Avenue of the giants is a great way to drive along the freeway with a more scenic route. It was…read morebeautiful and gorgeous drive and they have stops that you can go to for view points. I suggest you go early to avoid crowds if you want to get to every site and not have toooo much traffic. Also Make sure to get the map at the first stop so you can read about each stop and decide which ones ha wanna go to.

Absolutely wonderful way to experience the Redwoods firsthand. No need to drive the whole avenue;…read moreyou can pop off the 101, drive up Avenue of the Giants for a bit, and then pop back on the 101 to resume your trip. That's exactly what I did and it worked out great. You can slow down and experience the Redwoods close up, rather than whizzing by on the highway. No fee! Don't miss it!

On the Lost Coast, a lawless Calif. state park has been overtaken by off-roading, fireworks, raves…read moreAshley Harrell Sep. 23, 2021 https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/amp/lost-coast-california-illegal-beach-camping-park-16477935.php

As you'll see from the photographs, I'm not the first one to share this secret with you. But my…read morefriend David A. perhaps was without words, for as he left this to me to write. The Sinkyone stretch of the Lost Coast is the southernmost stretch, named after the people who used to make this their own. Signs say some still do, but you know not in the way they used to. Pictured here is Usal Beach and the road thereto. You'll make it easiest on the six-mile graded road heading in from Highway 1 at Mendocino County Mile Marker 90.88 a few miles in from Leggett, further from Fort Bragg and the coast. You can make arrival more rewarding by walking from Shelter Cove or, better still, the mouth of the Mattole fifty or so miles to the north. Usal has a half dozen ish maybe more campsites in a grove of trees near the beach. Secluded primitive sites, peopled clearly by folks who groove on something other than the beaten path. The road in is passable by a 2WD vehicle, rutted in places but not too terribly bad. Its fine-grained matrix is slick and unpredictable during the rain. This is classic desolate deceptive California coast. Beautiful.

Such an amazing and absolutely beautiful waterfall nice and clean very cold lol yet it was so niceread more

Super great place to visit, especially in the summer when it's hot. You park in the lot at the…read moretrailhead and it's a short walk down to the Falls. The Falls are located at the end of the trail, and from there it's a very short clamber down to the Falls themselves. The Falls fall into a reasonably sized pond that is shallow and great for wading in the cool waters during a hot day. It's shallow enough so you can bring a folding patio chair into the water. I recommend the Crystal Creek Falls.

Amazing trails I loved how well taken Care of is this National Park. My family love to do this…read morehiking again every year

Worth a visit. About 3-4 miles and 700ft elevation change. The final part to drive there is a…read morewindy road and there is a small parking area. Also a vault toilet is there too. Mostly shaded so it was fine on this hot weekend in the 90s. Once at the falls, you can wade in. The water is quite cold. There were a bunch of butterflies as well on the trail which was cool too.

Lat/Long: 39.9000 / -123.7442 Beautiful park. Husband and I…read morestopped here on a long car ride to take a break and relax for a bit. The river runs slow here and on a hot day you can go swimming because the water doesn't move very fast and there are also some deep areas. Watch for fire belly salamanders - don't handle them as there are some species that are poisonous. Gorgeous redwood trees, hiking, free parking for day use and maybe there's camping somewhere? I am not sure, but it was a really lovely place to take a break today!

Black Sands Beach is a beautiful beach that is secluded. We went on a busy weekend, although I hear…read morethat on non- busy weekends or weekdays you might have this place to yourself. You park and walk down to the beach. When we went the bathrooms were out of order. It's a beautiful beach to walk along and soak in the views. Tip: Don't go near the water. There are signs all over to stay 100 ft away or more from where the waves break due to the under toe.

Stopped by here a few years ago and loved the area, its peaceful, we hiked down to the black sands…read morebeach, but it was pretty rough on the feet so you can't do bare feet due to the rocks, but it was a gorgeous spot worth checking out since we were there, the water is cold, and the waves are high so you can't swim, but its nice for sight seeing

Pretty cool trail. Tucked up in a community forest plenty of insects, birds, trees, and greenery :pread more

GREEN DIAMOND TRAIL Found this trail on YELP, located at the…read moreedge of town using their map. Started at an open gate onto a dirt road through a massive Redwood forest. This trail has no signage...so a gps mind is helpful. I used the go out, out and out and find a way back plan. Lots of crisscrossing dirt roads, found some new, hard to follow, barely there single tracks, dead-ends, a small jump park and some super fun but short runs. Unfortunately it was muddy and I should actually have stayed off some of them but I was in a controlled state of lost. It was late afternoon and you would get into these shoots/gullies that got dark fast so I made a premature turn back on a brutal up hill. My STRAVA map gives me a much better look at the layout now. It's a new trail system with potential for growth. There is a small trash problem that has the neighborhood on edge...so pack it out! Skill level- medium , fun level- high. .

Grr. Oh Yelp, why dost thou load my photographs backwards? I wanted to tell a story …read more.. Just back from a beautiful weekend on the Humboldt/Mendocino Coast. Back to what appears a rainy day in the Bay Area. In late June. Wtf. This walk was as splendid as the last. Different, as I had a hiking buddy this time, different as I left the water filter on my bed at home and had to beg other hikers for the use of theirs. Different in those respects but similar in many others. Tips: 1. Bring the bear can for the food. I still don't think you need it if you think about what you're doing before you do it but the rangers don't agree and as we saw two this trip and they are serious about the bears you may as well bring it along. I hate bear cans. 2. Time your walk so you can stay at the best campsites. I like Big Flat the best of all. It's about 17 miles in from the northern trailhead, so either: a) start early and walk all the way there in one day, or b) start late, spend the first night at the lighthouse (3 ish miles), and make a more leisurely day of it to the sweet driftwood shelters that will serve for your Big Flat dwelling on day 2. 3. Time the tides. I don't fret too much over them but it pays to have a general sense of when they'll be high. Some spots are tough to traverse at high water. And some of the tough spots at high water are comprised of stones the size of bowling balls that when wet and when you're in a hurry because of sneaker waves can be a real pain to get across. Literally. 4. Watch for the rattlers in the grass; don't tree your food. 5. Pack a little tequila for the gloaming. About 280 miles from Temescal to the mouth of the Mattole (north trailhead). Less to Shelter Cove. You can take two cars and shuttle around (if you have company) or park at Shelter Cove and arrange for a shuttle to take you north (you'll be hiking back to your car at SC). A couple of years ago I paid 50 clams for a solo trip from SC to the put-in. Takes about an hour and a half to get around. The Lost Coast is about as far in miles and time as Yosemite Valley. In all other respects, it's a world apart. We're blessed to live in such a wonderful place. Take it all in.

I went backpacking this Memorial weekend. It was an unforgettable experience…read more Lost Coast. First time I heard the name, I imagined a very desolated and abandoned coast. I got a picture in my mind the ocean sitting with sadness. I went there and found my image was not so wrong. There were a lot of driftwood on the beach as if it was abandoned by somebody. Scattered woods looked in grief. However, right next to the beach with dead trees, steep hills with lush green reside. What a contrast. The other side is Pacific Ocean. Ocean is powerful and strong. Reflecting the sun, the ocean was very shiny. So beautiful. I was able to see whales, sealions, and sea otters. Beauty and sadness exist on the same page. Actually the naming is from depopulation in 1930. Now many backpackers are attracted by the pretty scenery. In terms of difficulty of backpacking, I would say it is very different from doing in the Eastern Sierra. Hiking on the sandy and rocky beach requires another muscles. Overall, this Memorial Weekend was memorable.

Multiple use area good for hunting, mushroom collecting, hiking, mountain biking, woodcutting and…read morewildlife viewing. Free overnight camping is allowed in designated camping areas. There is no designated shooting area, but use of firearms is permitted away from trails and camping areas. Fun spot to show shoe or cross country ski in winter months.

ROAD CLOSED at Navy Base due to massive landslide. Fleener Creek trail is no longer. Currently no…read morebeach access and trail is destroyed by slide. It is closed until further notice.