Alaska 2013, Day 16, Redwoods to OR

Monday June 17, 2013

We left the camper at Redwood Kushel Visitor Center so we could do some of the park drives in the jeep.  We drove the Coastal Drive/Fern Canyon.  It is a winding one lane dirt road down to the beach then a couple miles along the beach to the trail head.  You have to ford a couple small creeks, it would be tough in a car.  There were 4 young bull Elk in the beach campground when we went by.  Fern Canyon is less than a half mi hike.  There is a narrow gorge with ferns all up the walls,  maybe 1/4 mi long.

The kids found lots of newts in the canyon creek under rocks.  There was red and orange salmon berries on the trail and in the canyon.  Real pretty hike, more than a few people here too. The canyon entrance road goes through Elk Meadow but there were no elk here today.  But just left of there on 101 we saw elk behind the Elk Cabins, a group of females with calves.

After the canyon hike we drove the Newton Drury scenic drive. Like Avenue of the Giants.  You could take an RV on this, pretty wide.

On the way back the Elk had moved across 101 from Elk Meadow and we got some pictures of the cows and calves.

On the way out of the visitor center we saw a black bear with a cub in the marsh east of 101.

We wanted to make Tillamook OR tonight but we spent quite a bit of  time in Redwood NP so we only made it to Coos Bay OR by 9:00 PM.

196 miles today.

3266 miles so far.

- Jon