Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor

Last Day in Oregon | Hiking the Myrtle Tree Trail & the Frances Shrader Old Growth Trail | Visiting Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor | November 2025

This morning started out with leaving our stealth camping spot early and driving to the trailhead for our first activity of the day. When we arrived, I made breakfast, then we prepared for a short hike. Our first two hikes of the day were both focused on trees: first, a trail to the largest known Myrtle Tree in the world. The trail was a half mile long round trip, and had us switchback up to where the largest Myrtle tree stands. On the way, we came across a sign that informed us about a disease called Sudden Oak Death that was affecting part of the forest, including the myrtles. As a result, the trail had been rerouted to avoid the quarantined area and there was a lot of tree trimmings in pyres. The largest tree itself was not affected, and hopefully it remains that way!

Our next hike was across the Rogue River and nearly 3 miles up a steep forest road. As we drove up in elevation, we entered into the fog which gave the forest an eerie feeling and made the sun beams that eventually shone through even more special. This trail is known as the Shrader Old Growth Trail and is a mile long protecting a grove of old growth spruce and cedars. At the beginning we picked up a pamphlet so we could learn more about the old forest as we walked. It was very informative, and we learned about the different plants and trees as we walked.

After spending our morning in the woods, we made our way back to US-101 to spend the rest of our daylight hours on the coast. We knew we were nearing the end of our time in Oregon, so we wanted to enjoy a few more stops on the coast to soak in the beauty just a little more. Part of US-101 goes through the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, and we made a few stops at different scenic pull offs. The first one that we stopped to see was Arch Rock, which I realized I had stopped at 8 years ago as well, which was my last stop in Oregon. And finally, we also stopped at House Rock where we learned about the namesake of the park, Samuel Boardman, and the role he played in making Oregon State Parks and the Oregon coast what they are today.

And with that, it was time to say goodbye to Oregon for this trip. In all, we ended up spending 15 days in this beautiful state, and we loved every day here. Naturally, we wished we could spend a lot more time here exploring many other parts of this state, but for the time of year we were here and how much time we had, this trip was perfect: a little taste of Crater Lake, the Cascades, and the valley, and over a week of slowly traveling down the coast and enjoying a variety of hikes and scenic areas on the coast, in the forests, and in the coastal mountains. We’ll be eagerly anticipating the day when we can return and get to know this beautiful state even more!

With that, we crossed the border into California on US-101. We had looked a little at our stealth camping options, but when I really thought about it, what I really wanted was to return to the campground where Charlotte and I stayed back in 2017. I didn’t have the name of it written down, but based on its location and reviews, I was pretty sure it was Florence Keller County Park in Crescent City. When we arrived, it all came back to me. The small, rustic campground tucked away into a small pocket of Redwood trees outside of the national park. We easily found an open campsite and got settled in. The price per night was $20 — exactly what I remember paying 8 years ago — and my mind was flooded with memories of my last time here. After choosing my spot, I let Charlotte lead me on a walk on the meandering trails until dark, following wherever her heart (or nose) desired. And so in her memory, we went for a long meandering walk, staring up at the tall trees and searching deep for every memory I have of her in this place. I’m so glad this place is still here, just the way we left it, so I could find those memories again.

Charlotte in Florence Keller County Park, CA, September 2017