The High Rock Trail

Length 3.0 mi · Climbing 280 ft

California > Southern Humboldt County > Humboldt Redwoods State Park

The High Rock Trail

Background

The High Rock trail runs through some very nice old-growth redwood forest on the banks of the Eel River. There are a lot of large trees in this area and the forest is attractive, with a groundcover of ferns and a light sprinkling of redwood sorrel. There's also an interesting transition to an upland redwood environment as the trail climbs over High Rock.

The main drawback of this trail is that it's never far from the Avenue of the Giants. Highway 101 is also nearby and even if the Avenue is deserted there's always a constant hum from the highway. Also, the really old trees grow in a band that's only about 50 yards wide, so the forest doesn't have the expansive feel that Bull Creek Flats or Founders' Grove does. The narrowness of this band is the result of natural forces: the river on one side and the hills on the other limit the redwoods' range.

The High Rock Trail

This trail is unmarked but is apparently official, since some bridges were destroyed and replaced within the last few years.

Directions: From the south, head north on the Avenue of the Giants. The Avenue climbs a small hill, crests at an intersection with the road to High Rock Conservation Camp, then descends. Continue until the road bottoms out, then look for a small paved road to your right. The road is not marked but it's the first right after High Rock Conservation Camp. Take that road and in just a hundred yards or so you'll reach the trailhead and a dirt parking area.

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Hike description

The trail gets off to a great start in a grove of monster redwoods, the biggest trees of the hike. These really big redwoods end after a just few yards, but the trail continues through very nice old-growth lowlands with good-sized redwoods. After crossing a bridge the trail starts to climb. Although the total elevation gain is small, there's a not-so-subtle transition to a redwood upland environment. The redwoods become a lot smaller, and other kinds of trees (mostly tanoak) appear.

A trail to the right leads up to a parking area on the Avenue. Shortly afterward, a trail to the left leads down to the river.

The High Rock Trail

The trail crests at a small ridge. To your left is a trail that climbs a little ways to High Rock itself. Through the trees you get a limited view of the Eel River. It's hardly a panoramic vista but it's nice.

The main trail descends through upland forest, and soon the big lowland redwoods reappear. The trail bends left and then right, then crosses two footbridges within the most attractive grove of the hike. The redwoods are especially dense here.

Toward the end of the trail, the forest becomes a lot more open, with much less understory. The trees take on a lighter and somewhat drab appearance, but they're still big. The main trail abruptly turns to the right and ends at the Avenue of the Giants. At the point where the trail turns right a faint unofficial trail continues straight, quickly petering out. You can push your way through the woods for another 100 yards (under a large gash in the canopy, possibly on an old roadbed) to end up at a parking area on the Avenue.

The High Rock Trail