New Berry Glen Trail to Open Saturday, October 30, 2010

Date: October 19, 2010

Fallen tree and hikers on the new Berry Glen trail.

NPS Photo

Redwood National & State Parks announce the opening of the park's newest hiking trail on Saturday, October 30, 2010. The 3-mile Berry Glen Trail connects the Lady Bird Johnson Grove with the Elk Meadow Day Use Area north of Orick, California. The Berry Glen Trail brings hikers through monumental old-growth forests. It follows the alignment of the original Bald Hills Road for much of its upper portions. The lower sections of the trail wind through previously undisturbed forest until it meets an old logging road close to the highway. The trail crosses Highway 101 just north of Orick at Berry Glen—the site of a Depression-era family store known to early Redwood Highway travelers for its homemade berry pies—before ending at the Elk Meadow Day Use Area.

The Berry Glen Trail was built with assistance from the California Conservation Corps through funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka stimulus funding). Park visitors can now hike from Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park all the way to Lady Bird Johnson Grove and back on well-maintained trails. An additional 14 miles of trail is proposed under the park's 2009 Trail and Backcountry Management Plan.

Redwood National & State Parks Superintendent Steve Chaney invites the public to an opening ceremony for the new trail to be held on Saturday, October 30^th at 11:00 a.m. at the park dedication site on the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail. Participants are encouraged to park at the Elk Meadow Day Use Area located on Davison Road, approximately two miles north of Orick, Calif. From there, shuttles provided by the park and the Redwood Adventures Company will transport visitors to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove beginning at 10:00 a.m. The dedication site is a one-half mile, 15-minute walk on the trail from the parking lot. The Orick Chamber of Commerce will host a coffee and cookie reception at the Elk Meadow Day Use Area beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Schedule:

• 9:30 a.m. – Coffee and cookie reception at Elk Meadow Day Use Area
• 10:00 a.m. – Free shuttles to Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Short walk to dedication site.
• 11:00 a.m. – Grand opening ceremony at Lady Bird Johnson Grove dedication site.
• 11:30 a.m. – Join hike back to Elk Meadow Day Use Area or take a shuttle to return.

The ceremony will feature students from the Orick School, brief comments by National Park Service Deputy Regional Director George Turnbull, CCC Conservation Supervisor Larry Notheis, and local singer Joyce Christian. An informal ranger-guided walk on the new trail will begin at the end of the ceremony. At the conclusion of the walk, hikers will return to their vehicles at the Elk Meadow Day Use Area. Shuttle service back to the Elk Meadow Day Use Area will be available for those that choose not to walk the full trail.

Please join us on Saturday, October 30^th at the Elk Meadow Day Use Area for the opening of Redwood National & State Parks' newest trail. Feel like you need a formal invitation? Here you go! (PDF, 1.13 MB)

Questions about the new trail or the activities on October 30^th may be directed to National Park Service Chief of Interpretation Candace Tinkler at 707-465-7304 or Park Ranger Jeff Denny at 707-465-7760.