Fern Canyon

Of the several beautiful “fern canyons” found along the North Coast, Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is undoubtedly the most awe-inspiring. Five-finger, deer, lady, sword, and chain ferns smother the precipitous walls of the canyon. Bright yellow monkey-flowers abound, as well as fairy lanterns, those creamy white, or greenish, bell-shaped flowers that hang in clusters.

Ferns are descendants of an ancient group of plants that were more numerous 200 million years ago. Ferns have roots and stems similar to flowering plants but are considered to be a primitive form of plant life because they reproduce by spores, not seeds. Think of them as living fossils – botanical reminders that the world was green and lush long before flowers joined the show.

Lovely as it is, the size and shape of Fern Canyon did not occur naturally. Hydraulic miners of the late 19th century turned high-pressure cannons on the canyon walls, blasting away soil in search of elusive gold. The operation left behind a level canyon floor and sheer, vertical walls. What was once a scar is now a wonder – nature rebounded, and today nearly every square inch of those walls drips with greenery. The irony is rich: a century-old assault in the name of profit created one of the most enchanting spots on the California coast.

Fortunately, nature rebounded big-time from this hydro-assault and today there’s hardly a centimeter of canyon wall not smothered in greenery. Fern Canyon feels like an amphitheater designed by ferns for ferns. The walls rise 30 to 50 feet, curtains of green that muffle sound and soften light. Walk quietly, and you might hear only water sliding down mossy rock and the occasional croak of a frog. The canyon is home, too, to the reclusive Pacific giant salamander, a reminder that even in a place beloved by crowds, the forest keeps its secrets.

And crowds there are. In summer, when wooden footbridges are installed to help hikers cross Home Creek dry-shod, Fern Canyon can feel like the United Nations of hiking: license plates from Iowa, Italy, and everywhere in between. It’s no wonder – the place has starred in nature documentaries and even blockbuster films, standing in as a prehistoric landscape. One half expects a dinosaur to poke its head from behind a sword fern.

If solitude is what you seek, come in winter or early spring, when the bridges are removed and the only way forward is to splash along the creek itself. That’s when Fern Canyon reclaims its timeless magic. The canyon becomes hushed, wild, and elemental again – a living reminder that some of the best things on Earth can’t be mined, only marveled at.