Fern Canyon is a natural hidden gem in California’s Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Humboldt County. Carved by an ancient creek over millennia, the canyon is known for its sheer cliff walls covered with thousands of ferns and thriving conifers. The leafy surroundings and perpetually moist environment look straight out of the Jurassic Period, a fact not lost on Steven Spielberg, as he famously shot scenes from The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) here. Keep reading to learn more about Fern Canyon, which you can reach via a 6-6.5 hour road trip from San Francisco.
Origins, flora, and fauna of Fern Canyon
The striking environment of Fern Canyon arose from the retreat of an ancient sea and the persistent flow of Home Creek, which shaped the towering cliffs over thousands of years. The canyon walls reach 50 to 80 feet high and are rich in sedimentary soils, creating the perfect environment for shade-loving plants.
Adiantum aleuticum, Struthiopteris spicant, Polypodium californicum, and Polystichum munitum are among some of the ancient fern species here with lineages dating back hundreds of millennia. The moist habitat also supports a variety of Northern California wildlife, including banana slugs, Pacific giant salamanders, and northern red-legged frogs. Roosevelt elk are also spotted in the surrounding area and the canyon entrance.
As mentioned, Fern Canyon was used as a filming location for The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), appearing in a scene where Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) and the research team encounter a group of Stegosauruses. The canyon has also made cameos in BBC’s Walking with Dinosaurs and IMAX’s Dinosaurs Alive!
Visiting Fern Canyon
Fern Canyon is found in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, which takes about 6-6.5 hours to reach from San Francisco by car. You can make most of the trip on freeways, but the final stretch takes you down a narrow, unpaved road with stream crossings.
From May 15 to September 15, visitors need a free, timed-entry day-use permit to reach the Gold Bluffs Beach parking area and Fern Canyon. The Gold Bluffs Beach kiosk also charges a cash-only, $12 entrance fee per vehicle.
Visitors can then embark on the 1-mile Fern Canyon Trail, a loop trail that follows Home Creek through the canyon with an elevation gain of 150 feet. Avid hikers may also choose to visit the canyon via the ten-mile James Irvine Trail from the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park visitor center.
It’s worth wearing waterproof or sturdy-soled shoes to visit Fern Canyon, as the damp trail requires frequent stream crossings. Wooden footbridges are sometimes installed during the summer to help traverse the creek. Finally, many visitors recommend experiencing Fern Canyon in the morning, when ferns are still glistening with dew in the sunlight, or after a light rain for a misty environment.
🌐 Read more about Fern Canyon and book your free permit at the National Park Service website.