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My latest hike in the Fall Creek Unit, in June of 2019 when Bay Area temperatures were in the 80's, provided nice and cool environment to complete the 9 miles loop peaking at the Big Ben Tree. The long climb to the tree was a bit hard mainly due to the higher humidity. As always in this park - the trees and vegetation were green and lively. A lone woodpecker was heard pecking away in the forest.
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I hiked this trail on a rainy Sunday following a bit of rain the day before. In spite of the rain, the trail was in pretty good condition, with two exceptions:
- Crossing Fall Creek was a little dicey in two locations. The first because the bridge across the creek was partially submerged, but easy to deal with by crossing barefoot or with a good jump across the submerged part. The second is at the north end of the creek-side section where I had to cross using a downed tree as a bridge. I was glad to have hiking poles, but fortunately, the trunk wasn't too slippery.
- There's a slide along the creek about halfway up the Fall Creek North Trail that required some bushwacking to get above and around it. It may be passable along the creek when the water is lower, but not this day. It's a pretty steep climb through a bit of growth, but not too bad taking it one step at a time.
The best part of the hike is along Fall Creek. The trail crosses the creek four times and you're always near enough to see and hear the water. Hiking the loop counterclockwise gets you to this section first and gives you a gently climbing path. I missed the last cross-over and had to backtrack to find the tree-trunk-crossing, keep an eye on the map as you approach this area!
After leaving the creek you continue climbing for another couple of miles before the trail starts heading back down. I saw more redwoods away from the water, but I'm not sure if that's because there were more, or because I was enjoying the water so much. The trails are completely in the forest, don't expect any views along the way!
There are a couple of historical sites on the way with interpretive signs. The first is the Barrel Mill Site on the creek. The second at the remnants of a limestone quarry and lime production factory.
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