Fantastic Ferns

Posted by BLD in MT September 03, 2021

Fantastic Ferns

Me standing on a log beside a wall of ferns.

One of my favorite hikes from our Redwoods Megavacation was through Fern Canyon. It is an aptly named place. The canyon is quite narrow and the walls are vertical gardens for ferns. They are thick with ferns. Rampant with ferns. I couldn't see the walls in most places. They're almost fully obscured by the drapery of ferns. The moss is pretty spectacular, too. It was incredibly green in there.

The light filtering through trees added an ethereal quality to the canyon hike.

Look at how little Matt is!

The canyon was full of plants from top to bottom.

There is a loop trail that goes through Fern Canyon and then up and over the top offering views of the canyon from the rim above. I love a loop trail, but really, the star of the show is the canyon part. I could have walked up and down that canyon all day. The loop trail was a little over a mile long and the only noteworthy elevation gain was when we left the canyon to take the trail up to the rim.

The bridge-trail was a pretty fun hiking experience.

Some rustic stairs leading up from the canyon floor to the rim above as part of the loop trail.

Home Creek runs through the canyon and most of the trail, as it were, was comprised of temporary wooden bridges. We also had a fantastic time using the fallen trees as pathways across the creek, too. It was like a nature-made jungle gym!

Matt scaling a fallen redwood that had gotten jammed up in the canyon. I'm below him on the canyon floor.

Fern Canyon is particularly known for its Five-Fingered Ferns.

There were loads of places where moisture was dripping down the mosses in a perpetual rain that was magnificent. I stood under a couple, delighted by the temporary drizzle upon my head. It was easy to see how everything in there got so darn green!