Saturday, May 30
West Ridge Trail
Rhododendron Trail
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Redwood National Park
Unceeded land of the Yurok
16.28 miles
2,831′ ascent
2,831′ descent
I start the drive at 5:30 am and the clear skies are already glowing with predawn light. I roll into Prairie Creek and there is the usual cold layer of fog hanging in the valley. I drive slowly since visibility is low and spy several groups of elk lurking along the road’s edge. The early morning is always the best time to be out!
I pull into the parking lot and I’m the only one here. I ready my gear while eating a bobo’s oatmeal bar. The women’s bathroom is locked so men’s it is. I hoist my pack and start hiking by 6:35 am. I take the main trail away from the park headquarters which immediately crosses Prairie Creek. Western Flycatcher and Wilson’s Warbler loudly welcome me to the forest. The tricky part about catching the West Ridge Trail is that there is no sign at the main trail junction. Fork to the right for the Prairie Creek aka Karl Knapp Trail and to the left for the James Irvine Trail to Fern Canyon. Fork left down the James Irvine Trail and almost immediately the signed West Ridge Trail departs to the right.
I did the West Ridge Rhododendron Trail Loop two years ago in July 2024, but wanted to try it again to see if I could find more rhododendrons in bloom. I think this is the first time I’ve ever hiked in Prairie Creek during the month of May so I’m seeing some new flowers in bloom. The bright whites of Wood anemone and False solomon’s-seal brighten a darkening forest. A thick fog cover rolls in as I hear a great horned owl hoot far in the distance. Luckily, I’m climbing up the ridge which helps generate some warmth on this increasingly cool and damp morning,
Before it blooms, False solomon’s-seal is an awesome chartreuse green. Another false…..False lily of the valley is blooming a white blanket across the forest floor.
I have the undulating West Ridge Trail all to myself. The forest is also pretty quiet except for the occasional blast of Pacific wren and faint car sounds from Drury Parkway. The Trillium and Douglas iris are at the end of their blooming cycles but still beautiful. Leather-leaf fern mats hang heavy above Starflower carpet. About 3 miles in, I reach my favorite break spot and sit for about 10 minutes while eating a granola bar with coffee.
Coast redwoods are spectacularly complex with massive trunks forking towards the sky 100 feet off the ground. Often these trucks are hard to see but I find one easily visible that I don’t remember seeing before. Just before 9:30 am I arrive at the junction with Zig Zag #2. I take a standing break at the rotten bench and hear a Hairy woodpecker excavating for breakfast.
As I descend towards Drury Parkway, I find my first blooming Andrew’s clintonia of the day. I truly believe this is the first time I’ve ever seen it blooming since I usually observe them when they’re in their blue seed stage. At the bottom of zig zag #2, I cross the photogenic bridge that has a tree leaning into the railing.
As I head towards Drury Parkway, I find that the top half of the Knapp Trail is closed until further notice. That’s a bummer! Just before 10 am I cross the road and head up the Rhododendron Trail.
The trail immediately climbs as I weave through and around large stumps. A few massive redwoods have fallen across the trail and the path now weaves up and through the muddy mess.
I’m stopped for a picture when I hear thumping steps. I look up to see another human approaching me. We are surprised to see each other and chat for a bit. He’s from Oregon and I’m the first person he’s seen all day. I don’t go very far before taking a break along a wide flat section of trail.
The trail and vegetation is different on this side of the valley. It’s more a mix of conifers with Tan oak, Sitka spruce, a few Douglas firs, and Western hemlock. The Tiger lilies are moments away from blooming. The trail is in a more deteriorating state and is heavily eroded in some areas. The trail has washed away leaving exposed roots and a general slant to its surface. This combo makes for a challenging workout.
The foggy blanket is starting to disperse as beams of light begin to penetrate the forest. I pass a spectacular and well-utilized granary in the base of a dead Douglas fir tree. Andrew’s clintonia is prevalent and blooming brightly on this side of the valley. Today, this trail is much more a parade of clintonia than rhododendrons.
There are rhododendrons but they really aren’t blooming. There’s new growth but I can only find a few blooms. Perhaps once upon a time, this redwood forest was not as tall or thick and the rhododendrons were prolific. Why else did they name it the Rhododendron Trail? But it seems that they are too shaded and have grown a bit leggy and tall, desperately trying to reach for the sun. Or maybe it’s just an off year for blooming? The lack of blooming rhododendrons makes the few that are blooming that much more special. The blooms are quite far from the trail and I wish I could get closer.
It’s noon when I reach Nannie Ochs (1860-1947) Memorial Grove. The plaque is posted on a character-rich burned out redwood stump. Not only is there a rhododendron leaning across the trail onto it, but there are leggy rhododendrons growing from soil pockets near the top.
Just before I reach the junction with Brown Creek Trail at 12:30 pm, I hike down trail that is completely covered with soft green moss.
Western maidenhair ferns fan at my knees as I climb up and away from the Brown Creek Trail. More day hikers approach and pass. I step over a unique tree that has me turning around to inspect it. The base of the tree has formed such a sealed pocket that standing water is visible. The surface of the water actually moves when I step on the tree’s base. I pass a couple late season chanterelles and a Pacific sideband snail which I move off of the trail.
There’s a lot more water on this trail than I remember from before. Aside from fluctuations in annual rainfall, I suspect that the water on this trail is highly seasonal. Water is easily collectable this time of year but I wouldn’t count on it for much longer.
I stop because I hear a bird’s call that I don’t recognize. Merlin identifies it as a Hutton’s vireo.
I meet a group of older hikers who are friendly and eager to tell me about the one rhododendron that they’ve seen. We part ways about 20 minutes before I reach the junction with South Fork Trail.
Another 20 minutes past the trail junction, I meet my next challenge. There’s a giant redwood tree across the trail and it’s too big for me to climb over. The dirt around the trail is soft and churned. There are no good options in either direction and clearly people have been going over the log. Getting over is no problem if you’re on the uphill side. There’s no easy path around the root ball and the top is hanging out over the thick redwood forest. I decide that I might have a chance if I go down the hillside and get onto the smaller redwood log. My poles keep me upright as I move down the duffy soft hillside. I use the upright tree to carefully lift myself onto the small downed redwood. Too much momentum and I’ll end up falling into the mini ravine below me. The redwood is narrow enough that I have to slowly and meticulously inch towards the large downed redwood. Once at the junction of the two redwoods, I’m able to reach up and grab the roots of the smaller redwood. I test them for their strength before successfully hoisting myself up onto the large redwood. Yahoo! I jump down happy to have completed that test.
I can feel my thighs and calves tightening up as the efforts of the day catch up with me. It’s been a while since I’ve done a longer hike and this trail is probably not the best to jump in and do without more training. I bend over to stretch and find some lovely patches of Peltigera and Cladonia lichens.
I reach the junction with the Cal Barrel Road just before 2 pm and take a sitting break at the creeklet with ice cold water. The trail climbs briefly before starting the long descent towards park headquarters. In this section, the trail goes straight through the base of several redwood trees.
I push downhill through the thick ferns, hoping for the best since I can’t actually see where my feet are landing. I hike through more trees and crawl under another. My water bottle falls out but luckily I’m able to put it back without having to take off my backpack.
It’s unclear where exactly the Rhododendron Trail ends as you reach several forks in the path. There’s not a lot of obvious signage but fork to the first right and you’ll be on the Cathedral Trees Trail. Continuing straight forward might still be the Rhododendron Trail despite signage for the Elk Prairie Trail. There’s a trail that soon forks to the left and that’s definitely the Elk Prairie Trail which will take you away from the park headquarters on the far side of the prairie. The next fork to the right is the Foothill Trail which is paved and closely parallels Drury Parkway. Continue general forward progress without forking off on any of the trails if you want to get back to park headquarters. The slightly overgrown trail winds along the side of Boyes Creek. Just before Drury Parkway, you can fork left and hike up over the road or fork right to hike through the tunnel under Drury Parkway.
Back at park headquarters, I walk through the gift shop to see if there’s anything new. I really wish they had shirts for Prairie Creek instead of only for Redwood National Park. I get back to my truck just after 3:30 pm and decide to head into Orick for some rewards chips.
West Ridge Rhododendron Trail Loop Summary Video:
