Trillium Falls

Worth the Detour | June 2024

The Trail at a Glance

Location: Redwood National and State Parks, California

Distance: 2.89 miles (our recorded loop)

Elevation gain: 454 feet on our route

Difficulty: Moderate

Route: Loop

Trail map: AllTrails

Hiking Trillium Falls

Trillium Falls was such a cool hike through the redwoods! There were some massive trees along the trail and a little waterfall tucked into the forest. Definitely worth the detour.

The waterfall was also where I saw my first banana slug! I was pretty excited about it. They're so cool looking, with that bright yellow color.

Later, we'd have a whole banana slug invasion at camp and realize they were everywhere. But this first one was a little highlight of the hike. Even after seeing a bunch more, I still thought they were cool!

There was plenty to photograph besides the trees and waterfall, too. I took pictures of what I believe were wild iris, rhododendron, and redwood sorrel along the way. It's easy to spend so much time looking up at the redwoods that you miss all the little things growing underneath them.

A Few Things to Know

Plan your visit. The trail starts at the Elk Meadow Day Use Area, just off Davison Road. Check the National Park Service trail page for visitor information before you go.

Choose your route. The falls are about half a mile from the trailhead, so you can turn around there for a shorter hike or continue around the full loop. Our mileage and elevation gain above are from the loop we recorded.