We have a rule in our house that you can not count a National Park unless you’ve completed a hike in it. So, off we went exploring the Trillium Falls Trail to ensure our trip into the Redwood National Park could officially be added to our total.

This 3 mile family-friendly hike is located at the southern end of the park. It’s an easy uphill meander through the dense bush to the falls along a well trodden dirt path.

With the undergrowth damp from recent rain, the crisp winter air was perfectly still and ‘oh, so’ fresh. It felt like you were actually breathing nature into your lunch with every inhale.

The twin tornados stormed ahead, exclaiming at the fallen trees with huge roots on display and clambering over any logs they could find.

With small ferns glistening in the pockets of sun that streamed through the canopy, at times I almost felt like I has hiking (or tramping, as us Kiwis call it) through the New Zealand bush. And, oh that fresh air!

Every so often we’d stand at the base of one of the magnificent giant Redwoods and gaze up at the sky, hoping to see the top of the tree.

The canopy was so thick that a layer of moss covered everything. It was like the trees and bridge were covered with a green snow.

We posed on the bridge at the falls before making our way downhill to the meadows and flat paved roadway leading back to the car.

We were also lucky enough to see the Elk grazing in Elk Meadow as we drove away from the trailhead. Further north we visited ‘Corkscrew Tree’ and the most amazing moss covered tree, showing how lush and damp the area is under the canopy of the tall trees.

With our hike completed, we could add another National Park to the books. Which National Park should we visit next?

We hiked the Trillium Falls Trail in December 2021 on our Jandals and Jet Planes 2021/22 Winter Road Trip.

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