Apart from the more localized groves at Big Sur, I had not been to the coastal redwoods since I was a small kid and so was looking forward to this chance for a brief stopover to Redwoods National Park (and state parks) on our drive back. After a nice stay at Panther Flat Campground, we drove back out towards the coast to drive along the narrow Howland Hill Road. We stopped for a short loop hike around the Stout Grove near the Smith River, enjoying the cool light fog and organic forest smells. We also stopped to hike out to the Grove of Titans, which had an excellent brand new boardwalk trail but was relegated only as an out-and-back option.
Once through this road we reached the 101 and drove the scenic coastal forest to the southern portion of the park. We saw a large herd of elk in a field at one point. Along the way the sun would occasionally peak through the clouds casting dreamlike radiating sunbeams through the forest. We turned off on the Drury Scenic Drive and enjoyed more foggy forest on our way to the small Prairie Creek visitor center. With only a 20 minute parking spot here, we took a short hike across a neat bridge over Prairie Creek and along it for a little ways.
Lastly, Heather had smartly made reservations the day before to get a parking spot for the too-popular Fern Canyon Trail. The road to the parking area was not without its excitement with some deep pothole gardens and a couple stream crossings. It was a short hike to the mouth of the canyon. Though we were prepared for wet feet with our choice of footwear, plank walkways criss-crossed the creek in a quite civilized fashion. There were only moments of solitude with the popularity but it was quite pretty with its vertical hanging fern gardens. We spotted one solitary banana slug cruising along the creek. Overrated, yes definitely Fern Canyon is, but it was still neat to see and quite photogenic.
After our hike we took a short walk out onto Gold Bluffs Beach. We ended the day with a drive south and then through many, many road construction stops on the highway along the Trinity River to ultimately camp at Douglas City Campground, working our way east toward Lassen.
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