The Skunk Cabbage section of the California Coastal Trail offers a nice mix of forest and beach walking. The first two miles follow Skunk Cabbage Creek through mixed redwood, spruce, and hemlock with little elevation change. The low-lying areas support large patches of the trail’s namesake. The trail then crosses a ridge and descends to an invariably deserted beach.
Redwood National and State Parks: 707-465-7765 (Kuchel Visitor Center)
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park: info@parks.ca.gov, 707-488-2171
Went out to #11 today… the rain has left much of the trail to be quite muddy in parts but that was to be expected. After the overlook, the trail becomes a bit hectic and treacherous in places and the overgrowth makes it hard to find the trail. There has been some slide too. Between the steepness of the descent to the beach and the visibility of the trail, I stopped and turned around. Partially forced but mostly I didn’t want to slide, fall and roll my way down. Just an FYI, if you don’t know the trail we’ll already, you may want to turn around. Hopefully, this will be cleared because I would like to return and complete it!