Dolason Prairie

Redwood National Park

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My second little day hike was at Dolason Prairie. This trail goes all the way down to connect with Emerald Ridge, part of the loop I did by Tall Trees, but I only wanted to take it down to the barn about a mile down the hill. The loop past Tall Trees is 4.9 miles down. I think the smoke had gotten thicker from when I first passed it going out to Lyons Ranch. It still wasn't all that thick. Parking is among the trees and the trail is well marked near the bathroom at one side. The only other vehicle went with people partaking in the picnic tables.

Signs mark the start of the Dolason Prairie Trail and then indicate how far to the destinations.

Trail pops out of the trees into prairie immediately, but then turns left to get back in the shade to drop down the hill to an older road below. It felt like a long time following the flat road northwest before it finally turned to drop uner the trees again. I'm not sure how it continues, but it certainly was steep under the trees and flat across the prairie.

A bit of the trail. The sides are mowed to keep the blackberries well away.

A little prairie as it almost reaches the road. Signs point the way once there.

Trail sign points out the trail as it starts to drop again.

The barn became visible as the trail flattened and entered prairie again. Signs at either side of the prairie give a little history. The barn was part of the Sherman Lyons Ranch and built in 1914 to winter sheep. It is one of multiple structures that were out on the prairies. It says nine remain standing and I wondered if that count includes the outhouse.

Just around a corner and framed by the tree limbs, there's a barn.

I went over and had a look around.

The "half barn" had sheds on both sides once, but was shrunk at some point.

A look inside.

I found another lizard barn resident.

Then I strode across the rest of the prairie to find a spot for a snake among the trees on the far side.

The far side of the barn.

The patchwork forest around Redwood Creek is barely visible in the smoke.

The smoke is even worse up the canyon.

It is supposed to be old growth in not too long, but I didn't spontaneously decide to keep on going down for a few more miles, so eventually headed back up along the alternately flat and steep trail.

So there's the back side of the barn.

Spider holes. Not all spiders keep the same webs.

Back to the road through more prairie.

There's always someone sunning on the road. Apparently racers can have fake rattlesnake coloring, too.

A reflective flat thing is just visible in the distance through the smoke. There is an ocean out there.

©2020 Valerie Norton
Written 20 Sep 2020