Lyon's Ranch Loop - Redwood National Park

I hiked a 10 mile ridge-to-valley-to-ridge loop in Redwood National Park during a sunny late October day. The hike began at the parking lot for Lyon's Ranch...it vectored north down Bald Hills Road, then branched off onto a ranch road that curved back to the north...eventually hooking up with the Lyon's Ranch homestead. Abundant sunshine, cool breeze, golden California grass, and ridge top views of rolling mountains for miles and miles...perfect way to spend a day-off from work.

At the beginning of the hike two Humboldt County Sheriff's deputies stopped me as I was slogging down Bald Hills Road. They informed me that a lunatic wearing an orange jacket was flashing a knife at motorists driving by. They asked me if I was the person doing that...I said no, and they let me continue on my way. Needless to say, I was turning around every 10 minutes during my hike looking for a crazy man ready to knife me. Luckily I survived. However, when I was at the Lyon's Ranch Homestead, I heard a loud rustling in a group of trees.  I thought to myself, perhaps, the crazy man was watching me from afar. It turns out it was a mother black bear and her cub, who dashed out in front of me five minutes later and ran down a hillside. The mother stopped as the cub climbed up a tree for safety...the mother started eyeing me, and I got the hint, and picked up the pace back towards my truck, which was still a mile away.  Great hike!

Prairie Creek Redwoods - Fern Canyon

Those looking for a moderately long (12 mile) day hike might want to consider the trail that leads from the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park headquarters out to Fern Canyon. The 6 miles out to the canyon go by fast as you marvel at the tall trees always-towering-above. The terrain is moderately rugged, the undergrowth is from a prehistoric movie, and the mist swirling through the trees enhances the mystical spiritual connection with a truly special natural wonder. I hiked this route during mid October. The canyon itself is not all that awe-inspiring...though there are several subsidiary slot-canyons spanned by bridges--with tiny streams embedded deep within the earth below. Nevertheless, the hike was fantastic. I truly appreciated reconnecting with the woods and forgetting about the human condition for a while.  As I've said before to many people, Prairie Creek State Park is hands down the best Redwood Park in Northwest California--both for hiking and for marveling.