Boy Scout Tree Trail

The signed trailhead sits on the north side of Howland Hill Road. A short stream crossing brings you into a fern-carpeted grove of large, pale-barked redwoods. The path climbs gently at first, then gains a hillside opening with a view across the forest. As it reaches the ridge, the trees become smaller and more widely spaced, with huckleberry in the understory. The change is subtle but helps the walk feel like more than a long approach through identical groves.

Past the ridge, the route descends through open redwoods into brighter mixed woodland. A series of small bridges crosses the drainages. Near Jordan Creek, the forest closes into a darker spruce stand draped with lichen; this is the muddiest part, and exposed roots continue to demand attention even in drier weather. Beyond the creek, the trail enters a valley where huge redwoods stand farther apart under an open canopy. Look up here: you can see the crowns as well as the trunks, and the broader spacing makes the scale easier to read.

At about 2.5 miles from the trailhead, look for the unmarked, well-used spur to Boy Scout Tree. It climbs steeply, so it is easy to miss if you keep your eyes on the main path. The tree is a double-trunk redwood; include a person beside it if you want a sense of its size. The trail itself has a good view into the open-canopy grove, where a photograph can hold both the trunks and the treetops instead of losing scale in a close-up.

The main trail continues about 0.3 mile beyond the tree turnoff, dropping beside streamside maples and brush before ending at Fern Falls, a small cascade at the forest edge. This is the turnaround, not a through-route. Stay off the falls and the rocks around them. The way back retraces the same corridor, so save some energy for the ridge climb and expect the roots and creek-side mud to feel different in reverse. The waterfall is the end of the mapped walk, so do not confuse the one-way 2.8 miles with the full return distance.

Crescent City Boy Scouts built the trail in the 1930s after a scout leader discovered the double-trunk tree. Its paired trunks rise about 240 feet and measure 23 feet across. The grove is not just a route to a landmark: along the way, the forest shifts from ferny lowland redwoods to upland huckleberry and spruce, then back to widely spaced giants. Spring brings clintonia, western trillium, western burning bush, thimbleberry and red huckleberry flowers among the roots and ferns. Those small plants are easy to miss when you are hurrying to the tree, so take a moment at the transitions between forest types.

Parking at the small Howland Hill Road trailhead can be limited, and the narrow, winding dirt road is not suitable for trailers or motor homes. A vault or composting toilet is at the trailhead. Dogs are not allowed on park trails. Secure valuables before leaving the car: the park warns about vehicle break-ins at this access.