Fall Adventures: Hiking Through Flora and Fauna

When the temperature begins to drop, there’s a crispness to the air, and the leaves turn the most glorious shades of red, gold, and orange, it’s no surprise if your desire to get outdoors and spend time in nature increases for Fall adventures. Autumn is a beautiful season, and it offers us great opportunities to lace up our boots and head out on a fall adventure hike. With our friends from Expedia-aarp.com, we have put together our tops picks for wonderful places to hike throughout southern Oregon. These are five of our favorite spots to enjoy the breathtaking flora and fauna along the trail.

1. Crater Lake

There are a few different trails in Crater Lake National Park, but the most scenic and most accessible is the Rim Train. You’ll be treated to gorgeous view of Wizard Island as you pass by the beautiful blue lake and the golden hues of the sun as it shines on the colorful leaves. This hike starts in Rim Village, and if you hike up to the lookout on The Watchmen, you’ll get in a solid 5.5-mile hike, round trip. Note that winter comes early at Crater Lake, so now is the perfect time to try this hike!

2. Rainie Falls

What’s more picturesque during your hike than views of a waterfall? We think the answer is not much, and that’s just what you’ll get when you hike Rainie Falls. You’ll find the waterfalls about 2 miles downstream from the Grave Creek launch, and in the fall, you’ll see Chinook salmon and steelhead migrating and jumping through the falls. This moderate trail runs along the Rogue River’s south side. This trail offers you a 3.6 mile hike, and you can even bring your dog along. Along with the waterfall views, you’ll see plenty of flowers, moss-covered rocks, and a variety of trees in all shapes and sizes.

3. Redwood
National Park

We would be remiss to not mention Redwood National Park where you can hike among the tallest trees in the world. These trees are beautiful in any season, but there’s something about the changing of seasons when summer becomes fall that makes this location even more spectacular. There are a variety of trails to hike, ranging in lengths and difficulty. Some of the most popular include the Lady Bird Johnson Grove (which was named for the First Lady), the Tall Trees Grove (which is home to the Libbey tree, world’s tallest tree from 1663 to 1988, and  the third tallest tree in this grove), the Redwood Creek Trail, and the Boy Scout Tree Trail.

4. Oredson-Todd Woods

The Oredson-Todd Trail provides hiking opportunities for all levels of hikers. This trail starts in a 10-acre city park, but then it winds its way along Clay Creek and ties into Siskiyou Mountain Park. This connects you to miles of a network of trails that go up Mount Ashland. With so many trail options, you can hike as many or as few miles as you wish. This trail delivers stunning views along the creek where you can enjoy the sound of the water as you gaze out onto the changing leaves. This is also a great trail for bird enthusiasts.

5. Fern Canyon Trail

Another wonderful hiking spot in Northern California is the Fern Canyon Trail. This trail is one mile long and loops around Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. You’re treated to views of the gorgeous walls of ferns that grow in this area as you hike along. There’s also a one-mile-long out-and-back trail here. Eight different fern species grow in Fern Canyon, including the five-finger fern, which is the easiest to spot with its multi-finger appearance. Another popular fern is Sworn Fern, which is a pointy triangle that lives at the base of the canyon walls in low-light spots.

Allegra Gallian is a freelance writer and blogger who specializes in lifestyle, health, wellness and fitness. She lives in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. When she’s not writing, Allegra enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with friends and family.