Trillium Falls Trail

One of Redwood National Park’s most popular pathways, Trillium Falls Trail offers an accessible sampler of the coast redwoods – stately groves, lush undergrowth, and a picturesque little waterfall. It’s also one of the easier introductions to the park: a short loop, a bit of elevation, and scenery that delivers more than the mileage might suggest.

Western trillium, for which the trail is named, is one of the North Coast’s iconic wildflowers. In spring the blossoms glow bright white, then slowly fade to pink and purple as the weeks wear on. A patch of trillium near a redwood stream is as photogenic as any grove, and even hikers usually too busy gawking at the trees will pause to admire the flower’s tri-petaled geometry.

The trail’s highlight cascade, Trillium Falls, may be only ten feet high, but it’s a fine excuse to linger on the steel bridge and watch water tumble over moss-slicked boulders. When the light filters through maple leaves above the falls, it feels like a scene painted just for hikers.

Farther along lies John B. DeWitt Grove, named for the longtime secretary of the Save-the-Redwoods League, who helped protect much of this landscape. The grove is a fitting tribute: towering redwoods, hushed understory, and that cathedral-like ambience that makes voices drop to a whisper.

Considering the trailhead was once the site of an Arcata Redwood Company sawmill, it’s a pleasant surprise to find so many big trees still standing. Where saw blades once shrieked and logs once rolled, hikers now shuffle gear in their trunks and kids chase one another across the parking lot. The mill is gone, the redwoods remain – and the only thing buzzing these days is the occasional mosquito.

Two caveats: the nearby highway sometimes supplies more soundscape than you’d like, and despite the big “Elk Meadow” parking lot, Roosevelt elk are elusive. The parking may be full of cars but empty of elk. Consider them a bonus if you do spot them.