On our way to the Redwoods we stopped at Oregon Cave National Monument for a tour. The cave tour was 90 minutes, a mile long and was fairly demanding with lots of steps and ducking. Pretty good deal for only $10. This cave doesn’t have as many decorations throughout as the Lehman Caves, but there were a few rooms with very impressive formations and it was fun.
The Pacific Northwest is home to Bigfoot, so of course we had to stop and learn at the Bigfoot Experience in Cave Junction OR.
We watched the temperature climb as we drove southwest and down in elevation to the northern California coast. We got very lucky to find a first come first serve campsite on a holiday week in Panther Flat campground (located in the Six Rivers National Forest).The temperature was in the upper 90s at our campsite and made for a couple of sweaty nights. However, when we drove a few miles to the coast the temperature dropped 20-30 degrees, which was a relief.
In the morning we hiked 8 miles of the Coastal Trail through the thick temperate rainforest. Later that afternoon, we hiked to Fern Canyon along the James Irvine trail (11 miles). The shady redwood forest was beautiful and so quiet, a perfect way to escape the heat. While the trees were impressively big andtall, my favorite part was the amazing amount of ferns covering the forest floor.
Fern canyon was very unique and appropriately named. We were surrounded by lush green walls of ferns, moss and little waterfalls. Due to the popularity, to access Fern canyon from the park road you need to reserve a permit to park or hike in 4.5 miles (as we did). Not a lot of light makes it through to the thick canopy making it dark earlier. So we briskly walked/ran the last 4 miles of our hike out of the forest.
Not Sew Fancy Travels 