Redwood National Park’s Magnificent Coast
By John McKinney
The namesake redwoods are obviously what draw Americans to this (rather lightly visited) national park, but often it is the region’s spectacular coast that prompts a return visit. Dramatic bluffs, hidden coves, tide pools and wilderness beaches are linked by a 40-mile length of the California Coastal Trail. The trail, one of the most scenic stretches of pathway on the West Coast, offers splendid day hiking and backpacking opportunities.
One of my favorite times to visit the redwoods is in late spring when the rains (usually) stop. June, in the form of rhododendrons, is busting out all over, pink and conspicuous beneath the tall trees.
I come to the redwoods to hike not only to contemplate the tall trees, but to notice all the little things as well. The most overwhelming little thing I notice from my 2.5-mile an hour pace is the shade-loving undergrowth of the redwood forest. Poison oak climbs 150 feet up some of the tall giants. California huckleberry, azalea, mosses, lichen and five-fingered ferns are everywhere--springing out of logs and stumps in a wild and dazzling profusion that I had previously associated only with the Amazon.
Often there’s little light on the trail; it could be any time of the day or night. Minutes, hours and days seem to have little meaning amidst 2,000-year old trees and a 20-million year old forest.
Yes, we hikers do become so enamored by the majestic coastal redwoods that we tend to overlook the park’s magnificent coast. Here are some of my favorite coastal hikes that present panoramas of both a spectacular shoreline and some of the world’s tallest trees.
Enderts Beach
Last Chance Trail (California Coastal Trail)
To EndertsBeach is 2 miles round trip; to Highway 101 is 7 miles one way; shorter options possible
Like Redwood National Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park delivers the scenery in its name: an impressive coastline, as well as magnificent old-growth redwoods. The combination of redwoods--as well as a mixed forest of Sitka spruce, Douglas fir and red alder--with the coast, adds up to a hike to remember.
What is now a splendid hiking trail used to be the Redwood Highway (101). The old highway was abandoned in 1935 for its present route. Part of the old road is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Last Chance Trail is the northernmost stretch of the California Coastal Trail; this is the "last chance" to walk part of the California Coastal Trail (part hiker's dream, part reality) before joining the Oregon Coast Trail.
Damnation Creek Trail, a historic Yurok Indian path, descends steeply 2.5 miles through dense redwood forest to a hidden beach; it connects with Last Chance Trail.
Lagoon Creek and Hidden Beach
Coastal Trail
From Lagoon Creek to HiddenBeach is 2 miles round trip; to Requa Overlook is 8 miles round trip with 200-foot elevation gain
Coastal Trail is a 40-mile pathway that connects redwood state and national parklands. One of the more spectacular sections of the trail is the four miles between Lagoon Creek and the mouth of the Klamath River.
Lagoon Creek empties into a pond, formed in 1940 when the lumber mill dammed the creek to form a log pond. The creek and pond became part of Redwood National Park in 1972. Heart-shaped yellow pond lilies float in the tranquil pond, which is habitat for ducks, egrets, herons and red-winged blackbirds.
Adding to the pleasure of a walk in this area is the Yurok Loop Nature Trail which explores the lagoon area. The walker may use one-half the loop on departure and the second half on the return. Interpretive brochures are (sometimes) available at the parking area or at park information centers.
Gold Bluffs Beach
Coastal Trail
From Fern Canyon to Gold Dust Falls is 2 miles round trip; to Butler Creek Backpack Camp is 4.5 miles round trip; to Ossagon Rocks is 6 miles round trip; return via West Ridge, Friendship Ridge and James Irvine Trails is 7.5 miles round trip
Wildlife-watching, waterfalls and a wilderness beach are just a few of the highlights of a hike along the northern reaches of Gold Bluffs Beach. While even one of these en route attractions makes for compelling hike, the mere prospect of so many engaging environments can put a hiker into sensory overload before reaching the trailhead.
Gold Bluffs Beach (both bluffs and beach) is prime Roosevelt elk territory. Roosevelt elk are enchanted-looking creatures with chocolate-brown faces and necks, tan bodies and dark legs. And they’re big: a bull can tip the scales at one thousand pounds.
While nearby elk-viewing opportunities abound—particularly along more southerly stretches of Gold Bluffs Beach and on namesake Elk Prairie up by Highway 101 and the Prairie Creek visitor center—the Roosevelts seem all the more majestic in a wilderness setting.
Waterfalls near the coast are a rarity, so the presence of three of them in close proximity to Coastal Trail is a special treat indeed. Gold Dust Falls, a long, slender tumbler, spills some 80 feet to the forest floor. An unnamed waterfall is located just south of Gold Dust; another is located just north.
While in the case of this hike, the journey overshadows the destination, the odd Ossagon Rocks are intriguing in their own way. The rocks resemble sea stacks, though they’re positioned right at land’s end, not in their usual offshore location.
Truly this is a trail worth repeating so you won’t mind retracing your steps back to the trailhead. However, if you want to extend the adventure, you can loop back from Butler Creek Camp onto the state park’s bluffs and return via West Ridge, Friendship Ridge and James Irvine trails.
For more information
Redwood National and State Parks
1111 Second Street
Crescent City, CA 95531
(707) 464-6101
http://www.nps.gov/redw/
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