Eastern Rhododendrons Trail

Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park

(Map link.)

I made my way to the second dirt turnout after the daylight headlights sign (which also has a useable dirt turnout for this hike) next to a memorial grove sign with a tiny California Coastal Trail (CCT) sign on the far side. It is just north of the most recent slide event on the Last Chance Grade, so I decided to go on the weekend when they aren't working and the delays are expected to be less than half an hour. When they are working during the week, the road closes down from 9AM to 11AM (soon to be 8AM to 12PM), which would force a slightly early start for me. Not too bad, but I wasn't feeling the hike length warranted an early start. As it was, I got an easy start just short of 10:30AM. The goal: see the rhododendrons. I started off southbound on the part of the CCT actually advertised as having rhododendrons. Three miles toward Wilson Beach gets to the end of the redwoods in this section, which is a little past the end of the rhododendrons.

Start along the trail beside the Aubrey F. Liermann Grove sign.

I dropped and climbed along the hardest portion of the hike, which is actually pretty flat everywhere else. Water is still flowing from somewhere near the road and a little in the stream below the bridge, but not in the little streams on the way up. The trees are impressive along the way, but I was almost to the top before I spotted any big pink flowers.

The trees and ferns and everything in between that line this little crease in the land.

There are some quite big trees along the way.

Quite a few blooms in the high branches of these first rhododendrons.

Once that first climb is over, the trail slowly drifts up and down. Mostly down, I think. I'm not sure since my perception always tends toward down and some small sections seem down both ways. Anyway, I was being judgmental about the rhododendrons, which were a bit sparse and infrequent, and wondering if any of the hanging orange leopard lily buds might have opened.

A few particularly light flowers. The ones on the left have already dropped off.

A few flowers to be found on the ground, but not all that many.

One of many sparsely flowered rhododendrons.

I wasn't sure if there were more to come or they've already gone. I was seeing lots of the dark remains from seed pods that were flowers a year or more ago. I wasn't seeing a lot of fallen flowers or the enlarging ovaries left on the bushes.

Rhododendrons near and far.

Eight fragile legs are now actually seven.

Still opening up more flowers.

So many flowers seem to be populated by spiders. Trying to eat is often rather unsporting.

Evidence of flowers coming, being bright, passed this year, and long gone on one plant that is just having about that many flowers.

There's a few big pink flowers out there.

A particularly lush patch of particularly large clintonia line the trail.

The trail was starting to drop faster and I wrapped around one last ridge where all ahead were Douglas fir. There's actually a couple more redwoods to see, but the rhododendrons were all behind me. I turned back.

Still a few irises.

A good number of rhododendron blooms behind a big Douglas fir.

More rhododendrons.

A little sunshine makes everything brighter.

The leopard lily closest to being open. Not there here.

So I finished, having found the rhododenrons a little better than a week before, but still they could be better.

*photo album*




©2021 Valerie Norton
Written 3 Jul 2021