The Kent -Mather
Loop Trail

Length 0.9 mi · Climbing 40 ft
California > Southern Humboldt County > Humboldt Redwoods State Park

The Kent-Mather Loop Trail

Background

The Kent-Mather Loop Trail starts about a mile south of the Humboldt Redwoods visitor center, at the end of the parking lot for the Garden Club of America grove (the Garden Club of America grove, a transcendant stand that rivals the redwoods of Bull Creek, is across the Eel River and unfortunately has been closed to the public since the Canoe Creek fire toppled a large number of trees onto the trail).

The short road that leads from the Avenue of the Giants to the Garden Club parking lot passes through a less-than-promising, heavily-logged redwood grove. The trail, however, quickly leaves the logged area and enters a fairly nice old growth grove that's sandwiched into a narrow strip between the Avenue of the Giants and the Eel River.

The Kent-Mather Loop Trail

The trail passes by some impressive trees, but it's not in the same league as Humboldt Redwoods' best groves. The woods have a trampled, scraggly look that suggests the area has been damaged by foot traffic or other activities. The groundcover is sparse, giving the grove a somewhat arid appearance, and the trees are a light, somewhat dull shade of brown. On the other hand, the grove is pure redwood. A distant, deep thrum of trucks passing on Highway 101 echoes through the grove.

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Hike description

After starting off in logged forest where some huge trees have unfortunately been cut, the trail enters old growth after about 100 yards. The biggest trees of the walk are right here at the edge of the old growth. There's almost no groundcover at the start of the trail, but as the trail continues into an area of somewhat smaller redwoods, a sparse sprinkling of redwood sorrel dotted with the occasional fern appears. The trail circles around an exceptionally large fallen tree and then splits into a loop. To the left, the trail skirts the edge of the forest and is usually overgrown with poison oak, while to the right, the trail continues through mostly mid-sized redwoods.

The Kent-Mather Loop Trail

 

© 2007 David Baselt