Lost Coast

In spite of our title, this tale has nothing to do with the Lost Coast of California, a section of relatively remote and very undeveloped coastline that runs from Rockport to Ferndale. Because of geo-technical challenges, the state never developed roads through this part of the state. Add in depopulation during the Great Depression, and you have a rare section of lovely and lonely seashore.

But that's not what this post is about. We actually were several miles north of the Lost Coast on August 8th when we got lost on the coast. In fact, because some sea lions distracted us, what could have been an 11.6 mile walk to the beach and back turned into something closer to 14 miles. Even so, it eventually became an amazing day of hiking--probably in our top 10, if we kept track of such things.

First, our early start got delayed by an hour, as we needed fuel for the truck (oops). After a short detour to Klamath to get diesel at a station run by the Yurok tribe, we drove the Newton B. Drury Scenic Highway to the visitors' center of the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. When we arrived at about 8:30 a.m., a small herd of Roosevelt Elk, all males, were waiting.

Elk hanging around the park employee quarters

Miners Ridge Trail

We started on the Miner’s Ridge Trail, headed for the Gold Bluffs Beach campgrounds. The whole point of this hike was to walk a long loop through old-growth coastal redwoods. Prairie Creek is known for a group of trees called the Atlas Grove. The grove contains the Iluvatar a tree, which is 320 feet tall and 20.5 feet in diameter at breast height. However, the location of this grove is undisclosed to the public to protect it. But there are plenty of big trees along the main, publicized trails.

We walked the Miner's Ridge trail from the visitors' center to the ocean under heavy fog that sometimes became mist. This added to the mysterious, other-worldly feel of the 300-foot redwoods. We heard many birds but could identify only one--a varied thrush.

Once we made it to the beach, we headed north and got distracted by a group of double-breasted cormorants, brown pelicans, and ring billed gulls. As we kept going, we noticed a group of seals was also feasting on what must have been a mother lode of fish. Every time a cormorant would dive and resurface, it would have a fish. After watching this feeding frenzy we kept walking the beach, not realizing that we had missed our turn back inland.

Gold Bluffs beach trail

We eventually realized our mistake and came south to Fern Canyon. The walls of this canyon were up to 50 feet straight up and covered with up to 5 different ferns, giving the ravine a very airy feel that can't be captured on film--not on our cameras, anyway.

Fern Canyon 

The extra miles on the beach zapped our energy, so we took a lunch break before heading back up the James Irvine trail to the visitors center. In addition to coastal redwoods, many large Douglas fir, sitka spruce, and western hemlock populate the park.

New plants growing on a fallen redwood (nurse tree)