Mad River Bluffs and Hammond Trail

McKinleyville Land Trust

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I headed out to the Hammond Trail to try out one of the new Redwood Edventures bike Quests. I didn't come out with my bike or anything. That went away when I couldn't find the space to keep it. It is perfectly alright to walk it or even ride it on a horse, as it happens. It was really an excuse to come out to the Mad River Bluffs once more before crossing Hiller Park to the start, then once more after finishing. I quite like the bluff.

Just past the gate by the parking for Mad River Bluffs, one is engulfed in the trees. The kiosk presents a map of the local area walking possibilities.

Where it opens up, one can see the trees shaped by the salty ocean winds. They're Sitka spruce and shore pines again.

I proceeded through the bluff area and across Hiller Park to the start of the quest along the Hammond Trail. I was only accosted by one dog in the park where dogs are supposed to be "securely leashed" and virtually none are, but that dog really made it count. She jumped up on my and tried to push me over from the back, from the sides, from the front over and over and over again. The owners shouted at him, but made no move to stop 50 pounds of mature pitbull from trying to push over a complete stranger for 5 minutes, including trying to push this stranger back when leaving the area. The dog seemed more encouraged than discouraged by the shouting. Are they all called Peanut or was this the same one as before? Anyway, other than getting accosted by dogs called Peanut, Hiller is a nice park.

A patch of green among the trees before the larger patch of Hiller Park grass that seems rather dominated by dogs.

Once on the bike path, I turned north. The quest starts at the end of the parking lot. I expected to see something about it in the nearly empty kiosk, at least a QR code for starting it since these new bike ones have that sort of thing, but there was nothing. My data connection seemed to be halfway working this time, but I already had the quest downloaded. I was ready to go once I had the right Hammond Trail based bike quest loaded up.

The paved bike path that is Hammond Trail, a largely handicapped accessible route. Up ahead are one of two horses that were taking exercise on it as I passed.

Hammond Trail follows the path of the Hammond Railroad. Past the park, it passes between houses, but one doesn't know it without trying some of the informal use trails up the side of the 10 foot berm on either side. The berm is wide and topped with trees making it a tall green corridor up until it crosses a street. The quest comments that the stately homes with their stately guest houses visible are called "the castles" before returning to things more to do with nature.

A little bit of rock covered stately guest house visible from the trail after it crosses the road.

After crossing the road, the houses are visible, but only on one side. The trail comes to more bluff above the Mad River. There's benches to watch the potential fresh water and salt water animals that mix where the fresh water and salt water mix. Seals? Otters? Just ducks for me. The brambles are cut back to allow whatever might be there to be visible from the benches.

The waves are roaring on the far side of the river and sand where the Pacific Ocean makes itself known.

The paved trail turns east to travel through a neighborhood then next to the freeway. My pick is to continue down the gravel. The quest writer also preferred this, so I got to continue as I liked. There are a couple trails down to the beach beside the river, such as it is. A short segment of old rail has been kept to show what it was like. The wooden railroad ties look rough, whether they started that way or weathered to it.

Upstream view. There are paths down to the river edge.

The grassy sand dunes end and the sand stretches out further north before the river finally empties into the sea. The spit grows and shrinks with the seasons, or so the signs claim. The headland out there is Trinidad.

The quest ends just as the trail turns to climb. The train probably continued on over a trestle because there is no way it would have made the corners the trail takes. Perhaps it is the trestle that burned bringing an end to this part of the railroad. I had a look down the path to the water briefly, then turned to climb. There is a trail option that drops down into creek and back up before getting stuck beside the freeway and wandering through more neighborhood. I wanted to take that little bit more of trail.

The switchbacks are easy enough for people and bikes and horses to make, but trains probably got a bridge.

The bikes and horses are not allowed down the last bit of trail. There is a spur to the neighborhood streets to give them somewhere to go instead. There is a small bike rack if bicyclists would like to visit it anyway.

Tall trees around the trail going toward an alder filled break up ahead.

Long steps down to get to the creek below.

It's a pretty little creek below the bridge.

I got to the far side where there is another bike rack for the bicyclists to store their bikes while they wander through the creek. There is a little more of slight nature before the Hammond Trail hits more streets, but I turned around. I retraced my way along the creek rather than going back via the Hammond Trail.

Ferns and spruce along the edge of the creek.

I took a look down the spur into the neighborhood before continuing around on my same path.

The spur up into the neighborhood at the top of the bluff.

The details of Trinidad Head really pop with a little low sunlight instead of total clouds.

I decided to pop down the little trail and follow the river beach to the other trail. The tide was a bit out and there was plenty of room, but I was worried about how muddy it was. There are even a few little streamlets coming along out of the hills between the two spots. It did take some careful stepping to keep my feet beneath me and not too buried in goop.

Down at the "beach" of the river. The muddy bank of the estuary, really.

There's a little more beach than was there before and the tide should be going out a little more. There's lots of footprints, some smoothed by a tide cycle, along this route.

While avoiding the more puddled bits, I marveled at how many barnacles live on the items beached on the bank. The salt levels must change drastically from summer to winter. Admittedly, the last winter wasn't that good for this river.

Tide pooling in the river estuary. Sort of.

I made it to the other entry without any horrible slips. I had a brief thought about continuing, but it really doesn't look possible at first glance and I didn't give it more than that. I followed along beside the houses and then through the high berms. At the edge of the park, I made a turn to travel around the wastewater ponds, full of happy ducks and geese, to make a longer route through the Mad River Bluffs. It is squeezed between a stream and chain link fence for a whil, which isn't very nice, but then finally leaves the fence for the cozy trails. I followed the smaller, cozier trails along the edge. The twist a bit more, have low overhead spots as they cut through the bushes and lookout points. I stopped at the lookouts to, well, lookout. And catch the sunset.

The first view has some obstacles.

If one would like to try following along the river bank from one of the other access points, there is access here as well.

Another view point has a nice reflection of the clouds in the river.

Ferns and low branches and arcs of bushes are all found along this trail, as are fallen logs.

I rather liked the way the gentle rain over the ocean caught the light in the sunset. It rained on me in the early part of the hike, but not hard.

I arrived back without difficulty, except for the few logs to step over and the low bridges to duck under. It was getting a little dim when I took off.




©2021 Valerie Norton
Written 15 Feb 2021