Tips

You’ll want to reference the online map to find where the buildings are that have the classes and services you need to visit. The online map also has the locations of accessible bathrooms, elevators, and automatic doors. Note that not all buildings have accessible bathrooms but you can find an accessible route to one, on the map.

We are currently trying different approaches to providing information on how to navigate campus. This includes the PDF maps and the online maps on the home page. Feel free to send any suggestions you have for improvements to james.graham@humboldt.edu.

Campus Topography

As shown in the image below, the topography of the campus varies from flat to very steep.

Campus Slope

The slope of the terrain varies greatly from very flat in the southwest to steep slopes in the east and north. For those of us with mobility issues, getting around campus is largely about finding how to move from one relatively flat area to another while avoiding the steep spots and the stairs.

Areas of Campus

We’ve divided campus into areas based on how easy it is to access and then we borrowed or made up names for the areas. The areas are labeled on the map below and then there are tips for navigating within and between the areas. We start with the areas in the southwest corner of campus as this is were the largest parking lots are located.

  • Bottom Land – This is the easiest part of campus to navigate as it is all pretty flat. The main parking lot is flat but be careful as there are no sidewalks through the parking lot and crossing it is the only way to get to the ceramics and the sculpture labs. The Wagner House can be accessed from the east side or the west side by using the path along L. K. Wood Blvd.
  • Facilities – You probably won’t need to go to facilities for a while which is good because there is no official accessible path into facilities. There is one parking space on the east side of the main buildings and then a ramp to the front door. I do sometimes come in the back gate of facilities and walk around to the front as it is pretty flat.
  • Trinity Early Learning Center – It is probably easiest to drive or get one of the buses to this center. It has parking spaces and is very flat.
  • MarComm’s Meadow – This is another area you may not need to visit for a while as they having moved everything out of the area except Marketing and Communications (MarComm) to make way for a new building. It is also pretty flat and there is one parking space to the north.
  • The Ridge – This is a steep ridge that comes down from the forest and sticks into campus. The Business and Social Sciences (BSS) building is on the top of this ridge. There is not an accessible path to get up the ridge but there are parking spaces to the south of the Native American Forum and then ramps around the south and west side of the forum that will take you to the front doors of BSS. CCAT is part way down a steep road but has a parking space in front.
  • The North Slope – You can get to this area from the Bottom Land and there are parking spaces between the Natural Resources and Forestry Building. The parking lot does have a slope to it.
  • Science Upslope – This area has a number of science buildings (A, B, C, etc.) and starts out flat in the south and then gets pretty steep at the north end. The wildlife building has a ramp on the west side and Science B and C can be accessed on their south side. If you enter Science B on the ground floor (1) and use the elevator to get to floor 3, you can go across the skybridge you’ll find yourself in Science A on the 3rd floor. Then, you can take the elevator to the 4th floor and exit on the north side of the building. You can then get from Science A to the Athletics area and, with a little work, into the Art Quad.
  • The South Slope – This area is challenging because of the slope. There are a large number of parking spaces on the north side of Gist Hall and the other sides of the building are not accessible.
    • Brookings House: Not accessible
    • Experimental Greenhouse: Not accessible
  • Athletics – There are plenty of parking spaces to the east of the Student Recreation Center (SRC) (thanks to a recent lawsuit). There is a path near the parking to the baseball field but you’ll have to go around the south side of the SRC to get to Forbes Gym or the Kinesiology building. There is a ramp on the north side of Forbes Gym that will take you to an elevator that will allow you to get to the first floor of Forbes Gym, the Recreation and Wellness Center, and the Football field. The east bleachers have spaces that could be used for wheelchair users to watch the events but they are not marked for this purpose and I have seen equipment in the spaces.
    • The Marine Wildlife center is included in this area and there is a parking space in front of it.
    • There is also parking to the south of the Kinesiology building.
  • The Art Quad – These buildings are particularly hard to navigate. You can get into the quad by parking at the northwest corner of the library, going around the north side of the library, then the front of the library and then follow the side walk to the east into the quad. You can also park on the north side of Gist Hall and go up the ramps to the southeast corner of the Theater Arts building and then back west along the side walk on the south side of Theater Arts. Then, you can go in a door and take the elevator to the second floor. Going back to the east will lead you out onto the quad.
    • Music A: if you go to the north side of the Art Quad, you’ll find a ramp that goes up to the east and then you’ll find the main entrance to Music A. Note that there is a set of stairs in the middle of the building so to get to the other side, you need to go in the back door which is on the north side of the building.
    • Art A and B: There is only one parking place in front of Art A. This will give access to the front door of Art A. There is an elevator in A that will take you to the second floor of A where there is a sky bridge over to Art B which can also get you to Music B. However, the skybridge has a slope of almost 10%.
  • Library South – There is a bunch of parking on the north side of Gist Hall and then the entrance to the basement of the library is just to the north. This is also how you can access the Campus Apartments, the Warren House, and the Bret Harte House but note that these are older buildings and access can be tricky.
    • Telonicher House – You can get into this house from the east side but the second floor is not accessible.
    • Balabanis House, Hadley House, Warren House, and Bret Harte houses are all accessible but just to the first floor. These houses are aging and you may find problems accessing them.
    • Unnamed House – closed
    • Campus Apartments – There is a wheel chair ramp on the east side of the building.
  • Library North – The north side of the library has a large number of parking spaces and then you can go east to access the library, the Health Center and Admin Alley. There are parking spaces to the west of the Health center but they are not connected to accessible paths.
    • Library – The library has doors on the east side that you can get to from either the north or the south but the north is flatter.
    • Health Center – The health center has an accessible door you can get to by going toward the main entrance and then around the building to the east.
    • The Hagopian House, Brero House, and the Little Apartments have ramps but they are not in good shape.
    • Feuewreker House – This house is not accessible except by driving.
  • Admin Alley – This area is accessible by parking on the north side of Nelson Hall and then coming around to the east and then south. All the buildings have elevators and there is a skybridge to the Student Activity Center (SAC) which is helpful because the elevator in the SAC can be difficult to get to.
  • Founders Summit – at the very top of campus. The view is great but you’ll want to drive up Laurel Street and park behind Van Matre Hall. You’ll have to go around Van Matre to the entrances on the west side or the north side. The basement of Founders can be entered from the parking lot and then there is an elevator to the other floors.
  • The Hill – The two residence halls on the hill are accessible from parking spaces on the northwest and southwest corners. Note that the parking space in the southwest is not accessible because of the slopes up the hill.
  • Jolly Creek Gorge – This creally is a steep gorge and the only way to get to the rest of campus (without driving) is using the elevators in the Jolly Giant Commons building. Unfortunately, these tend to be out of order a lot so be ready to drive to campus if you are in the dorms in the gorge. Once you go up the elevator, you can directly get to The Hill and Admin Alley.