This is what you’ve been waiting for, is it not? I know that was true for me: the moment we arrived in Northern California, I just wanted to be running in the redwoods! A glimpse here and there was not sufficient. We wanted to spend serious time with these unique giants. Enter Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park!
Our first weekend in our new home coincided with Valentine’s Day, so we wanted to plan something extra special. We wanted tall trees and long trails. Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park offered both – and so much more!
Before our visit, we sketched out a route that would take us on a big tour of this park’s many trails. Then we set off early on a Friday morning, ready for a full day of fun.
Just driving into the park was an adventure. A thick layer of fog lay trapped in the prairie beneath the tree-covered hills. Huge elk were hidden in that mist! We were the first vehicle to arrive, and the first humans to strike out on the trails.
Setting off on the West Ridge Trail, we knew we’d picked a winner. It was stunningly scenic almost immediately. We’d only gone a few minutes down the trail before I was stopping short, gasping and gaping at the giants of the forest.
They were huge! These old growth elders were far bigger than the young redwoods we’d seen in town. I was truly amazed by their sheer size, then struck by their coloration and the fascinating texture of their thick bark!
We climbed up onto a ridge, alone in the tranquility of the trees. We stayed quiet to preserve this atmosphere of peace. A thin mist wrapped trees lower down on the slope, while beams of sunlight shone in from the treetops. Such striking scenery for a run!
After running as far north as we could on the wonderful West Ridge Trail, we met the California Coastal Trail. There, we turned south. This trail had a completely new character: it was a thin, sandy trail sandwiched between high, tree-topped cliffs and rolling, grassy dunes.
Waves pounded against the seashore, over the dunes and beyond our vision – but clearly audible. And from the cliffs, the sound of trickling water revealed hidden waterfalls!
These were irresistible to us: we hopped from rock to rock and waded through puddles to reach one. And we were so glad we did, because it was magical!
This particular fairy falls tumbled from high overhead, carving out a narrow niche in a wall of ferns. As we approached, I felt the spray of water on my face and arms. It was cold, but deliciously so.
We couldn’t resist walking right up under this secret waterfall. Chilled, we couldn’t linger long – but we were so happy we stopped to see!
Only a few minutes further on, we ran across another amazing attraction. Fern Canyon was the setting for Jurassic Park – and our next destination!
Entering the canyon, we slowed down to navigate an obstacle course. We walked carefully across fallen logs, and then leaped onto pebbly shores. In this way, we criss-crossed the canyon, from one fern-covered cliff to another.
Fern Canyon was another highlight of our run. And we were not alone in appreciating it: there were other visitors here too, splashing across the shallow stream and ducking under branches just like we were. Warm sunlight reached down through the trees, making the moist ferns shine.
It was a short but scenic loop. After we left Fern Canyon behind, we decided to seek out the surf. There was no obvious trail, but we could hear the crashing of the waves not far away over the dunes.
So we hopped over little rivulets in the long grass, got more or less completely covered in mud and ultimately arrived on a stunning stretch of sandy beach. It was completely wild: there were no footprints besides our own, no signs of humanity in any direction.
Ahead, frothy whitecaps curled into long barrels that lashed the shore. Like the empty beach, the ocean here was untamed and ferocious. Shells of all shapes and sizes littered the beach, along with rocks and bits of driftwood.
We ran along the shoreline, to chase and be chased by the surf. The wind whipped the words from my mouth, but the sun was bright and warm. My feet sank slightly into the wet sand with each footstep, as though the beach wanted to keep me there as much as I wanted to stay.
We might indeed have stayed if it wasn’t for Kent checking the map at a timely moment. He led us inland and soon we were back in the deep shade of the forest. Miner’s Ridge Trail initially followed an abandoned road that slowly narrowed into a dirt track.
Back in the redwoods again! And we didn’t want this adventure to be over, so we purposefully backtracked on a parallel trail. We lingered in the forest, stopping to spend time with exceptionally tall and shapely trees. Finally, hungry and out of water, we turned toward the parking lot and completed our big Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park adventure.
…but we liked the park so much that just one week later, we came back! For our second Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park adventure, we explored the woods on the east side of the road that divides the park.
We parked near Big Tree, promised to linger with it on our return trip, and ran off down Foothill Trail heading north. Once again, it did not take long to be surrounded by superlative groves of trees. One cannot simply run in the redwoods: it’s impossible not to be wonderfully waylaid. It’s amazing how each individual tree is unique. The longer you spend among the redwoods, the more details you can appreciate!
Although this trail was not quite as wild as the West Ridge (we could sometimes see the parkway nearby), the forest was just as sublime. And this time, when we began to loop back, we got to delve even deeper into the forest!
The Rhododendron Trail was our return route. Along this trail, our redwood encounters got better and better. There were individuals thicker than cars; characters so tall they seemed to scrape the sky. There were trees with burls, with burrows; fallen trees to climb over and even a living tree to run through!
I never wanted to leave. But we had a mid-morning date with Big Tree. Standing at the foot of this charismatic giant, I took my time stretching and continuing to look up.
After having explored a majority of trails in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, I can assure you that this park is awesome. It has the best network of trails among the redwood preservation areas, plus a huge number of truly terrific trees! Pay it a visit in person – and check it out online here! Explore more Redwoods – or enjoy other California state parks!
