Visit Lush CA Coastal Trails Seen In Jurassic Park, Star Wars

For science fiction fans who also happen to enjoy traveling to the West Coast, there's a stunning coastal state park located in the Northern California redwoods that has been used as a backdrop in two of the biggest movie franchises of all time that you have to see to believe.

In the summer of 2021, I had the opportunity to take a trip with my family up the West Coast that began in Northern California and ended in Seattle. It might be the single greatest adventure we ever took as a family, and the sites we visited have forever been burned into my memory.

It was the greatest hike I'd ever been on. The short trek (less than two miles) is surrounded by lush ferns and mossy trees, and a crystal clear stream runs right through it.

Our road trip began near the city of Eureka, California. Located just 45 miles north is Prarie Creek Redwoods State Park. We drove through on our first day headed north. My wife had been researching the area and informed me that the park is unbelievably beautiful and that scenes from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Jurassic Park 2 were filmed there. Bonus!

The drive was a bit dicey in that you had to take a very narrow, sidewinding, two-lane dirt road to get to the stretch of coast where Fern Canyon is. If you try to pull a trailer there you will not succeed. Once we got to the parking area just a stone's throw from the majestic Pacific Ocean, we packed up and prepared for the hike.

Get our free mobile app

It was the greatest hike I'd ever been on. The short trek (less than two miles) is surrounded by lush ferns and mossy trees, and a crystal clear stream runs right through it. A bear sighting on the Fern Canyon Loop Trail that morning made the hike that much more exciting for us.

I highly recommend you visit this park someday.