Читать книгу 101 Hikes in Northern California. Exploring Mountains, Valleys, and Seashore онлайн

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Description From the trailhead, follow Salmon Creek Trail as it climbs a moderate grade along the south bank of Salmon Creek. The falls are clearly audible and you quickly reach an unmarked junction leading downward to the base of the cascade (0.1/230'). A side trip not to be missed, the 200-foot spur drops past fragrant bays and mossy boulders to reach the mist-cloaked cascade.

After exploring the falls, don’t be taken in by the heavily used, steep spur that continues up Salmon Creek to rocky promontories above the falls. Many hikers mistake this spur for the Salmon Creek Trail, following it until it disappears into oblivion a mile upstream. Instead, carefully retrace your steps to the earlier junction, bear left, and continue climbing a moderate grade up the south canyon wall. The trail soon switchbacks past a seasonal creek and reaches a rocky viewpoint (0.3/760') overlooking the lower Salmon Creek drainage.

Notice the diverse plant life and dramatic shift in vegetation in the surrounding canyon. A lush riparian forest of alders, maples, and bays lines the ravine’s floor but quickly transitions to a drier coastal scrub zone of sagebrush, sticky monkeyflower, and coffeeberry bushes. Higher up, a rocky arid zone is populated by hardy succulents such as Our Lord’s candle, a yucca that dies soon after sprouting its large stalk of cream-colored blossoms.