Notes: Naturalist Michael W. Taylor named the tree Bushy Toe because it has a large, toe-like protuberance at its base.

Drive: Bushy Toe is 196 mi (315 km) north of San Francisco near the community of Weott.

Northbound: From U.S. Highway 101 just north of Weott, take exit 663 South Fork Honeydew and turn left onto California State Route 254 (Avenue of the Giants). Drive north 0.2 mi (0.3 km) on California State Route 254 (Avenue of the Giants) and turn left, under the bridge, onto Mattole Road.

Southbound: From U.S. Highway 101 just north of Weott, take exit 663 South Fork Honeydew and turn right onto Mattole Road.

Drive west 4.4 mi (7.1 km) on Mattole Road to the entrance for the Big Trees Day Use Area. Turn left here and continue to the Big Trees Day Use Area parking lot.

Shortcut: Take this shortcut, which reduces hiking time by 20 minutes each way, to visit Bushy Toe if Bull Creek is low enough and you feel comfortable crossing the creek atop a fallen log. Park at a pullout on Mattole Road, across from the Look Prairie Road sign, just before the Harper Creek sign.

Hike: GPS-assisted navigation is recommended for this hike. From the trailhead near the eastern end of the parking lot, hike east 150 ft (46 m) toward Bull Creek. Cross the seasonal footbridge, if available, then veer right/west toward Giant Tree. Just past Giant Tree, turn left at the junction with Big Trees Loop Trail and hike southeast 250 ft (76 m) on Big Trees Loop Trail to the junction with Bull Creek Flats Trail South. Turn left at the trail junction, and hike east 0.6 mi (1.0 km) on Bull Creek Flats Trail South, past the junction with Johnson Camp Trail, to Bushy Toe which stands beside the trail on you right. After visting Bushy Toe, hike west 273 ft (83 m) off-trail to Apex, hike west 330 ft (101 m) off-trail to Mother and Daughter, hike west 360 ft (110 m) off-trail to Valentine, hike west 0.1 mi (0.2 km) off-trail to Pyramid Giant, hike northwest 0.1 mi (0.2 km) off-trail to Alice Rhodes, hike west 0.13 mi (0.21 km) off-trail to Brutus, or hike west 0.15 mi (0.24 km) off-trail to Randy Stoltmann.

Shortcut: From the pullout on Mattole Road, hike west on Big Trees Trail and turn left/south just before the bridge over Harper Creek. Hike south toward Bull Creek, turn right/west, and follow the path to a large fallen log which spans Bull Creek. Hike southeast across the fallen log to Harper Flat then, using a GPS device, hike southeast another 0.16 mi (0.26 km) off-trail to Bushy Toe.

Creek Warning: Bushy Toe is not accessible from the Big Trees Day Use Area parking lot or Mattole Road when Bull Creek has high water levels and the seasonal footbridge is not installed. It is best to visit Bushy Toe from July through October when Bull Creek is low enough to wade across. To visit Bushy Toe whenever Bull Creek is impassable, use the 1.0 mi (1.6 km) longer alternate route via Grasshopper Road instead.

View Bushy Toe Tree location in Google Maps

Panorama: Click panorama to take a virtual tour of Bushy Toe Tree

Photos: Pictures of Bushy Toe Tree taken from different sides