Venture too close to the Hyperion, and you can face up to six months in jail and a maximum $5,000 fine.

You can find Hyperion in Humboldt County, one of the more off-the-path counties among 58 in California.

*It is where you will find the state’s second largest natural bay after San Francisco Bay.

*Humboldt Bay is the only deep-water port between San Francisco and Coos Bay, Oregon.

*You will find one of the United States’ most

*Humboldt has more artists per capita than any other county in California.

*It has more coastline than any other county in the Golden State at 110 miles. And it is among the most rugged.

*Part of that “The Lost Coast,” it is where movies such as “Return of the Jedi” and “Jurassic Park Lost World” were filmed.

*“The Lost Coast” also extends into neighboring Mendocino County. It was so named due to the steepness and geotechnical challenges of the Kings Range mountains that make it difficult to develop leaving the tiny communities there fairly isolated from the rest of California.

*It is where you will find California’s westernmost point, Cape Mendocino.

*More than 20 percent of California’s lumber production takes place in the county.

*That said, it has 40 percent of California’s remaining old-growth redwood forests within its boundaries including the world’s largest old-growth redwood stand in the world.

*And it is part of the tri-county Emerald Triangle region that produces the most cannabis in the United States.

Does any or all of that sound intriguing?

If it is, Humboldt County might just be the ideal place for a mini-vacation to take in the relatively remote northwestern part of California.

Humboldt County is a treasure trove of nature, art, outdoor experiences, architectural marvels, and a heavy dose of Bohemian culture that differs from the cultural and societal norms of even California.

The rugged topography that brings mountains to the Pacific Ocean’s edge in a location makes it California’s most versatile area for weather.

The coastal zone offers very wet winters that are definitely on the cool side.

And it is wet, especially compared to the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Winter storms during the rainy season can drop combined totals of between 30 and 100 inches.

Summers in the same area are bathed in mild foggy days with typical temperature ranges from 46 to 70 degrees.

Head inland, and winters are also wet and cool with the added touch of snow above 3,000 feet. Summer highs can reach 100 degrees in the southern and eastern portions of the county.

To give you an idea of how sparsely-populated Humboldt is, the county’s 4,052 square miles encompasses an area more than three times larger than San Joaquin County.

Yet, the overall population is 136,000 — roughly the size of Manteca, Lathrop, and Escalon combined — compared to 800,000 for San Joaquin County.

Eureka — its largest community with 26,512 residents — serves as the county seat.

It has some of the typical chain stores and such, but it is overwhelmingly homegrown when it comes to dining and retailers.

The sprinkling of name retailers has a bit to do with the fact the larger Eureka region of 48,000 includes Arcata, home to Cal Poly Humboldt with its student body of 6,025.

That said, Humboldt oozes with beaches, hiking options, water activities, and more.

If that is not your thing, sampling and seeing what can be found in Eureka — which is also the State of California motto and stands for “I have found it” in Greek — is worth spending time there.

However, you can’t avoid taking in nature.

Driving along California Highway 1 takes you past redwoods.

You can even take a quick side trip down a road appropriately dubbed “Avenue of the Giants.”

Redwood trees are the tallest living things on earth.

They’ve been around California for 20 million years.

There are more than a dozen national, state, and local parks teeming with redwood groves including Redwood National Park.

That is where you will find Hyperion.

It is the world's tallest known living tree, measured at 380.8 feet tall in 2019.

Hyperion was discovered on August 25, 2006.

The tree height when first found was 379.1 feet. It was obtained using both a laser-range finder and a fiberglass tape to measure the tree from the base to the crown.

It is in a remote area of the National Park.

The park also houses the second-, fourth- and fifth-tallest known trees, coast redwoods named Helios, Icarus, and Daedalus, which respectively measured 377, 371 and 363 feet in 2022.

Hyperion is estimated to be between 600 and 800 years old.

The Redwood Park superintendent closed the entire area around the tree in 2022 citing "devastation of the habitat surrounding Hyperion" caused by visitors. Its base was trampled by the overuse and as a result no longer do ferns grow around the tree.

And, yes, anyone who gets too close can face a six month jail sentence and $5,000 fine.

To see what Humboldt County has to offer, go to visithumboldt.com