5 Allens’ Trail

5 Allens’ Trail

5 Allens’ Trail

Location: Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Humboldt County, CA
Miles: 2.2 miles
Difficulty: difficult
Duration: 1.5 hours
Users: Hikers only. No dogs, horses, and mountain bikes. No wheelchair access.
Features: Eel River, 1,200 ft. elevation gain, tree canopy, few people complete the hike because of its difficulty

Trail: Take a short side trip from the trailhead. Hike north along Eel River to High Rock. Your destination is one of the best shoreline fishing spots for steelhead during the winter migrations.

Allens trail or the Five Allens Trail has a steep path that proceeds into 15% grade-incline extending for about a mile, the trail then goes through Highway 101 via a pedestrian tunnel into a redwood upland populated by Douglas-Fir, huckleberry, tanoak, and redwood. This hiking destination can be found in the Avenue of the Giants where an exquisite redwood grove awaits.

The Five Allens is a glen up on a mountainside, which is very rare considering that the other surrounding parks have the usual flat areas, making this area stand out from the others. The name “Five Allens” seems to have come from the five distinct trees growing near the park’s sign, where their canopies grew together to form into a single canopy.

There are sightings of deer and scat in the area, which is great if you’re into wildlife photography.

Top 3 Adventure Hacks

1) Get your fishing rod ready

If you visit in winter be sure to take advantage of the best fishing spots offered on this hike. Check out this bugproof fishing hat you could wear when scouting for fish.

2) Wear a mountaineering boots

This hike has several elevations, wearing the proper gears will help lessen the difficulty of the hike.

3) Pack light

Bring just what you need for this hike to maximize comfort since this trail can get challenging.