Melanie S.

A view of Prairie Creek surrounded by lush vegetation.

This is easily one of my favorite Northern California redwood parks. It includes 14,000 acres, and was declared a state park in 1923.

6/6

#Camp #Camping #CampLikeAGirl #RoadTrip #Washington #Oregon #California #FallRoadTrip #Autumn #Redwoods #OregonCoast #OlympicPeninsula #ParkChat

Three people at the base of the "Big Tree" on a deck surrounded by other trees.

We also drove a 4x4 road called Cal Barrel Road, which took you into the heart of the redwoods. It was incredibly serene.

The park is situated off the 101 freeway and has two campgrounds--we were in Elk Prairie for two nights.

5/6

A woman pops out from behind a large redwood with duff on the ground.

It was such a lovely and magical location that we changed our reservation and stayed another night.

We were there at the shoulder season and all the bridges were pulled up over the creeks, so any stream crossing meant wading through the very cold (like take your breath away cold) water.

4/6

A view of a large redwood tree and blue and cloudy skies above.

A view of lush green vegetation with ferns, mosses, and trees on the creek side.

The weather was pretty good (scattered showers) for this park and my mom saw an epic double rainbow while Jakey and I hiked.

We saw a lot of evidence of bear, elk, and deer scat on the ground, but they never came near our campsite (that we were aware of).

3/6

A view looking up with ferns on the bottom and redwood trees reaching for the grey skies.

Then, we entered the next destination and (as I suspected) my mom and Jacob's socks were blown off with Prairie Creek Redwoods SP.

We switched campsites so that the rutting Roosevelt elk could be seen in the meadow--though that never happened.

2/6

A view of the rugged coast with sea stacks in the ocean and grey skies above.

Day 5, 6 & 7 - Tues., Sept 30. - Thur., Oct. 2, 2025
📍Orick, CA
📍Prairie Creek Redwoods SP, CA

We left Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP and headed down to coast. We drove an offroad coastal loop near the Klamath River with spectacular views of the rugged coastline.

1/6

Q11 #ParkChat Q11 You want to wear a costume that has a National Park theme. You can’t come up with an idea so you turn to this tool. Let us know what costume it guides you to and does it make sense? I’m a plotting river otter apparently.

A book cover with the title Confluence against a topographic map of the canyon.

A12. #ParkChat Book Club is reading Confluence by
@zakpodmore.bsky.social. The book is more than just a story of the Colorado River and its tributaries. It touches on Indigenous stories, family, water rights, and adventures. Our second meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 18th at 5 PM Pacific. DM me for deets.

Awwww... shucks. #ParkChat

A10: I'm connecting spiced apple cider to the Utah National Parks. #ParkChat

Q10. Halloween candy, pumpkin spice this or that. And pies! Connect any NP site to seasonal food or beverage. #parkchat

A9: I saw a cougar at Grand Canyon NP. It was spectacular. #ParkChat

Q9. Howling and growling creatures. Wolves, coyotes, bear, mountain lions—Share a story or picture of an encounter with one of these critters. The scarier—but not too scary—the better… #parkchat

A8: I wouldn't do tight crevices or passageways---100% exceeds my comfort zone. #ParkChat

Q8. Caves are dark with some very tight spaces. I got a demo of the total darkness in Jewel Cave NP. That didn’t bother me. But, the thought of squeezing into a really tight crevice or passageway does. Who has or would brave cavern areas beyond the main chambers? #parkchat

Great questions. #ParkChat

A7: I've been to a few caves/caverns... I've probably been to three sites. Nothing new on my list yet. No bat pictures here.
#ParkChat

Q7. Did you really think there wouldn’t be a cave question or two? I mean, come on, that would be batty. How many of the caves/cavern sites have you been to? Any on your bucket list? Bonus points for bat pictures. #parkchat

A6: Manazar NHS has an eerie feeling (not the creeps) for me... it is like the land connects you to the pain. #ParkChat

Q6. Many of the National Historic sites feature very old buildings and homes. Tell us about a visit to one of these sites with squeaky floors or that in some way gave you the creeps. #parkchat

A5: All I know is that entering one at night is NOT on my list of things to do. EVER. #ParkChat

Q5. No doubt, some of the Civil War battlefield sites feel haunted. Do any stand out to you more than any others? #parkchat

A4: I'm saying @publiclandlvr.bsky.social or @beckyjlomax.bsky.social ... #ParkChat

A3: A large predator or a mammal that could "get" me. #ParkChat

Q4. Let’s go the other way: you’re on a trail. It’s cold; light is becoming scarce; you might be in trouble. Which #parkchat regular would you want by your side?

Q3. Which #ParkChat regular--old or new--do you think would be most scary to encounter on the trail?

A2: I panic first, and then walk myself back from the ledge with the saying: the louder the noise, the smaller the critter. Then back to sleep. So far, so good. #ParkChat

Q2. You’re in your tent in a campground in one of our parks. It’s the middle of the night. There’s a full moon. You hear a branch snap, a twig break, or something crackling. Do you roll over and go back to sleep or do you investigate? #ParkChat

A1: It's Halloween because its Halloween. I love seeing creative costumes and this kicks off the end of year holiday season! I am always camping o yes, I do a visit to various parks around the Southland. #ParkChat

Q1 #ParkChat What is your favorite holiday, and why is it Halloween?
But seriously, do you enjoy Halloween, or would you rather skip over and get to the two bigger year-end holidays instead? Do you make park visits part of any year-end holidays? @59nationalparks.bsky.social @tthrash.bsky.social