Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park — Fall Creek Unit
Hike Review
We have been to the main Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park many times, but it was our first time at the Fall Creek Unit.
We hiked the Bennett Creek Trail, Fall Creek Fire Road, Ridge Trail, Truck Trail, then turned around and came down by S Cape Trail, Fall Creek North Fork Trail, and back on Bennett Creek Trail.
We found the hiking to be quite steep in some parts, but nothing out of the ordinary for Bay Area trails, which are usually steep without switchbacks. There were tons of green trees and lots of old-growth vegetation, which was great to see.
There were just a few stream crossings on Fall Creek North Fork Trail, but all of them had small bridges or lots of branches to make it easy to navigate without getting your shoes wet.
The parking was difficult as it is a small lot that will fit maybe 15-20 cars. We got lucky and grabbed the last spot available.
There were lots of fallen trunks that were fun to walk and balance on.
What Happened?
5.8 miles, 2 hrs 9 mins, 1490 ft of ascent
We had initially wanted to hike the Forest of Nisene Marks, but when we got there, the parking lot was totally full and we were told to turn around. I remembered that I had always wanted to try to hike the Falls Creek Unit, so we got here instead and took the last parking spot.
As we were getting ready for our hike, we helped an unlucky BMW which tried to grab a spot that wasn’t there. As they tried to get their car into an incline, their back wheel came off the ground and they got stuck. Me and a couple of other drivers who were behind the BMW coached the driver to get his wheels back on the ground and got him unstuck and on his way.
For Cassie and me, we quickly started hiking and we just enjoyed the clean air and the feeling of being completely surrounded by green trees, which is always a great feeling. We were slightly worried about getting back to our car, so we did hike fast, but once we got closer to the car—and we found ourselves with more time than we thought we’d have—we had fun with walking fallen tree trunks and taking lots of pictures.
We made it back to our car with 15 minutes to spare, and we wanted to find a café, but alas, it being New Year’s Day, nothing was open, so we drove home. This hike was a great way to start 2025, and we look forward to many more outdoor adventures!
