Parque
Elk River Trailhead & Old Town of Falk Walking Tour
Recomendado por 12 personas locales
Consejos de personas locales
Roger
October 31, 2021
The 7,472-acre Headwaters Forest Reserve (Reserve) was established in 1999 after a decade-long grassroots effort to protect the world’s last unprotected, intact, old-growth redwood forest ecosystem. Several threatened species call the Reserve home, including coho salmon, the northern spotted owl, and the marbled murrelet. Deep in the heart of the Headwaters, old-growth forest is the beginnings or headwaters of the South Fork Elk River and Salmon Creek. This is how the area got its name. The Reserve is managed by the BLM in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. There are two public trails in the Reserve. The Elk River Trail winds along the South Fork Elk River for 3 miles, followed by a 2-mile ascent to a short loop through an old-growth redwood forest. Interpretive signs along the first mile of trail describe the history of Falk, the historic company mill town once located along this section of trail.
The 7,472-acre Headwaters Forest Reserve (Reserve) was established in 1999 after a decade-long grassroots effort to protect the world’s last unprotected, intact, old-growth redwood forest ecosystem. Several threatened species call the Reserve home, including coho salmon, the northern spotted owl, an…
Zach
July 14, 2022
The Headwaters Forest entrance is only a mile or two as the crow flies, but you have to drive down the hill and around to get to the entrance. This is a public, well maintained trail and animals are allowed on leash. There is a parking lot at the entrance and trail maps.
Shin & Tony
August 25, 2020
The trail starts as a paved, wheelchair-accessible road that undulates gently up-and-down through mixed woodland. Although the woods have clearly been logged, there aren’t a lot of stumps to be seen. Passing the Falk townsite, the road narrows and its surface turns to well-packed gravel. At 3 miles the road makes a right turn, crosses a bridge, and begins to climb. The route then turns right, off the old roadbed and onto the new singletrack trail. For the first time, the trail is now in the redwood forest and under the canopy. Reaching a ridge, the trail levels out and then descends slightly. The trail passes through a grove of white-barked red alders where a dense groundcover of ferns, this area can get a little muddy. At the loop trail intersection, turn left (the sign says to go right, but I like the way the scenery gets gradually better if you go left). The first old-growth trees appear a few yards down the trail and get more impressive as the trail switchbacks up the hillside. At its southern end the trail loops around a small ravine filled with a surprisingly open grove of impressive redwoods, the literal and figurative high point of the hike. Despite a thick carpet of ferns, the grove is slightly arid-looking for the North Coast. A few yards away, a low ridge with a natural break in the old growth separates this little grove from the main body of Headwaters’ ancient forest. From the end of the loop, return the way you came. Total of 10.7 miles.
The trail starts as a paved, wheelchair-accessible road that undulates gently up-and-down through mixed woodland. Although the woods have clearly been logged, there aren’t a lot of stumps to be seen. Passing the Falk townsite, the road narrows and its surface turns to well-packed gravel. At 3 mile…
Amy
December 19, 2021
This 5.5 mile trail follows an abandoned logging road through an old growth forest, and along the gorgeous elk river.
Aimee
July 10, 2020
No fees. Easy self-guided walking tour in our neighborhood of South Eureka. The Elk River Trail is Headwaters Forest's main attraction. The trail is in an isolated, somewhat narrow canyon and there’s no traffic noise or any other sign of civilization. A ghost town called Falk is located on the trail though there's not much left of the logging town so go for the trees. The trail does go through some old-growth redwood stands and tends to be an easy place to socially distance in the great outdoors.
No fees. Easy self-guided walking tour in our neighborhood of South Eureka. The Elk River Trail is Headwaters Forest's main attraction. The trail is in an isolated, somewhat narrow canyon and there’s no traffic noise or any other sign of civilization. A ghost town called Falk is located on the trail…
Ubicación
Headwaters Forest Trail
Loleta, CA