Fall Creek Big Ben Loop

Please RSVP only if you are committed to attend. Reevaluate your availability a few days before the hike and withdraw at that time if you can no longer commit. This allows others to attend.

The Fall Creek Unit is the northern area of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. It includes 2,390 acres with about 20 miles of hiking trails. Most of these trails follow old wagon and logging roads that once led to busy industrial sites. This area was once the homelands of the Awaswas-speaking Ohlone village known as Sayanta, who stewarded these lands since time immemorial. Centuries of colonial violence led to the removal and displacement of the Sayante. Today, their descendants continue their stewardship and presence here, in partnership with State Parks.

We'll be hiking a large loop combining a number of trails. We'll start on Bennett Creek Trail at the parking lot. This will lead us to the Fall Creek Trail. Then onto Fall Creek South Fork>Cape Horn>Lost Empire>Big Ben>Fall Creek> back to Bennett and parking lot:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/fall-creek-and-lost-empire-trail-loop-7d92c08?u=i&sh=gi7zbr

We'll hike past such monuments as the Big Ben Tree and the Barrel Mill Area through lush second-growth redwood forest with a wonderful mix of towering redwoods, fern-lined creeks and a bit of history.

Weather forecast is sunshine with temperatures in the mid-50s to mid-60s. Sun protection will not be necessary on this lush forest hike.

There are a number of water crossings in Fall Creek. Some with bridges. Some without.

Good news: No bikes allowed. Bad news: No dogs allowed :(

Effort: Challenging (see photo below) Length: 8.4 miles
Elevation gain: 1791 ft Time: 4-5 hours Route type: Loop

Carpooling is always a good, eco-friendly option. Let's all keep our lines of communication open. We'll use the Comments section below to coordinate travel.

Please take a few moments and refer to the frequently updated Soquel SoleMates Hiking Group general description ("What We're About") for important information about this group. https://www.meetup.com/soquel-solemates-hiking-group/

Hope to see you there!
Jill :)