Heading north on the 101 from Fortuna, Redwoods National Park isn't too much further*. The weather was cooler (if also a bit foggier) the road itself was even more scenic, and it was less crowded (although, for people used to Colorado and west Texas highways, there were still a lot of people!).
The Park is an interesting cooperative effort between the state of California and the National Park Service. It's composed of several older state parks, augmented by additional land that was added for preservation when the National Park was christened in 1968.
Our redwoods experts (Hal and the website he referred us to) said the Jedediah Smith section of the park was the gold standard, so we headed there first. And it was phenomenal.
The trees are probably a little bigger and taller here than in Humboldt...
...but what really makes the hiking better here is the lushness of the understories.
There's also a lot more moss on the trees, making the whole forest feel much older and more venerable.
I found myself channeling Legolas often as I looked around and marveled at the sheer volume of biomass on display. (I tried to find the quote of his I wanted, but couldn't...it's when they enter Fangorn and he comments on how old the forest feels. Tolkien would have loved these forests!)
Our first and longest hike in Jedediah Smith was to Fern Falls, which, as a falls, wasn't that much to write home about.
But the journey there and back certainly was! Here are some selected scenes...
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| again, the downed trees were every bit as marvelous as those still standing |
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| Joan points out a particularly attractive and gigantic specimen |
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| low bridge! |
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| an example of the very well-maintained trail, flanked by the most magnificent gates ever! |
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| Steve provides scale in this redwood family grouping |
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| note the tiny sibs up the trail |
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| this spectacular specimen made us think of the prow of a clipper ship! |
Such a wonderful, magical place! And we weren't even finished with Jedediah Smith!
We had to take in the short hike through the Stout Grove, one of the most famous sections of the park. Although more crowded than the other hikes, since it's right off the road and short, it also has some advantages: level ground and a reasonable distance. Both important factors for sore feet and tired legs.
And the trees are incredible!
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| Joan provides scale for this "woodpile" |
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| a particularly photogenic example of a downed tree's roots |
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| a really old fellow |
Such lovely woods! And we'd really worked up an appetite for an Oregon dinner. Since one of us needed to add that state to his life-list, and since we were so close to the border, we struck out for the frontier for our evening sustenance.
We needed not only to replenish the calories burned today but to ready ourselves for tomorrow. More of the National Park, and more fabulous trees, beckoned.
*We recommend, if you only have time for one view of redwoods, to skip the Avenue of the Giants, stay on the speedier 101, and just head up to the National Park. Fewer people, better trails, and more scenic forests.
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