Mill Creek Horse Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features River/Creek · Views · Wildlife

A long route with tough, sustained climbs.

To access this trail, head to the marked trailhead off Bertsch Avenue at the west end of Howland Hill Road.

The trail starts by climbing up Howland Hill, fairly abruptly. As you continue up the ridge and gain more open views of Crescent City and Crescent Beach, look for evidence of past logging activities in this area.

From the top of Howland Hill, continue east as the trail slowly descends toward the north picnic area and ford, just under three miles from the start.

Here the trail bends to the right (south) with an option to cross Mill Creek onto the Mill Creek Horse Trail (East Loop), which is closed seasonally for salmon spawning. Please respect all signage and closures.

Continue south on this trail for another mile to the southern picnic area at just over four miles from the start. Here, the trail bends to the right again (west) and begins its sustained climb toward the Mill Creek Vista Picnic Area and the end of the trail near the Rellim Ridge Trail.

Red alder and redwood forest.