Trillium Falls Trail

Begin at Elk Meadow Day Use Area, just off Davison Road about three miles north of Orick. Follow the paved path downhill to Davison Trail, turn right, then take the Trillium Falls branch to the right. It slips through blackberry brambles and quickly enters a remarkably open stand of old-growth redwoods. The path climbs on switchbacks here, with about 200 feet of gain before the waterfall. It is a good start if you want a short forest walk, but the longer loop gives the better sense of how the grove changes.

The trail dips to a long metal bridge at the head of an open ravine. From the bridge, a small creek drops over boulders among maples and ferns. It is more of a cascade than a dramatic plunge, and its flow varies with conditions, so come for the whole forest walk rather than a guaranteed big waterfall. This is the clearest place to see and photograph the falls. Stay on the bridge to protect the vegetation around the creek.

If you turn back here, the out-and-back is about 1 mile total. That is a useful shorter option, but the main loop keeps going uphill from the falls and has its best stretch of big redwoods farther on.

The full route climbs again beyond the bridge. For a while, young spruce and huckleberry thickets crowd the tread, and the larger redwoods are less visible. After crossing the overgrown logging road, the forest opens up again; the southern end of the loop has the hike’s most impressive redwoods. At the road, a grassy track downhill cuts about half a mile off the loop and returns to the parking area. Stay on Trillium Falls Trail if you want the full circuit.

After the southern end, the trail turns north, descends, and follows the edge of Prairie Creek back toward Elk Meadow. The grove thins near its edge, with smaller trees and dense understory, before the redwoods stop. The last third of a mile is a dirt road lined with alders leaning over it. Cars on Highway 101 can be heard through much of the walk, a reminder that this pocket of forest sits close to the main road.

Elk Meadow was part of Arcata Redwood Company’s B-Mill complex from 1948 to 1970. The park acquired the area in 1996. The trail passes through a surviving strip of old growth beside that former mill site, then through younger forest at the edges. The changes are easy to notice on the loop: open, large redwoods near the beginning; denser young growth after the falls; and another strong stand around the southern bend.

Elk Meadow has a large lot with space for cars, buses, RVs and trailers, plus drinking water, flush toilets, information kiosks and picnic tables. Roosevelt elk sometimes browse in the meadow, but sightings are never certain. Pets are not allowed on park trails.

The bridge is only about half a mile from the lot, so you can make this a roughly 1-mile out-and-back if that is enough. To do the full circuit, continue past the falls and stay on the trail at the old logging road. Bring a proper trail map: the park warns that cell coverage is very limited, and the turnaround and shortcut are easy points to confuse.