Given the soaking rains Mendocino County received last week and the sunny skies being delivered this week, right now is a perfect time to visit local waterfalls. As proof, take the lovely one inside Russian Gulch State Park near Mendocino.
This UDJ correspondent has visited that 35-foot-tall cascade multiple times over several years, and on Monday it was displaying the largest and strongest flows of water witnessed so far. Even better? Given the cold weather and apparent lack of tourists, the impressive display also had to be shared with the least amount of people so far.
If you live in Ukiah, however, you do have to drive about an hour, then hike about an hour, to see the waterfall. It is located just north of Mendocino, which is just about an hour’s drive from Ukiah, depending on how quickly you navigate Highways 253 and 128. Once you hit Highway 1 at the Navarro River, head to the right up the hill for a few more winding miles until you see the sign for the park, which is located a couple of miles north of the village of Mendocino.
Although the park is mostly to the east of the highway, you first turn left, then drive under the highway to enter it. If you come on a weekday (which is recommended if at all possible to avoid the crowds) you will likely not find anyone manning the entrance kiosk, but a fee to park for the day is still required for most vehicles.
Word to the wise: Please don’t block the entrance as you stop for an envelope to fill with cash or check, as you will be delaying entry for many visitors with annual passes who don’t need to pay again. Instead, use the parking lot to the left of the kiosk which offers temporary spaces you can use while you prepare your payment, which should be dropped into the green tower marked “Pay here.”
Once you’ve settled your payment and driven down the hill (very slowly since at least one tree recently fell along this very narrow and twisting stretch of road), you can park near the building up ahead, or turn right and park near the soaring bridge above the beach. On Monday that was the best option, as the bathrooms near the bridge were the only ones open to visitors.
After walking through the campground, you reach the Fern Canyon Trail, which is so flat and wide that bicyclists are welcome, and after about a mile of meandering along the creek among the redwoods and ferns you will see a sign telling you that the waterfall is .7 mile to the left or 3.7 miles to the right. You will also see bike racks up ahead, since the trail changes dramatically after that and bicycles must be left behind.
Most people likely choose to go left for the .7 mile trail, and if you do, be prepared for some obstacles, particularly some eroded sections of the trail, which gets quite uneven and rough as you approach the falls.
If you’d like to avoid bicyclists and most other hikers on your way to the falls, keep your eyes peeled for the North Trail, which begins to your left as you near the end of the campground. It is marked only by a skinny trail marker and a small sign, however, so it is very easy to miss. If you reach the Fern Canyon Trailhead, you’ve missed the entrance to the North Trail, which on Monday was full of an exciting variety of mushrooms and other fungi.
However, the quickest and flattest way to reach that waterfall is by taking the Fern Canyon Trail to the Falls Loop Trail.
Bonus: The “waterfall trail” in Low Gap Park
If you live in the Ukiah area and don’t have the time and gas money to spend on a trip to the coast, there are some cool waterfalls that are currently flowing much closer to home in Low Gap Park.
If you head out from the parking lot (located across from Ukiah High School on Low Gap Road) and down the paved path toward Orr Creek, immediately after crossing the big bridge, hang a left and go over the smaller bridge.
Immediately after crossing the smaller bridge, stay to the right and follow the small stream below, where you will encounter waterfall after waterfall cascading into small pools. Depending on how big you expect a waterfall to be, there are currently about seven to 10 of them along that path.
(Ukiah Daily Journal)
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