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California

REDWOOD

ESTABLISHED 1968


On California’s magnificent Pacific coast stand vast numbers of majestic giant redwood trees, some of the oldest and biggest trees on Earth, inspiring respect and awe.

To see and touch trees that have lived on the Earth for over 2,000 years is magical. In Redwood, you can walk among whole groves of these ancient behemoths, in both the national park and in nearby state parks. The stately forests are also a refuge for wildlife, home to black bears, Roosevelt elk, cougars, bobcats, coyotes, and even flying squirrels.

Long and winding road

If traveling by car, take the beautiful but challenging Bald Hills Road, which is a thrilling 36-mile (58-km) round trip filled with hairpin turns and steep inclines winding up a 15 percent grade. These roads are too tricky for motorhomes and RV, so it’s cars only.

Favorite hiking trails, such as Lady Bird Johnson Grove and the Tall Trees Grove, are accessible just off the road, and scenic overlooks abound. Stop at the Redwood Creek Overlook, which looks out over much more than a creek—from here, you’re treated to an unimpeded view stretching all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Hiking and biking are equally wonderful ways to explore the parks. On foot, you may come across a fallen giant lying over a quiet trail. There’s no better way to appreciate the trees’ vast scale than walking a length of the colossus. The state parks offer bike trails, too, where your only company will be those esteemed redwoods.

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The ironic signposts state the obvious: big trees are everywhere you turn

Three Bike Rides

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Easy ▷ Gold Bluffs Beach is a 3-mile (4.8-km) stretch of the California Coastal Trail, where you are very likely to run across elk herds and meander past waterfalls and the mostly deserted beach.

Moderate The Ossagon Trail Loop includes Gold Bluffs Beach, then extends inland for a 19-mile (31-km) loop with a few steep sections and plenty of giant redwoods on display.

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Challenging ▷ The Little Bald Hills Trail offers a demanding climb up out of the redwood groves onto pine-covered mountain slopes. Out and back, the trail runs a rugged 18 miles (29 km) in total.

Timeless trees

The Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is the world’s tallest tree, reaching heights of up to 380 ft (116 m). Now protected, about 5 percent of the old-growth forest survives after voracious logging in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They don’t grow directly on the coast but thrive in lush valleys and plains sheltered by beaches, dunes, and scrub. Their thick bark is bright red-brown when freshly exposed—hence the name.

The semantics don’t really matter when you’re walking among groves of these lanky monsters, marveling at their size and scale, and respecting them as the American Indians do. It’s almost impossible when you’re up close not to be compelled to show that respect by touching them, as if feeling for a heartbeat and life pulse, knowing that some of these beauties have been here since a time when the Roman Empire flourished, before the era of Confucius, before the empire of Alexander the Great, since before the Bible.

The tallest tree in the park—and the world—is the Hyperion, and it stands 379.1 ft (115.55 m) tall. Don’t expect to see it, though, as its location is kept secret to protect it. Other venerated trees are also protected from visitors. Unfortunately, even park rangers can’t save them from the wild inhabitants. The Hyperion is not expected to grow any taller due to woodpecker damage at its very top.

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With low rainfall and comfortable temperatures, summer is the ideal time to hike in Redwood.

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A hiker balances gingerly on a fallen log in Redwood forest

Did You Know?

Redwoods live an average of 500 to 700 years, but some survive for 2,000.

Walk on the wild side

As you hike or bike, you’ll likely be greeted by the sound of woodpeckers drilling into trees. Woodpeckers are common, and owls, too, including the park’s largest owl species, the great horned owl. While it’s true that owls are mainly active at night, you’ll occasionally see—and hear—them during the day. The local northern pygmy owl is diurnal, so listen for its call, which is more of a toot than the traditional owl hoot.

You may witness the splendid sight of a regal bald eagle soaring on the thermals, or even spot a California condor, the largest land bird on the continent. This vulture with its turkeylike face, is being reintroduced to the park thanks to the efforts of the Yurok tribe, who want the birds restored in their Ancestral Territory.

Of the mammals, coyotes are common throughout the area, although they are mainly nocturnal hunters—the eerie sound of their packs howling in chorus is unmistakable. It’s thought, too, that between 50 and 200 black bears live in Redwood. Sightings, though rare, do happen and are always exciting, especially in spring, when mother bears plod through the woods with their little ones in tow.

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Coast redwoods, the biggest of the big boys, grow thick along Stout Grove Trail

FLORA AND FAUNA

Mighty Elk

Named for President Theodore Roosevelt, Roosevelt elk are common sights here, as they have come back from the brink of extinction and now roam in large herds. Weighing 1,200 lb (544 kg), they’re hard to miss and are the largest of the six species of elks in North America. The biggest herd in the park numbers about 250 animals and they inhabit the Bald Hills, while others can be seen in, not surprisingly, Elk Valley.

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FOCUS ON

Indigenous Peoples

American Indian history is older than the trees, as tribes have inhabited this area for 3,000 years. Some still live here, and four distinct languages survive: Tolowa, Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk. In the past, people lived in huts made of redwoods, which they also used to build boats. They regarded the trees as sacred Spirit Beings, here before humankind.

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Hikers seem small and insignificant passing among the giants

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