The Allens Trail is the only upland trail on the Avenue of the Giants. It climbs one steep mile into a surprising glen filled with small redwoods. Although the climb is long and a little dull, the sheltered glen with its magical old-growth grove is worth the trip. It’s a nice look at a different side of Humboldt Redwoods.
The trail is also known as the Five Allens Trail and the Allens Grove Trail. It’s so little-used that I’ve never seen anyone on it, but it’s usually in good condition.
The trailhead is north of the Founders’ Grove and just south of the road to High Rock Conservation Camp. Driving south, look for the Maria McKean Allen marker on the right right in an downhill S-curve. There’s a small pullout, and a tiny “Allens Trail” sign marks the trailhead.
The trail starts off steep and continues to climb at an average 15% grade for nearly a mile. After the first few yards, it crosses under Highway 101 in a pedestrian tunnel and emerges into a typical redwood upland, where medium-sized redwoods and Douglas-Fir stand among a dense understory of huckleberry and tanoak. The roar of traffic fills the forest and gradually tapers off as the trail climbs. The forest isn’t especially interesting, but there are some good-sized redwoods and a little waterfall near the beginning of the trail.
The little waterfall on the way up to the Allens Grove
After nearly a mile, the trail enters a sheltered little glen. Just to the right of the trail is small flat, maybe 20 or 30 yards across, with a nearly pure grove of small redwoods. The ground is dusted with redwood sorrel, and around the edge is a thick layer of ferns. In summer the faint hum of traffic can be heard, but in winter, a burbling creek flows through the glen and covers up the residual freeway sounds. The grove is pretty dense and doesn’t have the cathedral-like appearance of the lowland groves, but it’s a lovely spot, especially because of how it different it is than the previous mile of forest.
The Allens Grove
The trail splits. The first several yards of both forks is usually overgrown with ferns and may be hard to find. Straight ahead is a short spur leading to the Five Allens sign.
The Allens Grove
To the left is a longer and harder-to-find trail that leads out of the valley and around a hill to the Elizabeth Achelis grove. The trail ends at a dedication plaque with a view of a hillside covered with a pure, dense stand of small, but clearly old-growth, redwoods.
The Elizabeth Achelis Grove
To see more old-growth uplands, try the Johnson Camp Trail, which has a larger but less lush grove.
