Located within the northern reaches of California’s Humboldt Redwoods State Park, the extent and straightforward Drury-Chaney Loop spends its entirety in a gorgeous previous development redwood forest adorned with ferns and redwood sorrel. These will not be the biggest coastal redwoods within the space (these are discovered additional south within the coronary heart of the park), however the wholesome state of the towering bushes and verdant overgrowth that carpets the ground makes the grove exceptionally scenic. The stem-and-loop hike all through the grove is in style, however a lot much less so than the better-known stands elsewhere within the park. Anticipate to spend 1-2 hours finishing the hike and gazing on the wondrous, picturesque landscapes alongside the straightforward jaunt.
The hike
The trailhead for the Drury-Chaney Loop is lower than three miles from the northern terminus of the Avenue of the Giants, a world-famous scenic drive that meanders north-south via Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Right here the park narrows to a skinny strip of public land, wedged between Freeway 101 and the tiny, unincorporated city of Pepperwood (inhabitants: 50), which doubtless sees much more guests than residents on a typical day. On the southern fringe of “city,” there’s shoulder parking on either side of the Avenue of the Giants. The trailhead, marked with indicators and a map/kiosk, begins on the west facet.
The path, partly asphalted, traverses an entry brushland earlier than rapidly coming into the darkish and dense forest, the place the redwoods are seen immediately. New and previous development are interspersed because the path rounds an S-curve, with the ferns quickly overtaken by a lush carpet of clover-like redwood sorrel. Guests, enamored with the showy panorama, are prone to slowly make their approach via the hike, stopping to take photographs at any time when the sunshine and surroundings modifications.
Ultimately hikers come to a bench at about ¼ mile, and a peculiar one at that, as it’s carved right into a fallen log and marked with an indication studying “Drury Chaney Path.” A proper (delayed) welcome, I suppose, to the loop hike.
Generally asphalted or graveled, typically filth, the path continues westward, deeper into the forest, lastly passing a number of man-made rock piles and crossing an unimproved highway (that seems hardly ever used). Thereafter, social trails turn into extra frequent: skinny, hiker-made paths that veer from the principle path. Keep on the principle, wider monitor, coming quickly to a junction and the beginning of the loop portion at 0.7 miles.
Bear left first, tracing a clockwise circuit and instantly crossing a scenic picket bridge over a seasonal stream. The path past is narrower however nonetheless well-discerned, and a second bridge comes minutes later.
Now again inside earshot of Freeway 101, the route nonetheless retains its distance from indicators of civilization, as an alternative meandering via additional redwoods and steadily curving again north and east towards the beginning. Because the path makes a decisive bend east, there’s a good bench on the left. One other bench, this one named for (donors) Harry and Norma Irving, is encountered quickly thereafter. The fern cowl is especially dense on this space.
After passing a big stump on the best, the path closes the loop, and hikers return to acquainted floor. Flip left, traversing the previous highway once more, and return a bit of greater than a half-mile again to the trailhead, capping off a 2.3-mile leg-stretcher stuffed with scenic vantages.
