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Look Prairie Trail
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| Look Prairie Trail | |
| Trailhead: | Look Prairie Road |
| Location: | Four miles west of the Avenue of the Giants on the Mattole Road. Eight miles from Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center. Look Prairie Road is just before Harper Creek on the right hand side. |
| Hiking time: | 1 hour |
| Distance: | 1.8 miles round trip |
| Difficulty: | Moderate, uphill most of the way, lots of sunshine |
| Elevation gain/loss: |
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| Description: | |
| This trail leads to Look Prairie, one of the park's better
vista points. The prairie, and the second growth redwood forest around it, are areas that
have had fire intentionally introduced as part of the park's prescribed burn program. Fire
is used to maintain these areas as open prairie. The Native Americans in this area
historically burned the prairies to encourage the growth of plants they used for food,
such as tan oak. The prairies also provide food and habitat for wildlife. Ironically, fire destroyed one of the park's older structures in October 1996. The Look Prairie Barn, which was located here, was an excellent example of hand-hewn wood construction. The Visitor Center had photos of the barn. Most of the route is open and will be hot on a sunny day. Carry water with you when you hike this trail. |
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Beginning of the Look Prairie Trail
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