Fern Canyon is a

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

in the

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is a state park, located in Humboldt County, California, near the town of Orick and 50 miles (80 km) north of Eureka. The 14,000 acre (57 km²) park is a coastal sanctuary for old-growth Coast Redw ...

in Humboldt County,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, western United States. The park is managed in cooperation with other nearby redwoods state parks and

Redwood National Park The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one national park and three state parks, cooperatively managed, located in the United States along the coast of northern California. Comprising Redwood National Park (established 1968 ...

. It is named for the ferns growing on the high walls, through which runs Home Creek. Fern Canyon is recognized as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

and an

International Biosphere Reserve Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments. MAB's work engag ...

History

Fern Canyon was donated by the

Pacific Lumber Company The Pacific Lumber Company, officially abbreviated PALCO, and also commonly known as PL, was one of California's major logging and sawmill operations, located 28 miles (45 km) south of Eureka and 244 miles (393 km) north of San Francisc ...

to the State to add to Prairie Creek State Park.

Ferns

Fern Canyon has California native

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

s covering the sheer walls, giving a primeval habitat quality. Some species include: *''

Adiantum aleuticum ''Adiantum aleuticum'', the western maidenhair fern or Aleutian maidenhair, is a species of deciduous fern in the genus ''Adiantum''. Description ''A. aleuticum'' typically grows about 18-30 inches tall and wide. The fronds grow tall, and are f ...

'' *''

Blechnum spicant ''Struthiopteris spicant'', syn. ''Blechnum spicant'', is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae, known by the common names hard-fern or deer fern. It is native to Europe, western Asia, northern Africa, and western North America. Like some ...

'' *''

Polypodium californicum ''Polypodium'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Polypodioideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). The genus is widely distributed throughout the world, with the highest s ...

'' *''

Polypodium glycyrrhiza ''Polypodium glycyrrhiza'', commonly known as licorice fern, many-footed fern, and sweet root, is a summer deciduous fern native to western North America, where it is found in shaded, damp locations. Spores are located in rounded sori on the u ...

'' *''

Polystichum munitum ''Polystichum munitum'', the western swordfern, is an evergreen perennial fern native to western North America, where it is one of the most abundant ferns in forested areas. It occurs along the Pacific coast from southeastern Alaska to southern ...

Access

hiking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

follows the canyon and creek. The start of Fern Canyon Trail is reached at the bottom of the canyon by hiking a quarter mile north up California Coastal Trail from Fern Canyon Day Use Area, which is north of

Gold Bluffs Beach Gold is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a Brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, s ...

Campground. The trail loop is , one end of the trail connecting to the James Irvine Trail.

Filming location

The prehistoric ambience led to the canyon being used as a

filming location A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage. In filmmaking, a location is any place where a film crew wil ...

for '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'', BBC's ''

Walking with Dinosaurs ''Walking with Dinosaurs'' is a 1999 six-part nature documentary television miniseries created by Tim Haines and produced by the BBC Science Unit the Discovery Channel and BBC Worldwide, in association with TV Asahi, ProSieben and France 3. Envi ...

'' and IMAX's '' Dinosaurs Alive!''.

Gallery

Rana aurora Fern Canyon.jpg, A

northern red-legged frog The northern red-legged frog (''Rana aurora'') is a species of amphibian, whose range is the coastal region stretching from southwest British Columbia to southern Mendocino County in Northern California, and is protected in Oregon and Californ ...

, ''Rana aurora'', in Fern Canyon Fern canyon.jpg, Fern Canyon's lush walls Moss cascade at Fern Canyon.jpg, Moss cascades down the side of Fern Canyon where water trickles over the edge Elk at Fern Canyon.png,

Roosevelt elk The Roosevelt elk (''Cervus canadensis roosevelti)'', also known commonly as the Olympic elk and Roosevelt's wapiti, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk (''Cervus canadensis'') in North America by body mass (although by antle ...

at the entrance to Fern Canyon Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.webm, Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

References

External links

official Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park website
Redwood National and State Parks Canyons and gorges of California Ferns of California Landforms of Humboldt County, California Pacific Lumber Company {{protected-area-stub