hike: Wilson River Trail – Elk Creek section
I’ll never get tired of lush, green Coast Range scenery. On today’s hike, we marveled at all of the different types of mosses and lichens.
We started this hike at the Elk Creek trailhead, hiking west on the Wilson River Trail towards Kings Mountain. On this day, we didn’t hike the full section, stopping at a creek crossing instead. For more info about the Wilson River Trail section from Elk Creek to Kings Mountain, check out this post.
After several days of heavy rain, water was running high in the creeks and dripping down rock walls on this hike. I especially love how it makes all of the moss so green.
I love this short section of trail with moss-covered boulders and trees…
We hiked slower than normal and stopped frequently to check out the many types of mosses and lichens.
Two sections of this hike feature rock walls next to the trail that are filled with miniature life.
Below is a closeup of Devils Matchstick, an interesting type of lichen that truly resembles the name.
Coastal forest at its finest…
Oxalis and moss make a great spring combo.
We stopped for lunch at a scenic spot with a creek cascading down the hillside.
Our stopping point was at this bridge over an unnamed creek.
Heading back to the trailhead, crossing the creek where we had lunch earlier.
