Fern Canyon Beach(Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Murrelet State Wilderness)

Located near the northern end of Humboldt County, Fern Canyon Beach is a beautiful beach with grey colored sand and sparse vegetation. The beach is situated at the base of oceanfront mountains and is a part of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. A popular vegetation-covered canyon named the Fern Canyon is also present near this beach. 

Fern Canyon Beach does not have lifeguards. However, the beach has many other amenities including restrooms, picnic tables, and hiking trails.

Fern Canyon Beach offers many fun activities including beachcombing, sunbathing, hiking, fishing, picnicking, and wildlife watching. The water near this beach is generally unsafe for aquatic recreational activities including surfing and swimming as the water here has dangerous waves, extremely cold temperatures, and strong currents. Depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals in the water near Fern Canyon Beach including migrating whales, seals, dolphins, and sea lions. If you are planning to fish in the water near Fern Canyon Beach, please make sure that you follow the local fishing regulations. The Fern Canyon, which is present near this beach, is a canyon whose walls are draped with seven different varieties of ferns. As an interesting fact, this canyon was featured in the Jeff Goldblum movie The Lost World: Jurassic Park.  This beautiful and unique canyon offers a slightly strenuous yet memorable hiking experience.  However, if you are planning to hike in Fern Canyon, we recommend foregoing doing so during rainy weather as the canyon becomes waterlogged and dangerous during this weather.

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park has many amazing hiking and biking trails which you can use to explore its vibrant redwood forests.  In addition, you can see many wonderful animals and birds here including squirrels, bats, bears, coyotes, elk, deer, crows, ravens, jays, and murrelets. The state park also has multiple campgrounds. If you are planning to camp in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, you can visit the state park’s webpage on the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s website for more useful information about the camping amenities, rules, and charges in the state park.

Getting to Fern Canyon Beach is easy - from United States Highway 101, you need to turn towards Davison Road which will eventually lead you to Gold Bluffs Beach Road and the entrance station for Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. You need to pay an entry fee at the entrance station and drive north along Gold Bluffs Beach Road. You will eventually reach the parking lot for Fern Canyon, from where you need to hike along a trail named Fern Canyon Loop Trail which will lead you to Fern Canyon Beach. It is important to note that the access road to the parking lot for Fern Canyon Beach is narrow and large vehicles and RVs are not allowed here.

There are many attractions near Fern Canyon Beach within an hour’s drive. Klamath River Radar Station (also known as Radar Station B-71) is an important historical landmark. Klamath River Radar Station was an early warning radar station used by the United States Armed Forces during World War Two. This station was actually disguised to look like an ordinary farmhouse to avoid detection by the enemy. It is currently a part of the United States’ National Register of Historic Places. The Old Douglas Memorial Bridge Site is a remnant of the Douglas Memorial Bridge which was built in the 1920s and was irreparably damaged by a flood in 1964.  This bridge was formerly a part of the Redwood Highway and its most remarkable features were the statues of California bears present along its edges. You can still see some of the statues present on the site even today. If you are looking for another attraction near Fern Canyon Beach, Patrick’s Point State Park is spread over one square mile. The park has hiking trails which offer a unique insight into the vibrant coastal biodiversity of Humboldt County. In addition, the state park also has a visitor center, a campground (which accommodates both tents and RVs), a native plant garden, and a reconstructed Native American Yurok village (known as the Sumêg Village). The Sumêg Village also organizes interesting Native American cultural ceremonies which offer a unique and memorable insight into the culture and beliefs of the local Indigenous people. As an interesting fact, portions of the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park were filmed in this state park. If you are planning to camp in Patrick’s Point State Park, you can visit the state park’s webpage in the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s website for more helpful information regarding the camp rules and amenities.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Fern Canyon Beach within an hour’s drive. STEELHEAD LODGE Restaurant offers excellent steaks, seafood, and barbecued dishes. Trinidad Bay Eatery and Gallery offers amazing breakfast dishes, seafood, salad, burgers, sandwiches, and steaks.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Fern Canyon Beach, the modestly-priced EdeBee’s Snack Shack offers delicious comfort foods including burgers, sandwiches, fries, and barbecued meats.

If you are looking for a hotel near Fern Canyon Beach, there are many great options within an hour’s drive. The 3-Star Historic Requa Inn offers many amenities including a gazebo with river views, a hot tub, freshly baked cookies, a sunroom, a restaurant, and a lounge with a fireplace. A more affordable hotel is 2-Star Holiday Inn Express Klamath - Redwood National Park Area which offers many amenities including complimentary breakfast and a pool.  The hotel is situated adjacent to a casino with a restaurant. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Fern Canyon Beach, the modestly priced Motel Trees is located conveniently close to some of the major landmarks in Klamath. This motel also offers a seasonal restaurant and complimentary breakfast.