| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Also on Backpacker.com
Backpacker Magazine – October 2010
Top 3 Rainy Season Hikes: Mill Creek, CA
Rains summon salmon and slugs.
Sunlight pours through the mist near Mill Creek. (Kevin McNeal)
-
Tags:
- California |
- Destinations |
In any season, the 300-foot-tall redwoods lining Mill Creek in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park would be reason enough to hike this 5.4-mile (round-trip) trail—but autumn rains conjure a bonus. As precipitation plumps up Mill Creek, steelhead, coho, and chinook salmon take advantage of the deeper waters to swim upstream and spawn. Rain-lubricated leaves also create smooth sliding surfaces for neon-yellow banana slugs. Spot them among understory vines and maple leaves glowing brilliant red and yellow from October through December. Start at the western trailhead on Howland Hill Road and follow Mill Creek Trail as it bobs among the ferns on the stream’s west side. At 2.5 miles, you’ll hike right through a grove of fat, wrinkled old-growth redwoods before arriving at Stout Grove parking lot, your turnaround point. nps.gov/redw
Recharge
Gulp down fish and chips at Crescent City’s Chart Room. (707) 464-5993; chartroomcrescentcity.com
The Way
From Crescent City, take US 101 one mile south, then turn left on Elk Valley Rd. In one mile, turn right on Howland Hill Rd. and go 2.5 miles to the trailhead.
Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter
Reader Rating:
-
Editors' Choice 2013
412 trail-tested products
Boost Your Apps
Add powerful tools and exclusive maps to your BACKPACKER apps through our partnership with Trimble Outdoors.
Carry the Best Maps
With BACKPACKER PRO Maps, get life-list destinations and local trips on adventure-ready waterproof myTopo paper.
FREE Rocky Mountain Trip Planner
Sign up for a free Rocky Mountain National Park trip planning kit from our sister site MyRockyMountainPark.com.
Get 2 FREE Trial Issues and 3 FREE GIFTS
Survival Skills 101 • Eat BetterThe Best Trails in America
YES! Please send me my FREE trial issues of Backpacker
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
Free trial offer valid for US subscribers only.
Canadian subscriptions |
International subscriptions
and my 3 FREE downloadable booklets.
READERS COMMENTS
hey MrRedwood i'll sell you a jar of neon worms, they really are neon. i'll throw in the brooklyn bridge if you hit me up this week!
Been there, done that. Fabulous hike. Many other good ones in the area, too!
Lived in Crescent City years ago and any time of the year is spectacular there!
relax people, Kelly is a writer and to build a story that is what it takes. besides, they are "neon" compared to anything else in the forest, ever think of that?
Mr Redwood, geez, get a grip.... did anyone really think they were "neon" and they are still pretty and cool... way too analytical
Love this trail, I can't wait to go back!!
but with a background of dark greens and mud they appear pretty bright
Hey, those banana slugs really aren't neon yellow. They don't glow, and the coloration is really quite dingy, more like that of a mostly overripe banana. They are pretty cool, but you make 'em sound like they're as pretty as some tropical fish, which just ain't so.
ADD A COMMENT