Jen Aych
The path there is beautiful and full of bountiful nature, including plants I've never seen, even as a Bay Area native, but oh man it is quite a long hike, or felt long as we felt a bit lost and it was a bit challenging to make sure we were still on track. There are some markers, but not quite enough to be sure of yourself. And, as someone else mentioned, the end of the trail, as you finally get closer to the falls, gets incredibly technical and requires a bit of scrambling on some steep canyon sides and over (or under) logs of various girths (redwoods can get girthy!) I do *not* recommend going during the wet season or immediately after intense rains, as there is one part of the trail that crosses incredibly smooth rock that clearly becomes a waterfall during major rains... one slip and you could possibly fall to canyon area below. Perhaps the trail gets closed during such rains, though. Due to the intense scrambling at the end and being unsure of our path, I can't say it's 5 stars, but I'm happy I went. It was beautiful, there were butterflies flittering around and drinking water when we got there, which made it more magical, but this is definitely a one'r and a done'r. Mission accomplished.
4.0
TLDR; Amazing & instance hike/climb through various terrain. Incredible views and a great sense of accomplishment in the end! One lane sized, 2-way road to the lot & trailhead!!! ------- Much like Jay Hippy, I randomly came across this hike on a road trip en route to Oregon. You see these awe inspiring peaks from the freeway and, as I was I was looking for something to break up the drive, these very same crags came up on Yelp with 4 Star+ reviews and what a gem! It is an intense 2-ish mi uphill (upmountain, really) adventure through various terrain... You start on lush, moist pine forest trail, onto red clay dirt with oak and redwoods, to typical California golden hillside foliage, to the granitey crags with low shrubs. What a sense of accomplishment when you get to the top! Just amazing. And the views from the crag tops are incredible. Two snowy peaks are visible in the distance... Mt Shasta and maybe Mt Lassen? Admittedly, it's been a year since I've gone in July, but this is one of my absolute favorite hikes. The vista trail, which is much simpler and accessible from the same parking lot is also worth the quick walk. The same peaks are viewable, but no sense of awe and accomplishment is involved in the 1/4mi walk/"hike". The drive to the lot is a tight squeeze! Heads up!
5.0
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