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.

The California Redwoods. Everyone in the country (and maybe the world?) know what they are. Some of the most gigantic, glorious, majestic trees in the world. That’s no exaggeration. In fact, the supposed tallest tree in the world is a California Redwood. From my research, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is one of the top two to three best California Redwoods hikes you can do. In the park, a combo of Miners Ridge, Fern Canyon and James Irvine seems to be the go-to option. I hiked this one alone, which is sometimes quite peaceful.

This hike was done in combination with my Hike #371 – Fern Canyon which I will link whenever it is posted. This hike was done in late November of 2018, which is a great time to hike if you’re looking for some solitude. Throughout the entire hike, I met less than a dozen people on the trail and the beach. From my recollection, you park near the park office with a decent amount of parking spots available. Here is my intro video…

A short distance away is the trailhead and what I would call the ‘entrance bridge’…

Right away, your jaw will fall to the mossy ground – this bridge walks you around some of the most majestic redwoods in the entire park…

I’ve been to so many beautiful places now and I am still just in awe of how magnificent the California Redwoods are. This tree fell at some point…

Can you imagine being in the woods when that fell? It probably registered on the Richter scale.

The hike is quite lush, with mossy, ferny overgrowth all around. Check out these mossy limbs…

The pathway is mostly springy, damp and easy to walk – great for a leisurely stroll…

Sometimes a natural shape really interests me. This redwood knot almost looks like a baby prehistoric bird head…

There are some switchbacks and you begin to ascend. Look at this ferny, beautiful switchback view…

The dew falling from the redwood trees was just absolutely amazing. I made a slow-mo version of this on my Instagram (@fleurdelistraveler) but here is the unedited video…

This is such a calming video. One of my favorite short videos I’ve ever made.

As you hike in, the gentle stroll begins to change in elevation and becomes more of a workout…

But you start to hear what the next big trail feature is. You cross this bridge at some point…

The sound of the ocean gets louder and louder until…

BAM! And there’s Gold Bluffs Beach. Why do they call it that? I’ll show you at the end. You take this trail (and there are others) to the beach…

The waves were relatively rough on this day. It’s not easily reflected through the picture, but there were some 6 to 8-ft waves out there – still soothing sound. And here’s a self-pic of me on Gold Bluffs Beach…

And something big had been wandering on the sand. Was this a Roosevelt elk? Most likely. They frequent this area and get up to 1,500 pounds! I saw several of them by the road near Orick. They’re powerful animals, capable of running 35 MPH. I would not want to hit one on the road, that’s for sure…

You have to walk a good ways on the beach, I believe up to .5 to a mile. You’ll definitely have sore feet the next day! But take your time and enjoy the scenery…

Looking at the maps of the trail system, I’m now recollecting that I elected to hike on the beach although there is a trail that allows you to bypass it. So if you want to dip your toe in the water and not walk the beach, there’s a trail that’ll connect you.

The Miners Ridge Trail is connected to Fern Canyon as well as James Irvine Trail. My photos of the James Irvine Trail part are limited, but this turned out to be an absolutely beautiful hike overall.

That night, I camped out at Golds Bluff Beach and was one of two campsites in use. Talking about serene. On the way back from dinner in Eureka, I was driving down the 2-3 mile forest road that takes you to Gold Bluffs Beach and a baby cat ran in front of my rental car. This was a very remote area, so I suspect it was a baby moutain lion (they frequent this area). It was super cute, but way too feeling of an encounter to get a picture of it. I’ll finish off the blogpost with a couple of pics I took while camping here (below).

This hike, with the inclusion of Fern Canyon, was simply breathtaking. I can’t wait to do my other redwood hikes.

Total Hiking Distance: 11.33 miles
Calories Burned: 1,328
Trail Type: Loop
Trail Features: Redwoods, lush greenery, ferns moss, beach
Best Time to Hike: Summer/Fall
Difficulty Rating: 7/10
Trailhead Coordinates: 41.3638011, -124.0228990
Trail Tips:

• Trail System Confusion: Know the ratio system well before you hike it. My hike ended up being Miners Ridge, James Irvine and Fern Canyon. That was my intent, including to go off the beaten path to walk on the beach (hey I love the beach! 🤷).
• Optional Beach Walk: The beach walk is quite a workout, so avoid it if you’re not feeling particularly frisky.
• Wildlife: There are bears, Roosevelt elk and mountain lions in this area. Make sure you’re prepared (pepper spray, hike in groups, knife, etc).