From the Tarwater Trailhead we hiked downhill on the Tarwater Loop Trail, pausing to look at numerous wildflowers and an enormous old-growth redwood, which the loggers spared because it is largely hollowed out by fire. This giant column of wood supports a grove of sprouted redwoods, called reiterations, high off the ground. Among the many wildflowers we saw were hedge nettle, forget-me-nots, ocean spray (cream bush) globe lilly, Douglas iris, star lilly, redwood sorrel, blue-eyed grass, buttercup, and bellardia.
On our way downhill we stopped to examine the remains of the Moore, Fisher & Troupe lumber mill established in 1915 to cut railroad ties. There is a large iron boiler used to generate steam to run the saw. We also saw three banana slugs.
Instead of continuing on the Tarwater Loop we headed south on the Bridge Trail, stopping to inspect the Tarwater Trail Camp, on our way across the bridge to our lunch stop on the south bank of Pescadero Creek. We saw several newts in the creek. After lunch we retraced our steps back to the Tarwater Loop to begin the uphill portion of our route.
On our way up the Tarwater Loop Trail we took a short side trip on the Canyon Trail to see the tar seep in the creek bed. Tar oozes out of the ground next to the creek, with globs of the black sticky stuff breaking off and flowing down the creek. Heading uphill, we climbed above the redwoods into an oak woodland and stopped to see a small wooden building that is all that remains of a ranch that once
TO GET THERE... From Skyline Boulevard take Alpine Road west and turn south on Camp Pomponio Road to the trailhead parking lot.
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