About Fern Canyon Trail
Fern Canyon Trail offers a moderately challenging hike with beautiful scenery, ideal for those seeking a nature experience with photo opportunities. It's distinct from the Northern California trail of the same name.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Families who enjoy hiking with moderate difficulty and beautiful views.Photographers seeking scenic locations.Suitable for families with older children and adults comfortable with a moderate hike. Not specified as suitable for young children.
Why families love it
- Beautiful scenery and photo opportunities.
- Easy once past the initial steep climb.
- Lovely scenery.
- Wide trail in some sections.
Insider tips
- Wear shoes with good grip.
- Bring hats, sunscreen, and plenty of water.
- Arrive before 12pm to secure parking.
- Consider the optional route that passes the LA old zoo.
Good to know before you go
- Going late in the day due to parking limitations.
- Initial section of the trail is quite steep and slippery; good shoes are essential.
- Limited shade; hats, sunscreen, and water are necessary.
- Parking lot fills up quickly; arrive before 12pm.
- Crowds
- Can get crowded after 12pm; best to arrive earlier.
- Value
- Free, except for potential parking fees if the lot is full and street parking is unavailable. Excellent value for the scenery and exercise.
- Food
- No food policy mentioned.
- Accessibility
- No accessibility information provided in reviews.
- Safety
- No safety features mentioned.
What parents say
"PSA: Anyone mentioning redwoods or Jurassic Park Lost World in the reviews are mistaking this trail for one of an identical name in northern California. This hike is cool but it’s not that location. OG review: Terrific hike. Not a ton of shade so come prepared with hats, sunscreen, and water. The start of the hike has a bit of a slippery dirt hill, folks with regular shoes were sliding and struggled so wear something with grip. After the hill the hike is easy. The parking lot was filling up quick so come before 12pm but there are a lot of spots and people coming and going. Some street pa"
a year ago
"While Fern Canyon Trail was a good challenge, the left-side route was quite steep. The views at the top well made it worth the effort. This trail is nothing like its much more famous sister in Northern California associated with redwoods and Jurassic Park. There's an initial steep climb, so you'll want to wear good shoes. Note that the parking fills up quickly, and it's a really lovely walk with lovely scenery along the way for photo opportunities."
7 months ago
"love this trail! I would say it's about an easy/medium difficulty, the first ~15 mins are pretty steep but then it gets a lot flatter for the rest of the trail. wide trail & I went midday during the middle of the week and it wasn't crowded, mostly people walking their dogs really beautiful scenery & views"
3 years ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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