FERN CANYON
For the past 4 years that I’ve been living in Humboldt, I’ve always wanted to go to Fern Canyon, which is located in Prairie Creek State Park. It was only today that I finally did it.
I’ve always imagined that it would be magical, sort of mystical, to have ferns just growing on the sides of a canyon and to walk through creek flowing through it. And it was. It was magical and mystical, and more. Being there felt different than being surrounded by redwoods. It felt primitive, like you were in a different land.
At the beginning our hike, there were a ton of tourists. By the end of the day, the crowd just about cleared out of Fern Canyon.
The five finger ferns and sword ferns covered the walls, and small moss-covered waterfalls flowed into the stream. Plank bridges and logs allowed easier stream crossings, but it’s a lot more adventurous crossing the stream itself.
Tall fern-covered canyon walls
Stream crossings
Close up of five finger fern.
At one point, there was a large log jam, so you have to weave in and out of the logs to get through. This was where I fell from a log, feet first into the water. While my shoes are waterproof in the outside, they are not waterproof in the inside, nor do they prevent water from going in. My right foot and socks were wet and from then on out, I stopped caring if my right foot was in deep stream water. That made it easier to walk across the stream.
After walking for a little bit longer, we decided to turn around. We walked back to our car, where my sandals were waiting for me in the trunk. I am beyond thrilled to have experienced Fern Canyon, but next time, I will definitely just wear my sandals.
Fern Canyon and stream crossings.
7/16/17 Update
I went back to Fern Canyon to show my family around and wore sandals, which was the best decision in the world.