From Harbour Bridge to Golden Gate Bridge: 2–3 Years Living in the US

[CaptainCurtis]

 

[CaptainCurtis]

Another easy 2km walk.

 

[OZDUCK]

Lovely photos thanks.

Two things jumped to my mind. Firstly how you seemed to be exploring these paths completely alone. Are there just so many tracks that it it is easy to escape others or was the park very 'empty' of visitors? Secondly I noticed the sign about shallow roots but saw no sign of any 'raised walkways' to avoid soil compression by people walking along the tracks. Did you run across any?

 

[CaptainCurtis]

After finishing up at Jedediah Smith, I drove an hour or so south along the Redwood Highway (US-101) before turning off onto the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway at the northern entrance to Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Prairie Creek is known for its towering trees, resident Roosevelt elk herds, and the lush, fern-filled gullies that have made it a filming location for everything from Jurassic Park to Star Wars.






The Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway runs for about 10 miles through the heart of the park, a slower, quieter alternative to Highway 101 (which I'd taken on the way up to Crescent City).

 

[CaptainCurtis]

My first stop was the Moorman Pond Trail, another short 2km walk.

 

[CaptainCurtis]

In the afternoon, I headed to the southern end of the park for a 4 km walk along the Foothill and Cathedral Trees Trails, which form a gentle loop through some of the park’s most impressive groves.

 

[CaptainCurtis]

 

[CaptainCurtis]

The drive from Prairie Creek down to my accommodation in Trinidad for the next two nights was an easy 40 minutes, retracing the coast just north of the town I’d stopped in two days earlier. I checked into the Historic Schoolhouse Inn - Camp Trinidad, where I’d be staying for two nights. At $261 per night, it was one of my pricier stops, but also one of the nicest.

The Inn sits on a 13-acre property near the coast and was once a functioning schoolhouse, now converted into a boutique inn with freshly renovated, spacious rooms. Mine had a comfortable bed, modern bathroom, and plenty of space to spread out. It’s not directly on the beach, but the location was quiet, breezy, and well positioned to head back into Prairie Creek the next day.






Dinner was at the Sunset Restaurant, inside the Heights Casino south of Trinidad.



I had the New York strip. Before...



After...



Sunset snaps on the short drive back up to the Inn.

 

[CaptainCurtis]

I was up early, departing Camp Trinidad at 7AM and arriving at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center at 7:45. The morning was cool and misty, the air carrying that unmistakable mix of salt and redwood. Today’s plan was an ambitious one: a full 22.5 km loop, starting on the James Irvine Trail to Fern Canyon, then walking along Gold Bluffs Beach, and returning to the Visitor Center via the Miners Ridge Trail.





The James Irvine Trail is one of the park’s signature walks, and for good reason. From the very first steps, the path wound through towering redwoods, past quiet creeks and fallen logs carpeted in neon-green moss. The early light filtering through the canopy gave the whole forest a soft, golden glow. For long stretches, the only sounds were dripping water and the faint chatter of birds far above.

 

[CaptainCurtis]

 

[CaptainCurtis]

 

[CaptainCurtis]

After a couple of hours, the forest began to open as I reached the mouth of Fern Canyon. Even after everything I’d seen in the park so far, this place felt incredibly special - a narrow gorge lined with towering green walls, ferns cascading down like curtains. The air was cool and still, the sound of trickling water echoing off the canyon walls. It’s easy to see why this spot has been used as a filming location for Jurassic Park - walking through, you half expect a dinosaur to emerge from the fog.