Into California for Even More Redwoods

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As we finish up our stay in Brookings, we have spent 65 nights in Oregon this summer and fall. With the rainy season coming, we need to push south. We have been struggling with how to space and pace our trip south into California. There are a quite a few state and national parks in the northernmost reaches of California that feature coastal redwoods. They seem to be spread out over the first 150 miles of US 101. We have only managed to visit the park just across the Oregon border so that leaves most of area yet to explore.

The original thinking was to stay at the Eureka Elks lodge, but it is pretty far south of some of the spots we want explore and would require several lengthy day trips back and forth to fit them all in. So we do a little more investigation and discover a private campground that is still open in the town of Klamath - a number of campgrounds in these parts close at the end of October. The real selling point for Chinook RV Resort is they are part of the Passport America system. This is a membership program that we subscribe to. Campgrounds that belong to the system offer half price rates. Usually the parks have all sorts of restrictions on when and how many nights campers can take advantage of the 1/2 price. With each campground in control of their regulations, it isn't always easy to find one that works out for us. This one allowed unlimited number of nights at 50% as long as it was between October 1 and mid June.

The drive is only about 50 miles but we will be going through the agricultural checkpoint which hasn't been a problem while in the car but we weren't sure what to expect while driving our home across. Chris had investigated the rules and made sure her grocery shopping in Oregon wouldn't violate the rules. Turns out they didn't really seem too concerned and more or less waved us through. There was some major road construction requiring quite a long wait and then following a pilot car for what seemed like miles. The fog was really rolling in off the ocean and made for a less than stellar travel day. The campground was right along the Klamath River. It appears they have kayak rentals during the summer months. The place is good enough for what we need and is pretty close to many of the things we plan to explore. We sign up for 4 nights at only $20 per night for full hookup.

Klamath River at Chinook RV Resort

We have enough daylight left and it wasn't raining so we headed to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park just south of Klamath. Ah Pah trail is a short walk in the redwoods. A road previously had been put in through the trees, but they discovered it was causing erosion problems so it was removed back in the 1990's. It was a peaceful walk and we are still amazed just how large these trees are.

We were expecting only a couple days of decent weather before rains so we head one of the highlights of this area - Fern Canyon. It is a fairly remote section on the south side of Prairie Creek Redwoods. The road there first takes us past Elk Meadow - a known hangout for elk. As we made the turn, there weren't any cars parked along the road. A bad sign for us. We stopped and looked in all directions of the meadow but didn't spot any elk there. Half a mile later, where we are supposed to start the 4 mile drive on a winding dirt road back to Fern Canyon, we find a flashing sign indicating the road is closed for construction and won't open again for 2 more days. What a letdown. Not just because we can't see our destination, but it was going to be a full day event so now we need to come up with an impromptu plan B.

The Trillium Falls trail starts at a big parking lot next to the closed road so we decided to at least try out this loop trail at just under 3 miles in length. The falls were not all that impressive but the hike was still worth it. We hoped that the time we spent on the hike would have been long enough to allow the elk to come to their meadow, but as we pulled out, they still were nowhere to be seen. The town of Orick is just a bit south from where we were and the Kuchel Visitor Center is nearby so we head there to get some ideas of what else to do. One suggestion they have is the Tall Trees Grove. It is a 4 mile loop trail that goes past the former tallest tree in the world. To get to the trailhead we needed to register our vehicle and get a permit allowing us to enter a gated road. Most visitors aren't willing or able to commit the time required for this excursion so they tell us they generally don't use up all the permits.

Trillium Falls

Serene Spot to Sit and Relax

Hollowed out Redwood

Quadruplet Redwood Growing into Big Tree

After lunch we head up Bald Hills Road for about 7 miles. It is an extremely curvy and hilly drive mainly heading up. We run into sections of extremely dense fog and are forced to slow down to a crawl. We eventually get to another side road that is gated. Our permit has the daily code required to open the gate. The next 7 miles or so take us generally down to a trailhead parking lot. There are probably half a dozen cars there. We start out on what turned out to be quite a nice hike. Total hike is about four miles but there is a fair amount of elevation variation that makes it somewhat tiring. If you find yourself in the area, plan on three hours to complete the drive and hike. We would recommend this as long as you can spare the time.

Fog Hugging Valley from Overlook

Tunnel Cut Thru Tree

Another Tall Tree

Chris Dwarfed by Tree

Unique Mushrooms

Our drive up Bald Hills Road had taken us right past one of the more famous groves in the area - Lady Bird Johnson Grove. We knew we couldn't complete this so we came back the next morning to give it a look. It was another foggy day so the place wasn't too busy and gave the walk an eerie feel. The loop is only a mile and the trail is in great shape. There are numbered interpretive signs along the trail and even though the sign on the brochure container stated there were no brochures, Chris opened it and found them. It was interesting to hear about the different facts and stories as we did the loop.

Foggy Trail

Spooky Vibes in the Woods

Plaque at Lady Bird Johnson Grove

Next we went to Elk Prairie which is just off US 101 along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. As we were approaching the entrance to the Prairie Creek Visitor Center, there were many cars pulled off on the side of the road. We were optimistic this meant elk were nearby. We pulled over and got out of the car to check it out. There were 12 adult male Roosevelt Elk. Most of them were just laying down but every now and then one would get up and graze. We were a bit surprised to see so many males grouped together. We later found out they had been forced out of the main herd by the alpha male so this was dubbed the bachelor herd. After watching them for a long time, we were getting hungry so we drove into the parking area and had lunch. Near our lunch spot was a good sized white tail buck in the field. Of course after getting up close to the elk, this deer seemed diminutive.

Note Metal Elk in Background with Real Elk

Good Resting Spot

Possible Yawn?

White Tail Deer

A stop at the visitor center, gave us an idea of what hike we could do from there. The Elk Prairie trail is an easy loop that circles the field where the elk currently were hanging out. As we started down the path, we realized the group of elk were up and on the move. I had switched to my smaller camera for the hike but given how close they were, I really didn't need the telephoto lens. One of the males came across the entrance road giving me the eye as it went by. I realized getting out of his way was the wisest move.

Great Campground Advertisement

Two of the others were occasionally doing practice sparring. Butting each other with their antlers. They were even trying to do so while on opposite sides of the split rail fence. As I was trying to get video of them, I had to have Chris watch my back in case the one that had just passed by decided to come back without me noticing. We eventually decided the bulk of the activity was coming to an end so we continued on the hike. By the time we completed the walk and pulled out, most of the elk were gone but several were laying down in the field on the opposite side of the road attracting new visitors. If only these people knew what they had miss just 45 minutes earlier.

The next day was rainy as predicted. Even though the road to Fern Canyon would be open, we decided it wasn't worth trying it in this weather. The forecast for the next day was good, so we just extended our stay here by a day. That is definitely the advantage of not reserving camping spots all the time. It gives us the flexibility to deal with weather or stay longer in areas we decide had more to offer than we anticipated. We did get a little nice weather late in the day and enjoyed a short nearby hike on the Yurok Loop. Plus we stopped at a nearby tourist attraction - Trees of Mystery. We didn't actually partake in the gondola ride and other things requiring an admission fee. But we did check out Paul Bunyan and his faithful ox Babe. They are both quite large. Paul being over 49 feet tall and Babe being 27 feet to the horn tips. Both come in at a whopping 30,000 pounds.

Nice View Along Yurok Loop Trail

Hey Paul, That's Some Babe You Have!

We spend the bulk of the last day exploring Fern Canyon. The road was open and we were sort of able to tell where some of the road construction had taken place. It is about a nine mile drive back to the parking area. The first 6 miles are hilly and winding and dirt, or in many places muddy. Some of the mud is that greasy type that makes one question whether the tires are going to grip as we go down the hill into a turn. We took it slow and had no problems but I could easily see some people doing something stupid. We got there early in the morning and only one other vehicle was parked there before us. We had noticed on the last 3 miles of the drive that follow right along the ocean, there were numerous signs about elk, but not just any elk - Aggressive Elk! We kept an eye out for them but didn't see any. I'm just glad the ones we were within 20 feet of the other day were not aggressive since the sign makes it look like it would hurt.

Don't Turn Your Back on Aggressive Elk

We had thought ahead - it happens sometimes! We brought our knee high waterproof boots. So we switched out of our hiking boots into them. That was one smart decision. The first tenth mile back to the entrance to Fern Canyon was fine, but the water was flowing pretty good in the stream from the recent rains. I won't say it would have been impossible to do the hike and keep feet dry, but it would have been really challenging. At no place was the water more than ankle deep but it was nice to just walk where it made more sense than to attempt to jump from one rock to the next. I suppose our water shoes could have worked but I suspect the water was quite cold. If you come for this hike come prepared.

Fern Covered Walls

A Bend in Fern Canyon

The canyon was quite interesting. The walls are nearly vertical in most spots and there are ferns growing all up and down them. This was a location for one of the scenes from Jurassic Park II. It definitely had that prehistoric feel to it. We did not see any dinosaurs or pterodactyls while we were there. There was one spot where a large fallen tree blocked the canyon pretty well, but we worked our way through it and continued upstream until we spotted a set of stairs on the left leading up and out of the canyon. Once up top, you can either continue inland on other trails or turn back to the ocean and basically follow the canyon but now from above. Another set of stairs led us back to where we started.

Looking Down from Above Fern Canyon

We headed north up the Coastal Trail with the hopes of cutting over to the beach to look for a geocache. But even after going well beyond the cache location, we realized there were no real paths out to the beach. We did try a "short-cut" to the beach when we got to Fern Canyon, but after a bit we found ourselves in standing water nearly overflowing our boots. It turns out there is an easier path to the beach right off the parking lot. Even that wasn't easy since there was a several foot deep water hole requiring a balance beam walk over a large fallen tree. We both made the crossing without any splashes! Half a mile or so down the beach, we finally made it to the geocache we had wanted to find forty minutes earlier.

Balance Beam Tree to Reach Beach

Foamy Waves

Lots of Flowers Along Beach

The plan was to stop to look for elk again but it turned out the scenic road was closed for the day to allow walkers and bikers to have complete access to the road. It didn't appear to be a sanctioned race, just a recreation thing. So instead we drove up US 101 and came over the scenic route to a place just before it was closed off. We parked at the trailhead for Carruthers Cove trail. It is only about 0.8 miles to the beach but it is a good 600 foot descent. We had the trail to ourselves and after getting to the beach we headed a bit north then south just watching the water crash against the rocks along the shoreline. The hike back up was a good workout but it was late afternoon by then so it had cooled off quite a bit so we did okay.

Big Splash

The drive the next day is only about 70 miles to the Eureka Elks Lodge. The sites are nice and have full hookups with 50 amp electric. We also were pleased to find we had reasonable over the air TV coverage here. That permitted me to be lazy and watch some football to relax a bit. The first full day here, we head south about 30 miles or so to the northern entrance to Avenue of the Giants. This is a scenic state route that runs somewhat parallel to US 101 but meanders through some more of the huge redwoods. The general area is Humboldt Redwoods State Park but there didn't seem to be the need to have any type of park pass to explore the areas we stopped at. I was glad to be driving the Jeep and not the motorhome. Some of the massive trees are right next to the road and I suspect it would be pretty easy to clip a mirror. Plus the pullouts are much more manageable in a smaller vehicle.

Shortly after starting on the Avenue of the Giants, a geocache placement got us to stop and explore from one of the pullouts. The geocache was placed near an albino redwood tree. It sounded interesting, but there wasn't a sign at the pullout so most people wouldn't even realize it is there. The main tree itself isn't all that much different than others but all around the base of the tree are root suckers growing a good 15 feet or more and all the needles are white instead of green. It's not clear how photosynthesis works on this part of the tree, but it was pretty interesting to check out.

Albino Redwood

Closeup Albino Needles

A few miles into the drive, we head west on Mattole Road further into the park. Apparently this road eventually finds its way to the Pacific - an area known as the Lost Coast. Supposedly a very scenic drive and quite remote, but it would be its own day trip if we decided to go that route. We only head out as far as Big Trees Day Use Area. By this point, it seems like all these trees are big, so designating a specific area as "Big Trees" seems a bit redundant to us. Chris had scoped out a combination of trails in the area that can be used to create a very nice couple mile hike through some of the redwoods with the turn around point being the presently closed Albee Creek Campground.

Along the Trail

After the hike, we came back to the parking lot of the day use area and realized there was more to check out on the other side of Bull Creek. Unfortunately the park personnel had already removed the bridge so we had to use a few precariously placed logs to get across the creek without getting wet feet. A few of the trees are identified with names and statistics regarding the size of the tree. The names themselves were not all that imaginative. Giant Tree and Tall Tree seemed obvious. Maybe the park should sell the naming rights. That way people could see the Ford F-350 Super Duty Tree!

Giant Tree

Chris Poses with Giant Tree

Tall Tree

After the walks off Mattole Road, we head back to Avenue of the Giants and stop at the nearby Founders Grove. There is a short nature walk through the grove with interpretive stops at some of the more fascinating sights. The Founder's Tree is impressive standing 346 feet tall. But even more impressive is the Dyerville Giant - a 362 foot redwood that fell in 1991. The path now takes people right alongside the 17 foot diameter tree that still dwarfs people that walk by it.

Founders Tree

Roots of Dyerville Giant

Suspect This Tree Made a Noise When it Fell

The Burlington Park Headquarters are just a few miles further south. They have a very nicely done visitor center that is definitely worth a half hour browse. Inside is a "travel log". It was created by naturalist Charles Kellogg from a single 8 ton redwood log that he turned into a motorhome of sorts by hollowing it out and building it onto a 1917 Nash-Quad truck. Not as nice as our rig, but definitely more unique. He toured the country for several years after completing it.

Travel Log

Living Quarters of Travel Log

Nice Wood for Some Project

This stop got us roughly halfway along the Avenue of the Giants, but the rest of the drive would need to wait for another day and another trip to the area. As we head back north, we squeeze in a 2.5 mile trail we had skipped earlier in the day. The Drury-Chaney Loop trail is a pleasant and nearly flat walk through some more redwoods. It was late in the afternoon, so there was definitely a chill in the air. It seems a bit odd, but it almost feels like we have become saturated with redwoods in the past 10 days or so. They are still impressive to see and I could see us coming back sometime in the future to explore some of the parts of the redwoods we missed, but maybe we need a break from them in order to fully appreciate them.

We have two more days to spend in Eureka but one of them is forecast to be very rainy and windy so we pick a good hike for our nice day. Arcata Community Forest is just a few miles north of Eureka and has quite an extensive trail system. Some of the trails are open to biking or horseback riding which from our experience often produces some fairly challenging surface conditions. But we were pleasantly surprised with how nice the trails were. We saw both cyclists and horses while we were hiking so we know it does get used. We used the dozen or so caches help direct our adventures but we discovered it is quite a hilly park and many of the caches were either missing or hidden quite well. So our caching experience was not the greatest but it was still a nice park to hike. We ended up doing just a small portion of the trails.

As forecast, our last day there was a wet and windy one. I managed to get out for a geocache early in the day just before the front moved in. The rest of the day was spent hunkered down in the rig staying warm and dry. Then we headed out to a local microbrewery for Chris' birthday dinner. We will be heading south into California wine country which is also the area that had very recently been devastated by wild fires.