On Monday, Laura, Liz and I headed up to Jughandle Creek. The State Park here has a short bluff trail leading to the Ecological Staircase Trail (or one simply can leave the parking lot and drop down to the beach). Dogs are not allowed on the Ecological Staircase trail, but are permitted on the bluff portion, which is the most recent terrace deposit that has been uplifted from the sea floor.
The staircase trail winds under the Highway 1 bridge, then drops down to Jughandle Creek using several flights of stairs to reach a bridge across the stream. The trail map has several points of interest (40) along its entire length, explaining the terrain or vegetation one is passing. Once across the creek, you climb through second growth forest of varying types walking slowly uphill along the second terrace, heading toward the third, which is pygmy forest. Most of this vegetation is very similar to the flats behind the Old House, except for a few dense groves of Sitka Spruce, usually found far to the north.
The trail is well maintained, and if you arrive at the trailhead early enough, no one else shares the trail with you--but don't be surprised if later in your walk, joggers run past you as the trail cuts close to a subdivision with a firetrail that has cuts into the park trail. The trail is 2.5 miles one way, or 5 miles round trip, which was about 1 mile longer than my feet liked. But the trail itself was an easy grade and not difficult to traverse--just long.
The final terrace is pygmy--identitical to our own.
No comments:
Post a Comment