Redwood National and State Parks will reopen the California Coastal Trail (CCT) between the Crescent Beach Overlook trailhead and the Damnation Creek trailhead on Friday, July 27, rangers announced this week.
The section of the trail has been closed for over a year for public safety due to narrowing trail conditions caused by erosion as well as conditions caused by unstable slopes above the trail resulting in repeated active landslides.
In addition, large windfall trees and brush from winter storms forced closure of the Nickel Creek to Damnation Creek section of the trail earlier this year due to unpassable, hazardous conditions.
Unless there is further erosion or landslides, the trail section between Crescent Beach Overlook and Enderts Beach will be open for the duration of the summer season. However, the Nickel Creek backcountry campground is closed and no camping will be allowed.
Public safety concerns about the deteriorating and unsafe conditions and lack of dependable access for maintenance has led to the temporary removal of the Nickel Creek backcountry campground facilities, including the backcountry restroom facility in the area.
This section of the trail will close again this fall or winter before rain events cause unsafe conditions from additional mud and rock slides. Trail conditions will be evaluated next spring to determine whether the trail can be safely reopened in its current location to provide temporary summer access once again.
Strategic planning for a safer and more sustainable inland trail will begin soon to explore routes to provide more dependable access. Other long-term planning will begin to explore possibilities to establish a new location for replacement of camping facilities impacted by these continued closures and conditions.
The vision for the California Coastal Trail (CCT) is a continuous interconnected public trail system along the 1,250-mile California coastline from the Mexican to Oregon borders. The CCT is a work in progress; of the 1250 miles of coastline, about 50 percent of the CCT is available and is being used by thousands of people every day. However, large sections of the trail through Del Norte and Humboldt Counties are complete, incorporating public beaches as well as established trails.
For more information, stop by any Redwood National and State Parks visitor center for current trail conditions and more information about recreational and educational opportunities and events. Up-to-date parks conditions and information are also available at the parks’ website at: www.nps.gov/redw. Or contact Ranger Lynn Erickson-Levi at (707) 465-7737.
