The friend who had major input for this road trip itinerary emphasized to me that Fern Canyon was his favorite. Fern Canyon is also the place Steven Spielberg chose as a location for Jurassic Park Part 2: The Lost World. So Fern Canyon was a must-see spot for us.
Hiking in Fern Canyon
Get a hand from papa
Fern Canyon is a narrow canyon where the walls are completely covered by luxuriant ferns and mosses. Millions of years ago, a retreating sea left these coastal bluffs behind. Waters draining to the ocean sculpted the rocky formations into sheer canyon walls. Some of the exquisite ferns now clinging to the steep, shadowy cliffs are ancient species whose ancestry can be traced back 325 million years!
Try not to fall in the water
It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. However, I messed up with the photos – most of them either overexposed and/or out of focus. There are lush five-fingered ferns, dark green sword ferns, and delicate lady ferns… I don’t have a single decent shot of these gorgeous greens.:-(
Fern Canyon
Walk on fallen trees
One of my excuses was that the hiking trail was not your usual walk in the park. We saw a couple of grown-up’s slipped and fell in the streams right next to us, but we managed not to get too damp… While my photograph skills weltered, my little girls stepped up to the challenge of navigating the canyon on fallen trees and over water streams. That’s worth noting.:-)
Get our little hands clean