Stats, trail tips and important information regarding this trail are located at the bottom of the blog post. Unless explicitly noted, all pictures in this blog are owned by me and should otherwise not be used without expressed written consent.

Note: This trail part of a larger, multi-trail hike I did in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. To see the other legs of the hike, see my Hike #372.

It goes without saying that there are some hikes that I get really, really excited about. Why would I have a 700-hike bucket list otherwise? A few examples of those hikes are Cinque Terre (see Sentiero Abruzzo hikes), Plitvice Lakes (Croatia), Tall Trees Grove (California/US), Mount Scott (Oregon/US) and Mount Mitchell (North Carolina/US). Fern Canyon happens to be another one. When I initially developed my bucket list, Fern Canyon seems to have a uniqueness to it that no other hike had. You’re about to find out why I was so excited – and why I now love it so much.

This hike is located in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park near Orick, California. As far as California redwood hikes go, you’re right in the middle of it all in this area – several legendary redwood groves (and associated hikes), a beautiful beach and surreal Avenue of the Giants. I’ll show you a picture of the latter at the end of this blogpost. From my recollection (and revisiting through Google Maps), there are multiple ways to access Fern Canyon and it can be quite confusing. I ended up doing a loop, combining the Miner’s Ridge Trail, Fern Canyon and James Irvine Trail all into one.

Fern Canyon isn’t a strenuous hike, I’d call it more of a semi-leisurely walk through a creek bed fully surrounded by ferns. Here is my right as you get to Fern Canyon…

Yes, the beginning of the trail is ferny. But it gets fernier…

As you’d suspect, I recommend wearing waterproof shoes for obvious reasons. You’re basically hiking through Home Creek and, based on my research, it’s a creek year-round. But wow, hiking through a creek is so damned cool and different! My proverbial self-pic right as I’m walking into Fern Utopia…😎…(I named it that)…

So what is so special about Fern Canyon? The fern waterfalls!!!!…

She’s a beaut! I am just spellbound by how intriguing this is/was. At one point in the trail, these Fern waterfalls are everywhere. Check this one out…

You are literally surrounded by dense fern and moss. Exceptionally beautiful. Some spots even had mossy waterfalls instead of fernie ones…

This video could put me to sleep. So serene. I wrapped up this leg of my trip and began to head back to the Prairie Creek Redwoods Visitor Center. These stairs will take you there…

What a shockingly beautiful place to visit. I’m pretty sure if you’d like to take the easy way to Fern Canyon, you can park near the Gold Bluffs Beach campground and this trail is nearby. You will not regret it.

Total Distance/Time: miles in  hr min
Calories Burned: 250 (estimate)
Trail Type: Point-to-point
Trail Features: Creek, moss, ferns, waterfalls, shade
Best Time to Hike: June through September
Difficulty Rating: 5/10
Trailhead Coordinates: 41.4007783, -124.0654127 (if you’d like to access the trail directly)
Trail Tips:

• Wet Hike. Be sure to wear waterproof footwear. It’s highly likely you will be hiking through a low-flow Home Creek.
• Access Options. If you’d like to only do this hike, you can access it from the parking lot on Gold Bluffs Beach Rd (the coordinates are above). Personally, I’d say you’re missing out on seeing some jaw dropping redwoods if you only do Fern Canyon. But sometimes people are limited by time, make decisions based on variety (already seen plenty of redwoods on your trip), etc. I preferred hiking from the park visitor’s center, through Miners Ridge, to Fern Canyon, then looped back from James Irvine. If you elect to hike on the beach like I did, be prepared for a workout! Otherwise, there appears to be a pathway (at least on Google Maps) to avoid the beach entirely. I love the beach, so it was worth it to me.
• Camping. Gold Bluffs Beach is absolutely gorgeous. I would highly recommend camping there. It’s close in proximity to Fern Canyon.
• Dining. The towns of Arcata and Eureka are not too far away (less than an hour) and have some good dining options.