Hillside & Fern Creek Loop

The main trail is paved and crowded. A hundred feet up the canyon side, almost no one is hiking. This 3-mile loop takes you there without asking for a whole-day commitment.

Why This Loop Works

The Hillside Trail is the easiest “escape” from the main trail. It runs parallel to the main trail but along the canyon wall 50 to 100 feet above the creek. You look down on the boardwalk crowds, hear them, and have the dirt tread to yourself.

Fern Creek Trail closes the loop by returning through a side canyon lined with sword ferns. You get old-growth redwoods, a stream crossing, and a historic site — Camp Alice Eastwood — all without the paved-boardwalk experience.

Route Description

0 to 0.5 mile — Main trail to Hillside turnoff. From the visitor center, walk the paved main trail to just past the second bridge. Look for a dirt trail branching up to the right, marked “Hillside Trail.”

0.5 to 1.5 miles — Hillside Trail. The trail climbs gently for the first 150 yards, then levels out as it contours along the canyon wall. Old-growth redwoods tower above you; below, you can still see the main trail. This is the signature section of the loop — quiet, shaded, and slightly above the forest floor.

After 20 minutes of walking, the Hillside Trail begins to descend back toward Redwood Creek. You rejoin the main trail briefly.

1.5 to 2.2 miles — Fern Creek Trail. Just past Cathedral Grove, a junction on the east side of the main trail leads up Fern Creek. Follow this into a narrower, darker side canyon. The understory is nearly pure sword fern. After 0.5 mile you reach the site of the Kent Tree, a 220-foot Douglas-fir that fell in March 2003. A small interpretive sign marks the spot.

2.2 to 2.5 miles — Camp Alice Eastwood. Continue another 0.3 mile to Camp Alice Eastwood, a small clearing with picnic tables and restrooms (limited drinking water — availability varies seasonally). This is the halfway point and a good rest stop. The camp sits at the original terminus of the gravity railroad that once carried passengers down from Mount Tam into Muir Woods.

2.5 to 3.1 miles — Return via Fern Creek Trail. Retrace your steps down Fern Creek Trail back to the main trail. Turn left and walk the main trail back to the visitor center.

What You See

Old-growth coast redwoods, some more than 800 years old, along the Hillside section. Sword ferns — the dominant understory plant in the Fern Creek canyon. Bay laurel trees with their distinctive, pungent leaves. On the lower slopes, tan oak, madrone, and Douglas-fir.

Wildlife: look for Pacific wrens along the creek, Steller’s jays in the canopy, banana slugs on the forest floor after rain, and occasionally a Pacific giant salamander in the creek itself.

Who This Loop Is For

• Return visitors who have done the main trail and want something different
• Active families with kids 8 and up who want a real hike without committing to a half-day
• Photographers looking for dappled-light angles you cannot get from the main boardwalk
• Solo hikers who want to get away from tour groups

Not recommended for small children, strollers, or visitors with significant mobility limitations — the Hillside Trail is dirt with roots and uneven footing, and the initial climb is steep enough to be work.

Practical Notes

Footwear: Light hiking shoes or trail runners. Avoid smooth-soled sneakers.

Cell service: None. Download an offline map before you arrive.

Water: Fill up at the visitor center. Camp Alice Eastwood fountains are unreliable.

Rain conditions: The Hillside Trail can get slick during and immediately after heavy rain. Give it a day to dry out if you are not confident on slippery dirt tread.