RATING |
|
 |
DISTANCE |
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4.6 miles round-trip |
HIKING TIME |
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2 hours, 30 minutes |
ELEVATION GAIN |
|
220 feet |
HIGH POINT |
|
230 feet |
EFFORT |
|
Moderate Workout |
BEST SEASON |
|
December to May |
PERMITS/CONTACT |
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Russian Gulch State Park fee required |
MAPS |
|
Russian Gulch State Park |
NOTES |
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Dogs prohibited; bikes allowed on |
An easy trail suitable for hiking or biking takes you through dense forest to a waterfall tucked into a redwood grotto.
From Mendocino, drive 2 miles north on Highway 1 to the entrance sign for Russian Gulch State Park on the left. Turn left and then immediately left again to reach the entrance kiosk. After paying, drive past the kiosk and continue straight, crossing back under the highway, to the eastern side of the park. Drive past the recreation hall and all of the campsites to the parking area for the Fern Canyon Trail. Start hiking from the trail-head at the east side of the parking area.
There comes a time when you just have to stretch the rules a little. For me, that time was when I hiked the Fern Canyon Trail to the waterfall at Russian Gulch State Park. My cardinal rule was “never hike on pavement,” and I was fairly self-righteous about it. But the lure of a waterfall in a fern-filled canyon was too good to pass up, even though it meant walking on an old paved trail for part of the trip.
Russian Gulch Falls is hidden in a redwood-lined grotto a few miles from the coast.
The paved Fern Canyon Trail may not be completely au naturel, but it is pleasantly rutted, cracked, and covered with leaves and fir needles. The route is nearly level and almost always accompanied by the sound of running water from Russian Gulch. A dense riparian forest, filled with second-growth redwoods, hemlocks, Douglas firs, bigleaf maples, alders, and tons of ferns, borders both sides of the trail. In late summer, trail-side blackberry bushes provide nourishment for hungry hikers. Stinging nettles and poison oak are also prevalent, so watch where you tread if you stray off the pavement.
The trail directions are simple: Follow Fern Canyon Trail for 1.6 miles to its junction with Falls Loop Trail, where the pavement ends. Here you’ll see a few picnic tables and a bike rack, as well as a junction with the North Trail for those who chose to follow an alternate, unpaved route (see “Going Farther,” below). The Falls Loop Trail allows you the choice of going left or right; both paths join at the waterfall, but the left trail is much shorter (0.7 mile to the waterfall versus 2.3 miles). For a 4.6-mile round-trip, head left.
Now on a dirt trail, you’ll face a bit of up and down, including some wooden stairsteps. In 0.7 mile, a glimpse of Russian Gulch Falls comes into view just before the trail heads downhill to its base.
The falls at Russian Gulch prove the adage that when it comes to waterfalls, setting counts more than size. At a mere 36 feet, Russian Gulch Falls is no record-setter, but it drops over a vertical slab of rock into a verdant grotto. In winter, the waterfall can be a rushing torrent that spills over the huge boulder at its base, whereas in summer, it is reduced to one main cascade and a smaller, thinner stream that pours down the left side of the rock. Broken tree trunks and branches are jammed around the base of the falls, having fallen and tumbled over its lip. Some have been there so long that plants have taken root on them, creating a lush green frame for the falling water. One tree trunk, leaning vertically against the waterfall’s boulder, is completely covered with dense thriving ferns.
It isn’t easy to leave this special place. Often you will find hikers picnicking or just hanging out at the footbridge near the base of the falls. Chances are good that you will decide to join them.
Purists can get around the pavement problem by taking the alternate, unpaved North Trail. It starts at the same trailhead as the paved Fern Canyon Trail and then takes a longer, more meandering route to reach the junction with the Waterfall Loop Trail. Taking the North Trail out and back in both directions will add 2 miles to your trip. Another way to extend the hike is to walk the entire 3-mile Falls Loop Trail instead of just the 0.7-mile out and back to the falls.
