Arleen had never been to Redwoods National Park. I visited once when I was 8 or 9 years old and I remember just bits and pieces of that trip. We were both giddy to tour this amazing area.
We spent 10 days in Klamath, California. The campground was a bit neglected, but we had full hook ups, TV reception, a decent cell phone signal, and intermittent wi-fi. We chose Klamath because it’s roughly in the middle of the Redwoods State and National Parks that stretch 50-60 miles north to south near highway 101. The Klamath area seems a bit run down, but was a good base camp.
To truly experience the redwoods, you have to hike. We expected to do a bunch of hiking, but we wanted to give ourselves a goal so we made a deal to hike 50 miles in 9 days. We were confident that after spending numerous hours and covering many miles on the trails, we’d know the redwoods intimately. Did we meet our goal? You’ll have to keep reading to find out…
Day 1… 5 miles to the beach and 5.13 miles up the Flint Ridge Trail.
Shortly after waking up, we decided to walk out to the beach. It was a bit further than we thought and ended up being a 2 hour, 5 mile stroll. The light fog made everything dreamy. It was one of the first steep beaches we’ve experienced. The huge swells were breaking right in our faces! They’d tower up 2-3 times our height and crash hard on the beach. We had to pay close attention to avoid being swept off our feet.
Later that afternoon we hiked a portion of the Flint Ridge trail. This was the closest redwoods trail near our campsite. It starts a couple hundred feet up the ocean hugging ridge with an excellent view. It continues to steadily climb and snakes around to the back side of the ridge about a mile in, leaving the sound of the crashing waves behind. That was also when we saw the first few redwoods. We were in awe, but Arleen didn’t believe me when I said these trees were babies. The word “majestic” kept repeating in my mind. On the way back down we walked up the road to a WWII radar site that was built to look like a farm. One building housed the radar and the other had a generator, supplies, and two 50 caliber guns to guard against an attack from the ocean. We were a bit surprised to stumble onto this historical site. It’s one thing to read about history, but it’s far better to stand there and absorb it.
It’s just a 200 foot tall baby!
There was a 50cal gun in each attic window They had a great view to watch for enemy activity
Day 2…1.5 miles in the Trees of Mystery…6 miles on the Boy Scout Tree Trail…Dinner at the Chart Room on the Crescent City harbor…
The Trees of Mystery is a privately owned and operated tourist trap just north of Klamath. A 49 foot tall Paul Bunyan and his huge companion, Babe the Blue Ox, demand attention while driving by on highway 101. We forked over $14 each to check out the place. The museum was pretty impressive and had artifacts, pictures, and stories describing the lives of natives from Alaska to the Plains. Then we hiked the roughly 1 mile trail that had whimsical descriptions and stories of things along the trail. The “Cathedral Tree” and the “Brotherhood Tree” were quite impressive. The trail leads up to the “Sky Trail”, a gondola that climbs to the top of a 750 foot high ridge. The observation deck had plaques describing the scene, two sets of binoculars, and a few comfortable benches that made it easy to linger while taking in the great view. After getting off the gondola at the bottom, you enter the Paul Bunyan section. There are numerous, large wood carvings and audio stations that tell stories about Paul, his friends, and the fabled animals. Did you know that Babe the Blue Ox sneezed redwood seeds over 11 counties creating the amazing redwoods forest? Did you know that Paul’s dog, Digger, couldn’t find a “stick” that Paul threw, and dug and dug making the Grand Canyon? I really enjoyed the Paul Bunyan section! $14 each was steep, but we are glad we did it. It was a fun introduction to the area.
Next we continued north to Crescent City to the Redwoods National Park Visitor Center. The enthusiastic young ranger shared all kinds of good info. We bought a good map and stamped our National Park Passport Book. Then we drove up Howland Hill Road, the most scenic road in the park. This narrow and windy dirt road leaves you in awe as the giant redwoods are sometimes just inches from the windows. Thankfully we had the road nearly to ourselves. I can’t imagine constant summer traffic on this road. Our destination was the “Boy Scout Tree Trail”. This highly touted trail leads through old growth, enormous redwoods. This time “stately” kept repeating in my mind. The Boy Scout Tree was enormous with a girth of roughly 32 feet. It was a special experience to linger in the presence of this 1000+ year old tree.
We worked up an appetite so we went to the Chart Room restaurant on the Crescent City harbor. The food was excellent and the view was even better. Right outside our window, there were 30-40 sea lions relaxing on two docks. The sun went down and the Battery Point Lighthouse lit up…it was gorgeous!
“Cathedral Tree”…many people have gotten married here “Brotherhood Tree”…19 feet diameter and 297 feet tall
“Boy Scout” tree…~32 feet diameter
The view from the “Chart Room” restaurant in the Crescent City harbor…Battery Point lighthouse (center left)…sea lions on the dock (bottom right)
Day 3…13.5 mile bike ride on the Drury Parkway…3.17 mile hike on Prairie Creek and Cathedral Tree trails…
The energetic young ranger told us that the Drury Scenic Parkway was closed to vehicle traffic due to road repair after a couple of big trees damaged it. However, we could bike it! What an opportunity…We’d have this classic 10 mile road to ourselves! He told us the road was fairly level, but after steadily climbing over 1,000 feet, we were a bit behind schedule so we turned around at the top. Experiencing this amazing road on bicycles was very memorable.
We still wanted to hike a couple of miles so we tackled the Prairie Creek and Cathedral Tree trails. Our necks were sore and it took us a bit to figure out why. It was from constantly looking up at the gigantic trees! This time “magnificent” kept running through my head.
The “Tall Tree”…~22 feet in diameter
Day 4…6.06 mile hike along the Coastal Trail from the Klamath Overlook to Hidden Beach…
We started this hike at the Klamath Overlook. The view from the 670 foot high ridge was spectacular. Whales like to hang out at the mouth of the Klamath River, but we didn’t see any. However, we did see lots of blue sky and an endless ocean vista. The trail was initially exposed as we walked along the side of the bluff. Then it tucked into the woods allowing quick glimpses of the crashing waves along the rugged coast. We could hear sea lions barking below. The trail dropped steadily to Hidden Beach, a nice sandy nook loaded with interesting drift wood and waves crashing on the abundant rocks. We really enjoyed this hike.
A typical view through the trees along the trail
The Klamath Overlook…See Arleen at the bottom of the picture?
Hidden Beach…670 feet lower and 3 miles away from where we started
Day 5…3.91 mile hike on Damnation Creek Trail…sunset on the beach
The Damnation Creek Trail is highly recommended by the Rangers. It’s one of the few areas where impressive redwoods grow on a steep slope. The trail starts on Highway 101 around 1,300 feet high and drops down to the creek and a beach. The forest canopy is more open on the slope, allowing bright sun and welcomed views of blue sky. It was a good workout and very enjoyable. “Mystical” kept going through our minds to describe the great scene.
After the hike we played fetch with our four-legged friend on the beach at sunset. We enjoy seeing our faithful 10+ year old companion act like a youngster. Unfortunately, later he pays the price as he stiffens up from too much exercise. Arleen watched the big waves crash at her feet. You have to be on your toes on this beach!
Arleen’s balancing act across the log over Damnation Creek
Day 6…Rest day! We did laundry, then drove up to the Klamath overlook and hiked 1 mile down to the lower overlook to spot whales. We saw four…our first whale sighting!! They ranged from a couple of hundred yards off the point to about a half mile. Note that we climbed over 600 feet in about a half mile (quite steep) on our off day! Later that evening we went back out to the beach to watch the sunset.
Day 7…2.8 miles on the Trillium Falls Trail plus a little extra on the road to total 4.10 miles
We drove down to the Prairie Creek section of the redwoods and found a nice loop to hike. This area was interesting because there used to be a saw mill there. They left a thin grove of large trees to screen their operation from highway travelers. Now elk graze the grassy meadow and a trail snakes through the old forest. “Primeval” kept coming up as we admired the large ferns, tunnels through huckleberry bushes, and huge trees.
Day 8…12.8 miles on Miner’s Ridge, then Gold Bluffs Beach, then Fern Canyon, then James Irvine Trails
On our way in, a group of 5 or 6 bull elk were hanging out by the road near the Prairie Creek Visitor Center. We watched and listened to them spar just 10-50 feet from the truck. We’ll never forget the sight and sound of those antlers clashing and rubbing together. The elk were even whistling and snorting as they asserted their dominance. (That’s frost in the grass in the pictures below…it’s been chilly each morning.)
This long loop is considered one of the best hikes in the redwoods. The main reason…variety. It starts with a couple of miles through old growth, huge redwoods surrounded by ferns. The closer you get to the beach, the more the redwoods thin out and the Sitka spruce and maples take over. Then the hike goes out on a wide, deserted beach for a mile and a half before heading inland. Spectacular Fern Canyon is next. A small stream flows through a narrowing canyon with vertical walls that are covered with ferns. It’s surreal. Orienteering through this small gap meant splashing through the stream, hopping across rocks, balancing on and ducking under logs, and shimmying along the base of the cliff while the ferns dripped from above. It was a lot of fun! As we climbed out of Fern Canyon, the Sitka spruce and maples slowly transitioned back to stately redwoods. If you have just one day in Redwoods National Park and would enjoy a 5-6 hour, 12 mile hike, then do this hike! We thought that it would kick our butts, but our bodies faired much better than expected.
There was still daylight so we headed up to our favorite overlook to spot whales and watch the sun go down. We watched a pod of three or four whales feed about a half mile off shore for an hour. They were like clockwork. Each time their flukes came out of the water, they disappeared for 3-6 minutes in a deep dive. And each time we saw those large tails, we got excited…it made our day! The gorgeous sunset was a great ending to a great day.
Fern Canyon
Outstanding whale pictures, eh? We were 700 feet high and a half mile away!
Day 9…3.07 miles on the Tall Trees Trail and 1.55 on the Lady Bird Johnson Trail
You have to really want to do the Tall Trees Trail. The day starts with a drive to the visitor center in Orick to get one of the 50 special permits issued each day. Then you drive 7 miles up Bald Hills Road, and make a right turn on the Tall Trees Access Road. To proceed you use the combination you were given at the visitor center to unlock the gate. Then you drive another 7 miles on a narrow, windy, hilly dirt road without much to see. Two hours after pulling out of the campground, we finally started the hike! The trail starts by dropping about 700 feet in a mile. The forest is pretty, but it’s primarily second-growth trees (small and close together) and unimpressive. That all changes when you get down to an alluvial plain of Redwood Creek. Here a one mile trail circles an amazing grove of trees that average 300-350 feet tall. Until recently the tallest tree on earth resided in this incredible grove. The maples were equally impressive and though they were naked of leaves, they were covered in lush moss and delicate ferns. After thoroughly enjoying the one mile loop, we climbed 700 feet to get back to the truck. So, was it worth it? Yep! I wouldn’t put this excursion near the top of the priority list, but if you were going to be in the area for a week, go for it! The Tall Trees Grove felt like a special place and we were glad we experienced it.
On the way back down Bald Hills Road, we stopped to hike the Lady Bird Johnson Trail. This is where Redwoods National Park was dedicated in 1968. The interpretive guide eloquently described interesting things along the trail. This grove was very peaceful. We really enjoyed it!
So, did we meet our goal to hike 50 miles in 9 days?
TOTAL: 53.29 miles!
My favorite hike: Damnation Creek Trail
Runner up: The long loop…Miner’s Ridge to Gold Bluffs Beach to Fern Canyon to James Irvine
Arleen’s favorite hike: Boy Scout Tree Trail
Runner up: The long loop…Miner’s Ridge to Gold Bluffs Beach to Fern Canyon to James Irvine
Now we know the redwoods intimately. It’s a special place.
Day 10…“Prepare for transport”…That’s what we wake up saying on moving day. First, we relax for an hour or two and then it takes us about an hour to prep everything for transport. After checking the checklist to make sure everything is squared away, we “hitch this bitch”, and hit the road.
Our next stop is Leggett, California where we’ll explore the most northern section of famous Highway 1 and the “Lost Coast”.
Our favorite sources of Redwoods info:
- http://www.redwoodhikes.com/
Notes: Excellent web page. Good maps. Great trail descriptions, directions, and suggestions. Each section of the National and State Parks is rated and each hike is rated. Though the ratings are subjective, we agreed with them. Sometimes the routing was different from the National and State Parks recommendations, but for good reason. This was our primary source for info regarding redwoods hikes.
- http://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/hiking.htm
Notes: The National Park web page is loaded with good info.
- http://www.nps.gov/redw/parknews/newspaper.htm
Notes: Make sure to pick up a copy of the newspaper-like Visitor Guide. We kept one copy in the trailer and another in the truck and referenced them repeatedly. The center fold map was the only source we found that clearly depicted old-growth sections of forest. The Visitor’s Guide also highlights scenic drives and describes some of the trails.
Like our Christmas lights?
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