Into the Redwoods: Hike the Fern Canyon, James Irvine and Prairie Creek Trails

One year ago today, on the first of June, 2017, I awoke in the wee hours of the morning to the sound of Barred Owls caterwauling in the Coast Redwood tree directly above our tent.  That night, I drifted to sleep listening to the enchanting and ethereal melody of a Swainson's Thrush spiraling upwards into the canopy. 

 

And in between those two idyllic bookends to our day, Eric and I managed to hike six miles along the Prairie Creek Trail before lunch, and nearly six more miles along the James Irvine Trail after lunch.  (Just a short hike, I know *winks*) 

 

Hiking in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

 

We saw an abundance of wildflowers and nearly every shade of green imaginable represented in the diverse plant life.  Forest birds serenaded us along the way: the energetic, effervescent song of the Pacific Wren, the single whistle of the Varied Thrush, the taunting two-part "hey you" call of the Pacific-slope Flycatcher, so often heard, so rarely seen.  (Dense forest environments like this are when birding by ear becomes so valuable!)

 

 

This ferny paradise known as the Coast Redwood Forest occurs along the Pacific Coast from extreme southern Oregon south to California's Big Sur area, becoming slightly more dry farther south.  Redwood State and National Parks lie within the heart of redwood country, preserving some of the largest, oldest and best remaining redwood groves.

 

And as I always say, the very best way to experience nature is to get out and immerse yourself in it!  You can drive through the redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants for a windshield experience (we tried it; I got bored with it and was antsy to get out of the car) but the best experiences will come with your feet planted on solid (though perhaps spongy) earth beneath a canopy of impossibly tall redwood trees.  Immersed in a green world of ferns and fronds, the pressures of busy life melt away into the silent fog. 

 

 

I always recommend a stop by the visitor center (or nature center or natural history museum or informational kiosk, whatever is available!) to pick up a map and informative brochure, and to give yourself a quick fifteen-minute education on your new surroundings.  Thus oriented, you're ready to strike out for new discoveries on the trail!  Most well-trafficked nature areas (National and State Parks, refuges, reserves and the like) have paved or well-graded trails that are both short and level (often with additional informative signs) for a quick tour near the visitor center parking lot.  These experiences are ideal for those with mobility issues, small children, older folks and those with only a short amount of time.  As much as I love my 12+ mile days of hiking in remote wildernesses, I almost always do the short, touristy visitor center loop walk first (or last, or at some point in the day). 

 

Contemplating the immense scale of Coast Redwoods

 

If you're feeling more ambitious, talk to a ranger or consult a map to find a trail with a suitable length and level of difficulty to meet your needs.  (Confession: we don't always climb mountains!  Sometimes a flat, two-mile saunter is preferable, and that's just fine.  We tried the Cathedral Tree trail on our "rest day"... though Eric will be the first you tell you that hike ended up being over four miles long anyway.  So much for a rest!)

 

A mossy maple arches over a section of the Cathedral Tree Trail near the visitor center
at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

 

In Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, I highly recommend two trails, which can be combined into a loop for a long day hike (nearly 12 miles, with an elevation gain of 1350 feet), or broken into more manageable chunks: the Miner's Ridge and James Irvine trails, including popular Fern Canyon and Gold Bluffs Beach. 

 

Fern Canyon

 

This loop is one of the best redwood hikes out there, passing from redwood-covered ridges into a ferny creek canyon and finally opening up onto a wild shoreline of unsurpassed rugged beauty where you're likely to see more elk than humans.

 

A remote stretch of Gold Bluffs Beach

 

The next day, perhaps after camping at either Gold Bluffs Beach or Elk Prairie campground, venture out on the Prairie Creek trail which follows a stream and wends through lush groves of redwoods and tangles of bright green maples and ferns.  Keep your eyes open for delightful forest surprises, like Pacific Giant Salamanders! 

Pacific Giant Salamander

If you're unable to make it all the way to Redwood National and State Parks, other excellent places to visit Coast Redwood Forests include Grizzly Creek State Park (where you can camp along the Van Duzen River and wander paths where scenes of Return of the Jedi were filmed), Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Muir Woods National Monument (though not on a weekend) and Mount Tamalpias State Park (try the Steep Ravine Trail - it's worth the climb and includes a fun wooden ladder), Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and both Pfeiffer Big Sur and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Parks.

And when your hike is done and you're back in camp, spread a blanket out on the forest floor and relax, gazing up at the world's tallest trees.