWS manages the north as a unit of Humboldt Bay NWR
- Hours, south (BLM)
- Sunrise to one hour after sunset
- Hours, north (USFWS)
- 8 a.m. to sunset. Pedestrian access 7 days a week except federal holidays
- North entrance road
- Open to vehicles Friday through Monday only. Tuesday through Thursday you walk or bike in
- Alternative midweek parking
- Ma-le'l South Trailhead, which stays open to vehicles
- Fee
- Free
- Permit
- None required
- Dogs, south (BLM)
- Allowed. Leashed in the parking and picnic area, otherwise off leash under the owner's control
- Dogs, north (USFWS)
- Prohibited. The refuge posts no pets, no bicycles, no jogging, no horses
- Bikes
- Prohibited on refuge trails. BLM publishes no bicycle rule for the south unit trails
- Horses
- BLM side only, on designated trails and the waveslope. Manure must be removed from the parking area. Prohibited on the refuge side
- Trails
- Refuge-side loops run 0.43 to 0.57 miles: Dap, Hout, Kimuk, Tsoutsgish, Viqhul. BLM publishes no distances for the south unit
- Accessibility
- USFWS warns most trails have steep unstable sand, uneven footpaths and steps without handrails
- Also prohibited (BLM side)
- Firearms, motorized vehicles, overnight camping, boat launching or landing, and off-trail hiking except in open sandy areas
- Designation
- National Natural Landmark for its coastal dune ecosystem
- Getting there
- Young Road off Highway 255 in the northern part of Manila, then follow the signs
- Phone
- BLM Arcata Field Office 707-825-2300. Humboldt Bay NWR 707-733-5406 or 707-822-6378
The place
About Ma-le'l Dunes Cooperative Management Area
One boundary runs through these dunes and the rules flip across it. BLM manages the southern 206 acres. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the north half as the Ma-le'l Dunes Unit of Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Dogs are allowed on the BLM south side and banned on the refuge north side, and nothing on the sand announces where one ends and the other begins.
Sort that out before you park. On the BLM south unit, dogs must be leashed in the parking and picnic area and may otherwise be off leash under the owner's control. On the USFWS north unit the posted rule is no pets, no bicycles, no jogging, no horses. Walking a dog north across the line is a violation.
The second thing people get wrong is the north entrance road. Vehicles can use it Friday through Monday only. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday it's closed to cars, which the refuge does to give visitors a wilderness experience. Pedestrians may walk in seven days a week, except federal holidays. Midweek, walk or bike in from the gate, or park at the Ma-le'l South Trailhead instead.
Hours differ by agency too. BLM's side is open sunrise to one hour after sunset; the refuge's side runs 8 a.m. to sunset. Whichever half you're standing on is the one that governs.
Together the two halves make 937 acres of forested dune, dune hollow, salt marsh along Mad River Slough and open beach on the North Spit, recognized as a National Natural Landmark for the dune ecosystem. The refuge-side loops are short and carry Wiyot names: Dap, Hout, Kimuk, Tsoutsgish and Viqhul, between 0.43 and 0.57 miles each.
Entry is free. USFWS warns that many trails have steep unstable sand, narrow uneven footpaths and steep irregular steps without handrails.
Local planning questions
Frequently asked
Are dogs allowed at Ma-le'l Dunes?
On the south half, yes. On the north half, no. BLM's south unit permits dogs — leashed in the parking and picnic area, otherwise off leash under the owner's control — while the USFWS north unit is part of Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which bans dogs entirely. There's no marker on the ground announcing the boundary, so keep dogs on the south side and turn back rather than crossing.
When is the Ma-le'l Dunes north entrance road open to cars?
Friday through Monday, 8 a.m. to sunset. The road is closed to vehicles on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so the refuge can offer a quieter, vehicle-free experience. Pedestrians can walk in any day of the week except federal holidays, and midweek visitors can also park at the Ma-le'l South Trailhead.
Who manages Ma-le'l Dunes?
Two agencies, cooperatively. BLM's Arcata Field Office manages the southern 206 acres and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the north as the Ma-le'l Dunes Unit of Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. They publish different rules and even different hours for their own halves, which is why the site trips people up.
Can you bike at Ma-le'l Dunes?
Not on the refuge trails in the north unit, where bicycles are explicitly prohibited. BLM does allow biking in on the north entrance road on the days it's closed to vehicles, which is a different thing from riding the dune trails. BLM publishes no bicycle rule for the south unit trails.
How long are the trails at Ma-le'l Dunes?
Short. The named loops USFWS lists in the Ma-le'l Dunes Unit run from 0.43 to 0.57 miles — Viqhul at 0.43, Hout at 0.46, Kimuk at 0.47, Dap at 0.49 and Tsoutsgish at 0.57. BLM publishes no trail distances for the south unit. Distance is not the difficulty here; the sand is steep and unstable and some steps have no handrails.
Official and supporting sources
- BLM Ma-le'l Dunes Cooperative Management Area
- Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge — Visit Us
- Humboldt Bay NWR — Trails
- Humboldt Bay NWR — Rules and Policies
- Humboldt Bay NWR Complex visitor guide (2021)
Research reconciled 2026-08-17. Closures, fees, permits and hours can change.