Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [338]
This short trail leads down to Enderts Beach. In the summer, free 1½- to 2-hour ranger-guided tide pool and seashore walks are offered when the tides are right. You start at the beach parking lot, descend to the beach, and explore rocky tide pools at its southern end. For tour times, call ☎ 707/464-6101, ext. 5064.
Fern Canyon Trail
1.5 miles RT. Easy. Access: From U.S. 101, take Davison Rd. exit, which follows Gold Bluffs Beach to Fern Canyon parking lot. Day-use fee $6. No trailers or motor homes over 24 ft. long.
This short, heavily traveled trail leads to an unbelievably lush grotto of lady, deer, chain, sword, five-finger, and maidenhair ferns clinging to 50-foot-high vertical walls divided by a babbling brook. It's only about a 1.5-mile walk from Gold Bluffs Beach, but be prepared to scramble across the creek several times on small footbridges. This short loop connects with a number of trails, allowing the adventurous hiker to get in a 10-mile hike if he or she desires.
Friendship Ridge, Coastal Loop Trail
7.5 miles RT. Moderate. Access: Fern Canyon Trailhead on Davison Rd.
This is possibly the most varied and beautiful hike in Redwood National Park. Beginning at the Fern Canyon trailhead, you'll follow the Coastal Loop Trail north, then veer right and follow the Friendship Ridge Trail. For the next 3 miles you'll walk through a magical fern and redwood forest, then join the West Ridge Trail through old-growth forest to Ossagon Creek Camp and back south along the Coastal Loop Trail.
Lady Bird Johnson Grove Loop
1 mile RT. Easy. Access: Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Take Bald Hills Rd. exit off U.S. 101, ½ mile north of Orick.
Here's a self-guided tour that loops around a glorious lush grove of mature redwoods. It's the site at which Lady Bird Johnson dedicated the national park in 1968. The following year it was named for her.
Tall Trees Trail
1.3 miles one-way. Moderate. Access: End of Tall Trees Access Rd., off Bald Hills Rd. Permit required.
To see the world's tallest trees—some 360 feet tall and more than 600 years old—you'll first have to go to the Kuchel Visitor Center near Orick (see "Visitor Centers," earlier in this chapter) to obtain a free map and vehicle permit to drive to the Tall Trees Grove trailhead. Note: Only 50 permits are issued per day, on a first-come, first-served basis. After driving to the trailhead—a slow, 15-mile one-way drive on a rough gravel road (trailers and motor homes not permitted)—you have to walk a steep 1.3 miles down into the grove, but what a small price to pay to see the tallest trees in the world. By the way, the average time spent gawking at the world's largest trees is 1 minute, 40 seconds, but once you figure in the drive and hike to get to the trees, the whole expedition takes at least 4 hours.
Picnickers alert: The Crescent Beach Overlook, along Enderts Road (off U.S. 101 about 4 miles south of Crescent City), is one of the prettiest picnic sites on the California coast. Pack a picnic lunch from Good Harvest Cafe (see "Picnic & Camping Supplies," later in this chapter), park at the overlook, lay your blanket on the grass, and admire the ocean view from atop your personal 500-foot bluff.
Exploring the Backcountry
The long, beautiful Coastal Trail, which runs the entire 37-mile length of the parks' coastal section and as near the ocean as possible, can be hiked by the day in small segments. It also makes a great 3- or 4-day trip using several backcountry camps on the route. One of the nicest runs is from Crescent Beach south into the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. A free permit is required if you stay overnight at Ossagon Creek or along Redwood Creek.
Redwood Creek Trail
16 miles RT. Moderate to strenuous. Access: End of Redwood Creek access road, off Bald Hills Rd.
This hike is a beauty, passing through Tall Trees Grove (where the tallest trees in the world grow on the banks of Redwood Creek), periodic meadows, new-growth forests, and awesome vantage points overlooking