Rohner Park

Fortuna

(Map link.)

I was set to make one last stop in my great loop traveling the whole of Forest Route 1 through Six Rivers National Forest. (That started here.) The forest was long gone. The multitude of boats heading to Ruth Lake were passed. I had made it to that marine layer I'd looked down on from Cold Springs Lookout. That was nice, because the day had been very noticeably warmer than the last from the moment I woke up and more so once the sun hit Beckers Racetrack. I found some parking along some cones by the baseball fields and found the trail to hike the redwoods. I could have parked a little closer had I known where I was going.

Take the right at the road sign and, if the gate is open, there is parking by the trailhead to see the redwoods.

There's a sign with a map showing trails, both paved and unpaved. The paved trails were a loop road through the trees that is now for hiking and bicycling. I took the first right on a small, unpaved trail that climbed up out of the depression that is the start. The forest is quite pretty. It finished all too soon, getting onto the road for a section that is particularly road-like. Well, back alley-like.

Redwood sorrel of the pink variety.

The trail returns to old road among the second growth redwoods. They were logged over 100 years ago and there's some size to the new ones now.

The alley-like bit of old road does come with a bit of city view off the hill near a church.

Also some beautifully flowering invasive broom.

I was quite happen to launch back into the trees again after the section of gravel and back fences.

More tall redwoods surrounded by lush ferns and flowers.

The old road dipped down and started to climb again and I took a right onto another bit of unpaved trail. I found the clintonia was really showing off for its season.

A spot of purple against dark redwood bark (actually, looks a bit Douglas fir) is one of the many Andrews' clintonia.

Columbian windflower.

Another Andrews' clintonia. There were thick patches of them, but the leaves space them out so well that it doesn't quite show as a thick patch.

The top on the north side is rather like a wide, flat park. The wear around the trees and stumps show that it has been treated rather like a park of play equipment, too. When I got there, there were three boisterous groups roaming the area. Well, large enough groups that being generally talkative made them seem boisterous.

The big stumps at the top show what was. These trees are big, but not for redwoods.

Well, they do a fair bit of going way up there.

I often wonder what it takes to decide which of the multitude of wild roses a particular specimen might be.

I founds lots of violets up high, but the violets down here are done for the season.

As I came around the outer loop, I decided to head back for a smaller loop. There's really just not that much hike to this hike that can only be extended to just over a mile.

It's all quite well developed trails.

Bumble bee on an inside-out flower.

Irises are out still.

Timing is everything. When I got to the top that second time, all of the big groups had wandered off somewhere and it was quiet to sit on the benches among the trees.

Back at the top. The outstretched reiteration seems a popular piece of "climbing equipment" in this redwood playground.

I had lunch, then wound down once more. At some point the sun had come out. It was still nice under the redwoods.

Western lily of the valley is putting up little white towers of flowers.

The cones were gone and parking had adjusted when I got back, which made the pair of customized Scions sandwiching my own beaten up Scion customized only with a tow hitch seem purposeful. We waved to the Scion club and the nice patch of redwoods and got going. I probably should have taken a moment to stop at the (free) railroad museum, but I was getting moving.

*photo album*




©2021 Valerie Norton
Written 17 Jun 2021