Redwood National Park and Beyond

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California Redwoods

When we started planning this trip many months ago, George would always mention he wanted to see the redwood trees. If I was telling someone some of the things we planned to see or do on the trip and didn’t mention the redwoods, he’d chime in “and see the redwoods in northern California.” Over the course of time he made an impression on me that this was more important to him than I originally understood. I knew we were to visit a few different groves and I have to admit I originally thought “seen one seen them all.” I am so happy we were able to visit these ancient ones and see them in various settings and weather. We have visited them in the rain, the fog and finally the sun. I am happy not to visit them in high winds. We saw enough massive branches, tops of trees or entire trees laying on the forest floor as a result of past wind storms. The term “widow maker” is used to describe the massive lower branches being shed and hurtling to the ground to impale itself into the earth or whatever is below the tree. A high wind day would have made me focus on the creaks from above and would have taken away from my enjoyment of the forest, but I also probably would have been in awe of how much they could sway.

I suppose I have an age bias in viewing these massive giants that are hundreds or even thousands of years old. The young trees are nice, but the old trees are awesome characters. They have survived fires and floods and are scared for it. They may have growths (burls), but that sets them apart from the other trees. The repeated fires may have burned the heart of the tree so that it is now hollow at the base and a refuge from the elements, but it is still alive and growing. Yes the trees will eventually succumb and there are plenty of snags attesting to the passing of a tree. Sometimes as a tree is weakening there may be the right conditions for a fairy ring to form around the tree. New life springs up from the established root system and a circle of redwood trees forms around the old tree.

Here is a list of hikes or drives that we took to see the redwoods.
Muir Woods National Monument
Hendy Woods State Park
Founders Grove
Rockefeller Forest
Avenue of the Giants
Lady Bird Johnson Grove in the Redwood National Park
Tall Tree Trail in the Redwood National Park
Newton P Drury Scenic Parkway
Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park

When we hiked the Tall Trees Trail we needed to get a permit and the combination to the gate. We were the only ones on the trail which was a unique experience in itself. It started with a 1 ½ mile down hill, then a 1 mile level hike and finally the dreaded 1 ½ mile uphill. There was one section where the ferns were tall among the giant trees and our thoughts turned to Jurassic Park.

We discussed which was our favorite trail and our ratings changed as we visited different groves. In all of them there are plenty of redwoods to see, but each had a slightly different feel. As you can see from the photos the weather also gives a different feel to the trees.

It’s time to leave California behind and continue up the coast and visit Oregon.

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Photos

Snag
The dead upright tree is called a snag.

Stout
Finally a sunny day!

Sorrel
This is one of the plants that carpet the redwood forests.

Colorful
A surprising burst of color on the ground in the woods.

Hendy bench
Our hike was limited by various areas that were flooded. The drought is over!

Pygmy Forest
This was south of Fort Bragg. The trees are very old but very small.

Comments

[Sharron Probyn]

Wow
What a beautiful trip through the redwoods! Magnificant. Joyce and I were always going to make that trip but fate intervened. Maybe still someday. Take care in your travels!

[kainen]

Redwood National Park
I took my annual pilgrimage up Highway to revisit one of my favorite places to be on the planet that is Redwood National Park. The feeling i got while wandering through old-growth redwood forests. Everything is so big, misty, and primeval that you can’t help but expect to spot a dinosaur munching on giant ferns. California contains the most spectacular redwood forests in the world—including the world’s tallest trees—yet it always amazes me how few Californians have experienced one of nature’s grandest displays. http://www.wildlifeworld360.com/redwood-national-park.html