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The Yurok Loop

Length 1.2 mi · Climbing 100 ft

California > Redwood National and State Parks > Redwood National Park

The northern tip of the loop has some coastal views

Background

Given that it doesn’t have any redwoods, this short loop is surprisingly popular. The loop starts right alongside Highway 101 and has some very scenic ocean views. All the views are in the first quarter-mile, though, and after that the loop isn’t especially exciting, so most visitors don’t hike the whole trail.

Start at the Lagoon Creek Picnic Area. There’s a parking lot with restrooms that’s often used as a rest stop for people driving Highway 101.

The trail starts at the end of the parking lot and immediately enters a small wooded patch. A side trail leads to Wilson Beach. Stay left, passing a driftwood-strewn cove and coming to the start of the actual loop in just a few yards.

Here’s where the actual loop begins

Take the right-hand trail, which climbs gently through lush woods onto a little peninsula that juts into the ocean. The trail breaks out of the woods right as it reaches the northern tip of the peninsula, where the best ocean view of the hike can be found.

The trail narrows as it continues to climb gently through an open grassy area with a few patches of coastal spruce woods. The woods are quite attractive,but there aren’t any more ocean views.

Turn left at the next intersection. As the trail crosses a low ridge and begins to decend into a dense spruce and Douglas-Fir wood, the roar of the ocean is replaced by the roar of cars on Highway 101. This half of the trail is much less scenic than the first half; it runs alongside a former mill pond, but the woods are so dense that you can’t really see the pond.

The second half of the loop is covered with dense forest

After returning to the loop intersection, turn right and return to the parking lot.

A view of False Klamath Cove from near the beginning of the loop