Fern Canyon, within the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, is one of the most stunning natural…read moreattractions you will ever see. A one mile loop hike through a canyon with 20-foot walls covered in at least 7 different species of ferns? It's mind-blowing. And film-makers agree; one of the Jurassic Park movies was filmed here and I can see why. It's like going back in time to pre-meteor days, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Pictures truly don't do justice to the sense of awe and wonder you'll experience visiting Fern Canyon. The trail is basically the creek bottom. Planks are placed over the creek to keep your feet dry but you may still get wet in certain places. Wear rubber boots or waterproof shoes. Take a good camera and be mindful that there is no cell phone service in the Canyon itself (there is spotty service on the beach nearby). It's a bit of a drive out to the trailhead and yes, there are a couple of creek crossings, but nothing too crazy in summer months. (My SUV-wannabe car made it just fine.) You must reserve a permit ahead of time during the summer months; the "day-ahead" reservations are gone right at 9 am daily, so set your alarm. It will be worth it. https://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/ferncanyonpermits.htm Grateful indeed for the California State Park system which preserves national treasures such as Fern Canyon.

Beautiful short walk !! Amazing views! Not very long, some construction occurring at the end…read morebuilding some additional walkways

If you go at low tide you can see starfish and all kinds of things, not for me because i hate sea…read morecreatures but others will like it! There is also a hiking trail that goes up on a cliff by the water and is very pretty but also quite steep. Be sure to check the wind!!! It was so windy that i got sand all in my eyes and everything and I genuinely felt like i could blow over it was so windy. Pretty beach to look at scenery, but not a ton of walking space.

When I was staying in Trinidad, I got up early, grabbed a coffee and went for a stroll on the…read moresouthern portion of this beach. You can get gorgeous panoramic views of the ocean from the parking lot. Trinidad State Beach is a long stretch of sandy beach just north of the Trinidad Harbor and pier. It has lots of sea stacks everywhere that make it picturesque. I found a little trail that took me down to Old Home Beach (also known as Indian Beach). Nearby points of interests include a memorial dedicated to those lost at sea and a trail to Trinidad Head Lighthouse.

This is coming from a middle aged out of shape non-hiker. This trail is a trial for a person like…read moreme. Steep-ish in places, roots to stumble over and crazy long...2 hours of walking when you are not used to going on trails like this? Holy crap. They could have done a huge public service and placed a restroom mid way through as well. It was easy to find parking in September. I parked right next to the trailhead thinking this was going to be a 45 min flat jaunt. I was so wrong! There are proper restrooms next to the parking lot with flush toilets and non potable sink water. It is beautiful though and you can really get an immersive redwood experience. The falls themselves are kinda baby falls compared to others I've seen.

I hiked two of my favorite hikes in one day while exploring the Redwood Coast - Lady Bird Johnson…read moreGrove and Trillium Falls. This is such an amazing hike and easy to do. Trillium Falls Trail is a 2.6 mile loop trail off the 101 near Orick that starts off in the Elk Meadow Day Use area. It is part of Redwood National Park. Parking is at Elk Meadow and there are plenty of spots. The loop trail climbs a hill with switchbacks to a steel bridge over Trillium Falls. This shady redwood forest is so beautiful. There are redwoods and ferns everywhere. The sun peeking through the trees is just gorgeous on sunny days. The waterfall is small but makes for nice photos. The trail then loops around back around to the parking lot. I highly recommend doing this nature hike. It is one of the prettiest hikes in the park.

Vista Point in Del Norte County [Klamath CA]…read more We took a detour and visited this spot. From the high bluff we had a magnificent view of the ocean and the rocky coastline. We saw the best views of the river mouth of the Klamath River and the mighty Pacific Ocean at 600-feet above. There is a small picnic area with a picnic bench free to use while overlooking the coast. Imo it was too cold and windy to actually have a picnic there but there was a couple who actually was. The small lot was full when we arrived but, luckily, one car had just pulled out to leave and we grabbed their spot. From the parking area there is a narrow trail but I couldn't see where it led to since we didn't see anyone on the beach. It looked dangerous so we skipped it and just enjoyed the views from the parking lot. The interpretive sign said that whales can be seen from this viewpoint but unfortunately we didn't spot any. We may need to bring binoculars next time. Review #3776

This morning hubby & I drove up to the Overlook around 8:40am. It was very foggy…read more In all the years we've been to Klamath this was hubby's first time up here. Normally he'd be fishing. He was interested in the 0.5 mile trail hike. But decided against it as it was so wet. The trail head is also overgrown. He went down about 100 steps before the trail widened. Still great cell reception as we're now on TMobile. Looking across to the other side, hubby has noticed much erosion. The Yurok Indian ceremonial grounds have been affected. And much of the beach too. Hopefully it'll be sunny the next time we come. It'll be nice for him to experience the hike down and back. Bathroom facilities still available.

Well established and maintained parking lot, with an interpretative kiosk and a few picnic tables…read more The path has stairs, but they're not steep, and there is a handrail, it's otherwise smooth with solid footing and skirts a ridge before ending on a platform viewing area. Great place for beautiful, elevated views of the Pacific.

Found within the Sue-Meg State Park, Agate Beach offers unique opportunities to collect stones and…read moreenjoy the beach. It can be accessed by a steep path down to the beach, starting from the campground parking lot. There is a fee to visit Sue-Meg State Park, however California State Park Library Passes are accepted as well (free if you have one.) The path down to the beach is strenuous; on the day I visited, Cal Fire personnel were conducting training by going up and down the path multiple times. Check the tide tables; better to visit at low tide !

The "Skunk Cabbage section" of COASTAL TRAIL starts at the edge of Route 101, and follows along…read morenear Skunk Cabbage Creek, and brings you to the beach at the Pacific Ocean. This trail is also called, "Skunk Cabbage Trail." The one way distance from Route 101 to the beach is about two and a half miles. According to Google maps, Skunk Cabbage Creek disappears at the half-way point to the Pacific Ocean. The trail keeps a distance of about 50 feet from the creek. It is possible to walk from the trail to the creek to get closer to the huge number of colorful skunk cabbages growing near the creek, but you might need to push yourself through a blanket of small plants and small bushes. Only a few skunk cabbages grow next to the trail (we saw about 20 of them), and some of these have big holes in the leaves and look deteriorated. MAGICAL THINGS TO SEE. As shown by my photographs, the magical things to see along the Skunk Cabbage Trail include the abundant ferns blanketing the landscape, green-colored lichens hanging from branches of nearby trees and, of course, the redwood trees. One of the redwood trees by the trail has a monsterously huge bizarre-looking burl. I decided to post only one photo of this burl because it is ugly looking. Another magical thing are the shelf fungi. We saw two trees with shelf funguses growing from them, and the shelf funguses looked like pancakes with a brown upper side and a white bottom side. Shelf funguses having a brown upper face and a white lower face include, Ganoderma applanatum, Ganoderma sessile, and some species of Trametes versicolor. SKUNK CABBAGE (Symplocarpus foetidus). This plant has large leaves (50-135 centimeters long and 30-80 centimeters wide). The flowers are produced in a spadix. The skunk cabbage produces heat. The goal of the plant is to use the heat to melt snow, and ensure its survival in the winter. The temperature of the flowers can be about 20 degrees centigrade higher than the surrounding air. Skunk cabbages have a stinky odor that attracts insects that help pollinate the plant. Skunk cabbages have a hood, which is a modified leaf called a "spathe." The spathe wraps itself around a space that encloses a sphere of flowers called a "spadix." See, 1-page article on skunk cabbage published by California Native Plant Society (Calscape). See also, Skunk Cabbage by Craig Holdrege (9 pages) published in Fall 2000 in the newsletter, "In Context." MY PHOTOS. My photos show the parking lot where the trailhead is located, a huge sign at the edge of the parking lot, where the sign explains things about Skunk Cabbage Trail. My photos show shelf fungi growing on a tree next to the trail. My photos also show thick bushy lichens hanging from small trees, a few skunk cabbages, and a photo of me wearing a Cal Berkeley hat and a Cal Oski bear T-shirt. Other photos show a view of a huge ugly burl that grows on a redwood tree, and two photos 5 redwood trees growing in a tight bunch. One photo shows the area near the ground, where the 5 trees are bunched together. Another photo shows a higher area, where the 5 trees are separated from each other. ATTRACTIONS TO THE SOUTH ALONG ROUTE 101. We hiked to the half-way point along the Skunk Cabbage section, and then turned back. The town of Orick is a one minute drive south from the trailhead. Bald Hills Road is even closer. Bald Hills Road takes you to the east, and to the trailhead for Lady Bird Grove Trail. Both of these trails include some gentle up-and-down sections, and wooden footbridges crossing over tiny creeks. Trinidad is 17 miles south of Orick (see, my YELP review of Trinidad Head in Trinidad). Holiday Inn at McKinleyville is about six miles south of Trinidad. We stayed at this Holiday Inn. This Holiday Inn is elegant and very clean, and I felt like a king during our stay here.

I was looking for an easy rated hike to do along the way home during our summer roadtrip and saw…read morethe Lady Bird Johnson Grove trail pop up as a suggestion. We stayed in Crescent City the night before and drove here first thing in the morning as we were warned that parking is limited at the trailhead. Old Bald Hills Road is completely paved from the highway to the trailhead but very windy and steep. Try not to ride your brakes on the way back down! The parking lot has a pit toilet and probably about 12-20 spots max. We got there before 10AM and nabbed a spot. It nearly filled up in the next 10 mins after we arrived! You start your hike by going over a bridge over the road you just drove up and are under a beautiful green canopy the entire hike. The morning we visited was a little foggy and misting. Really made for an amazing atmosphere. Unless people are around you, its also very quiet and peaceful. We didn't download the audio tour so we're not sure what the numbered spots were about, we just walked and took pics...and enjoyed the cool wooded path. I think we were milling around out there for at least an hour. Maybe more. I hate spiders but the cobwebs along the trail/trees/bushes looked amazing holding the morning dew inside their woven patterns. Good for older kids and adults. Not sure if the super young ones should come - lots of areas for them to bolt and run off the trail into the underbrush or down a hill.

I planned to come here because some things I read said this was a wheelchair accessible hike. In…read morespeaking to the rangers at the visitor center, they said it was not accessible. I came anyway, and my wheelchair bound son was tired from a whole day of exploring so he stayed in the car with my middle son. My oldest son, husband and I went on the trail and while it is wide enough and flat enough for a wheelchair, the initial incline from the pedestrian bridge from the parking lot is quite steep and I know my son would not feel comfortable going up and down in his power wheelchair. There is also a point during the trail where the trees are quite close together and I doubt my son's chair could navigate through it. So it worked out that he decided to rest in the car. The trail is very pretty with unique growth, I saw a tree with 4 trunks attached together. The trunks of the trees here look different than the trees in the valley, (my husband and I thought the trees looked sick TBH), and there is a lot more flowers growing here. Overall it's a lovely trail and offers a relaxing walk through nature.