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Redwood - California
Descriptive:
The timeless presence of a prehistoric forest, an ancient place, where the stout trunks of hundreds of Redwoods, one of the Earth's tallest beings, reach hundreds of feet overhead toward the sun. Underneath the canopy of branches, the crisp decay of lush undergrowth abounds within an ecosystem that is very much alive. The ground is moist underfoot, the air is fresh and slightly humid. Silvery speckled rays of sunlight lay mottled on tree trunks, and these great giants seem to sway under the sun's caress.
Vegetation:
Redwoods
Key locations:
Numerous unpaved roads exist with this National Park providing close access by automobile to interesting sites and trailheads.
Howland Hill Road is an unpaved road leading from the Hiouchi Information Center in the Park to Crescent City. It runs alongside Stout Grove, which was donated by a logging company owner's wife, and cuts through what was once Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
Walker Road cuts through redwood forest, providing access to the Smith River.
Requa Road cuts across from State Route 101 to the Klamath Overlook. The heavy bluffs here stand out against the Pacific, which lies some 600 feet below. From here, the Coastal Trail heads north to another overlook some 200 feet above the ocean. Another trail leads to Hidden Beach, an idyllic hideaway to leave footprints in the sand and release all solicitude.
Lady Bird Johnson Grove can be reached via Bald Hills Road. This is a particularly lush section of a mature redwood grove. These great trees rise solemnly, majestically above fecund ferns and rich undergrowth. This grove marks the site where the Park was dedicated by Lady Bird Johnson in 1968.
Big Tree is a tree not to be missed: it's 304 feet tall, 66 feet in circumference and estimated at 1,500 years old.
The Park yields yet a taller, though not older, tree in Tall Trees Grove. Here, a hearty redwood towers an amazing 370 feet above the Earth, along the beautiful Redwood Creek.
Stretching 7 miles, Gold Bluffs beach is a sandy strip composed largely of dunes. It is accessed by Davison Road or the Coastal Trail. Its name comes from small bits of gold which have been found here.
Continuing up the coast, the Coastal Trail heads north to Fern Canyon. It passes the sight of an old mining camp through the canyon to a desolate beach. Herds of Roosevelt elk frequent this whole area and should be treated with respect, and caution.
Historical:
A Redwood tree may weigh as much as 500 tons. The life of a Redwood tree may be several hundred years. However, the fragile balance of the ecosystem, and the subtle roles each part plays, are critically important to these surprisingly susceptible giants.
In Yurok Indian time, the Redwood forests in this region probably covered about 2 million acres: around the mid-1700s. Unfortunately, redwood fever supplanted gold fever. During the period just surrounding the turn of the century, excessive logging looked as though it might put an end to the existence of this Redwood kingdom. The State of California and the Save-the-Redwoods League, which was formed in 1918, set about to save this area on the northern shore. Redwood National Park was established fifty years later, in 1968.
Trails:
Bald Hills Road
Coastal Drive
Coastal Trail
Davison Road
Howland Hill Road
Redwood Creek Trail
Tall Trees Trail
