Sunday, May 3
Start/Stop: Sequoia Creek Trail on Hodgson St.
Sequoia Park – City of Eureka, CA
Unceeded land of the Wiyot Tribe
The region of Eureka in Wiyot language is known as Jaroujiji
2.67 miles
415′ ascent
363′ descent
max elevation 268′
I had seen the Sequoia Creek Trail sign several times when I was driving by on Hodgson St. When I googled the trail, not much came up about it so I thought I better go check it out.
I arrive at the trailhead at 7:30 am and early Sunday morning is a nice time to have the forest to myself. I descend into the redwood forest and a labyrinth of trails instantly emerge. There’s a boggy, wet area down below me to the right as little trails head off around almost every big tree uphill to my left. It’s the ultimate choose your own adventure!
From the City of Eureka website: “Sequoia Park is a 60-acre facility that features walking and bicycle trails through the redwood forest, meadows, duck pond, and two small creeks. The park includes two playgrounds, open turf grass, picnic tables, restrooms, group picnic area, gazebo and natural clearings perfect for special ceremonies. Just outside the zoo’s northern perimeter is the Sequoia Park Garden. Between November of 1894 and June of 1896, 46.5 acres were purchased for $4,000 by some far-sighted City planners and it is now known as Sequoia Park.”
I arrive at an unsigned junction and fork left. Google maps says this is Melos Meadow. I reach another junction and fork left again. I can hear some voices in the distance as I approach a playground.
I cross the one way Milo Lane and see that there are some people at the far edge of Duck Pond indeed feeding the ducks. I’ve seen many posts of FB about duck on duck violence and now I finally understand that this is the spot that they’re referencing.
Duck Pond is quite beautiful on this calm and gently misting morning.
I stick with my method and keep forking left. The trail switchbacks up the hillside to a flat plateau of redwoods and sitkas.
True to form, the plateau has an intricate web of trails and flowering false lily of the valley. I come to a paved pathway but follow my trail across it which ends up leading out to Glatt St. Under gently spitting skies, I turn around and hike the trail back to the paved pathway and turn left. This unique Sitka spruce reminds me of the aliens in the movie Arrival. I immediately land at another exit onto Glatt St. right at the City of Eureka Parks Division Headquarters. A guy drives in on a quad just as I turn around and head back into the forest.
This paved pathway or service road follows the perimeter of the Sequoia Park Zoo. I can hear a loud noise emanating from the zoo. I can’t quite figure it. Is it monkeys? Now that I’ve looked at the zoo map, was it crested screamers? Red pandas? Nonetheless, a very loud morning feeding time. I circle around until I am under the sky walk that extends out into the forest. This paved pathway connects to the edge of Sequoia Park playground. It’s about 8 am and more people are appearing with their dogs. But wow, everyone actually has their dogs leashed. Thank you!
I pass the Group Picnic Area and fork right on the trail that parallels the one-way Milo Lane. I dip back into the redwood forest where trillium dot the trail’s edge.
I start to hear the trickle of water in the drainage channel to my right as a sign catches my eye. I walk over to check out what I first thought was Winston Meadow. Turns out it’s Windstorm Meadow “created on 12-31-2005 when a severe winter storm blew down 75 trees.” There’s even a few parking places here too.
Back on trail and high on an obviously very old redwood is a plaque that reads: “Dedicated to the loving memory of Martha Gould Dinsmore, Grand Matron of California Order of Eastern Star 1912-1913, Died June 25th 1919, By the chapters of Humboldt County July 1920”
Martha DeEtta Gould Dinsmore was born in Minnesota, died in San Francisco County and is buried in Rhonerville. From an obituary I found online: “She graduated from Reno state normal school and was employed for several years in the schools of Humboldt county. “Always busy, she yet found time for literary work and many of her writings found a ready welcome in magazines of wide circulation.” She was honored by being elected California State Grand Master, Rohnerville Chapter of Fortuna, Order of the Eastern Star. As Grand Worthy Matron Mrs. Dinsmore traveled the state visiting numerous chapters.”
I weave around a bit and then catch a trail downhill that leads back to the Duck Pond. I go cross country (on a little trail) to visit the Rhododendron Glen area.
Next on the dedication tour is the largest fireplace ever?! Certainly to match the large and majestic redwoods. Plaque reads “She liked a warm glowing fire. Donated in memory of Rose J. Walsh 1919-1952.”
Rose Josephine Ivancich Walsh was born in Scotia and died in San Francisco. From an article in the North Coast Journal written by Richard Stenger, October 2017: “In Eureka, buried in the depths of Sequoia Park… the last stand of old growth redwoods in the historic seaport, sits a curious stone floor with a giant hearth, a vestige of the Victorian era. The oddity, just east of the duck pond, is all that remains of a log cabin that delighted children for decades. In 1953, a plaque was placed on the hearth in memory of Rose Ivancich Walsh, who “liked a warm glowing fire.”
I have so many questions.
I fork to my right and the trail starts to climb uphill. There’s water trickling from deep inside a dark, black hole across the mini ravine. The trail climbs to the back side of the Group Picnic Area where I fork left. The paved service road is just off to my right but I follow the trail through the forest for as long as possible. I pass under the sky walk again and as the trail fades out, I return to the paved path. I follow it briefly before forking left onto a gravel path. I easily push through the green, which is nothing like my Sharp Point bushwhack two weekends ago.
I pass a gnarly stump with loads of burls as the trail starts to descend again. I carefully navigate the wet stairs down to a perfect little waterfall.
The long reaching branches of Big Leaf Maple provide a dramatic contrast deep in the riparian redwood forest. This trail brings me back to the Duck Pond and I return to the trail from which I departed 20 minutes ago. Douglas squirrel has a lot to say this morning as I descend to the end of Duck Pond to find more people feeding the ducks. I fork left, passing a bench dedicated to the Van Duzers, while a creeklet to my right leads me back to Melos Meadow.
I fork left, back onto the main trail through Melos Meadow and soon fork left again onto an elevated walkway that crosses the boggy area. I begin to climb as I pass a woman and her dog. After a couple switchbacks I arrive at a Sequoia Creek Trailhead. Wait, where am I? Turns out that there’s an O St. Sequoia Creek Trail entry as well as where I started on Hodgson St. I could complete the loop by hiking O St. to Hodgson but decide to backtrack through the forest.
I briefly explore a small path along the side of the boggy area but it soon peters out and I backtrack. I return across the wooden walkway where I take a left and hike uphill back to Hodgson St., arriving about 8:45 am. From the below map on the right, it looks like I missed a few pieces of the trail system. Sequoia Park is an awesome space to hike as little or as much as you want. It seems you could add some miles by walking the perimeter streets for a big loop: Hodgson, Q, Duck, R, Glatt, W, Madrone, I wonder if there’s a little connector trail to Hemlock and then O. If no connector, then you can go through the park to get to O St. And don’t forget to check out the Sequoia Park Flower Garden along the way as well! The dahlias will be blooming during the summer!
