Berry Creek Falls Revisited

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

"A walking tour should be gone on alone because freedom is of the essence, because you should be able to stop and go on, and follow this way or that. . “.

- Robert Louis Stevenson, Walking Tours, 1876

Directions: Highway 92 west to Half Moon Bay. South on Highway 1 for 30 miles to Waddell Beach, which is located a few miles beyond Ano Nuevo State Park. Park in the large beachside parking lot or adjacent to the Rancho de Oro gate on the east side of Highway 1.

Grade: Moderate. The trail is mostly an old logging road. There are two creek crossings. The elevation gain to Berry Creek Falls is about 400 feet.

Distance: 12 miles round trip.

Time: Six hours plus lunch and rest stops.

Special Conditions: No dogs allowed. The trail is multi-use—shared by bicyclists and occasional equestrians. Bicyclists must leave their bikes at the five-mile mark (Waddell Creek crossing) and walk to the falls. For information, call Big Basin Redwoods State Park (831-338-8860).

Big Basin’s Web Site: http://parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=540

We have been hiking in Big Basin Redwoods State Park for many years, and we have described our favorite waterfall walk to Berry Creek Falls in several Weekly Walker columns. Two walks on our website www.weeklywalker.com feature the falls.

But as time goes on, walk descriptions can become outdated with new trails added, bridges washed out, and campgrounds abandoned. So it is with the hike to Berry Creek Falls.

With a group of 20 hearty hikers, we trekked to the falls a few weeks ago and then extended our hike another four miles up to the Sunset Trail. We completed the loop on Timms Trail—but more on that later. During the hike I noticed that my earlier descriptions are out of date, and so this was my opportunity not only to take this hike while the water was high and the falls were at their best, but also to set the descriptive record straight.

The hike begins at the Rancho del Oso Gate. The first half-mile is on an asphalt service road to a few park buildings and an equestrian staging area. This short stretch borders the Theodore S. Hoover National Preserve. The preserve is named for the founder and dean of Stanford University’s Engineering and Mining School and the brother of President Herbert Hoover. Theodore surveyed the land while he was a student at Stanford, and he resolved someday to purchase the canyon property, which he did in 1913. His property was deeded to the state in the 1970s. Today the preserve is a freshwater marsh that is a protected home to more than 150 species of birds.

As you pass by the equestrian center and around a gate, you will see a junction marked “Hikers’ Trail” heading uphill to the left. Don’t take this trail. The bridge, a mile or so ahead, is washed out, and you will have to cross Waddell Creek with bare feet.

Continue on the wide service road through an area of farming and orchards. A farm house is on the right, followed by a bridge. Continue on the main road, and soon the farm valley falls behind, and ahead, the trail winds through tall redwoods with Waddell Creek alongside.

Watch for the large steel bridge abandoned at the trailside. This is the washed-out structure that connected to the Hikers’ Trail. Just beyond this bridge, the trail map shows Alder Camp. Scratch this—the camp was washed away several years ago. A short distance farther is Twin Redwoods Camp. This camp is available to backpackers by reservation only.

A mile farther on, the map shows Camp Herbert. This camp is now closed, and the former inviting entry trail is now filled with branches to discourage hikers from going in for a look-see.

A few minutes before you get to the former Camp Herbert site, the wide service road quickly turns narrow and climbs up along the hillside. This is the result of a wash-out some years ago when the river rose due to very heavy rains and washed out the road below. I believe that this “flood” was the same one that took out the steel bridge mentioned earlier.

Just beyond the Camp Herbert location is the high level bridge that crosses East Waddell Creek. A large piece of equipment used and abandoned during the days when loggers ruled the coastside is at the side of the trail where the McCrary Ridge Trail moves rapidly and steeply up the hillside, gaining 1,400 feet before intersecting with Howard King Trail. Incidentally, William White Waddell was a lumberman who built a mill in the vicinity of Camp Herbert. From there, he used a four-horse team to haul the timber more than five miles on flat cars over wooden rails to his wharf near Point Ano Nuevo. Waddell died from complications of a grizzly bear bite—another interesting story from the coastside.

Hike along the old logging road to the crossing of West Waddell Creek. Here you should find several planks. If they have been washed away, it is time to wade. From this point to the falls, just stay on the trail. Cross the creek again on two parallel u-beams, then climb along the creek to a major junction, and walk up to the viewing platform.

Our group continued up the Berry Creek Falls Trail to Silver Falls and Golden Falls. A series of steps and cable holds help hikers over the steep parts.

We stopped for lunch at the Sunset Trail Camp and then meandered in and out of ravines to the Timms Trail junction. We followed Timms Trail down through deep forest, over Kelly Creek on a giant log to the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail. With a right turn, we followed Kelly Creek until we crossed over on a plank bridge and climbed up to a bench for a great view of Berry Creek Falls. This is the site of our once memorable “Ultimate Thanksgiving Feast.” (Check out the website for a full description.)

Return the same way you hiked in. As you approach the beach, you may (if the winds are right) see colorful sails of surfers dashing over the waves. It makes a fitting end to a wonderful hike to the best waterfalls in our part of the world.