For our last day we chose to hike Fern Canyon and the Lady Bird Johnson Grove. The drive to the Fern Canyon trailhead was challenging. Once you leave US 101, the route is mainly along a narrow winding unpaved road through the big trees along a bluff overlooking the Pacific. Towards the end, the road is muddy and full of potholes, but our big truck can handle that terrain. We parked at the trailhead parking lot, which was nearly full, and set out.
Fern Canyon offers spectacular views of five different kinds of ferns lining the canyon walls fifty feet high. Year round waterfalls sparkle on the moss. The hike crisscrosses Home Creek, mostly on small temporary foot bridges, but some scrambling over and along fallen logs is also required.
It is easy to see why Steven Spielberg chose this canyon as one of the settings for Jurassic Park 2.
After the hike, we drove to the Gold Bluffs Beach picnic area for lunch near the crashing waves of the Pacific.
Next we drove to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove (yes, that did require retracing that challenging route). A young ranger named Seth was about to lead a guided walk, so we joined the group. He was so new that his iconic ranger hat was literally in the mail.
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