As a little girl in Central Texas, I fell in love with the North East more and more on every vacation to my mom’s childhood home in the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon: tall evergreen trees, forests, mountains, rivers, two story houses.
My dream to move to such scenery became reality in 2009 when I moved to Virginia.
Behind my house now are the tallest trees ever in view from a house I’ve lived in, standing about 100 feet tall.
Then we planned a trip to visit the largest trees ever.
PLANNING A REDWOODS EXPERIENCE
While planning our West Coast trip, from Northern Oregon to Southern California while pressed for time to meet family at each end, I said I’d love to see the famed Redwoods, which I thought we could easily enjoy while driving!
Absolutely, hubby exclaimed, saying we could totally work that in on our crazy speed dial West Coast tour.
By day 4 we’d be in Grant’s Pass (after an afternoon at Crater Lake), from which it’s an 8 hour drive from Southern Oregon to San Francisco to catch an airplane.
We planned taking two days to drive to San Francisco to allow us time exploring a bit and enjoying the views.
Dividing our 8 hour drive in half, I set our destination to the 4 hour mark to find quaint lodging.
After seeking in vain to book reservations for a nice dinner (and quaint lodging) after a day in the Redwoods, I realized nearly every eatery in Northern California is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday.
Uh oh…we were driving into California on Tuesday and arriving in San Francisco on Wednesday.
That meant no real food from Tuesday morning in Grant’s Pass until dinner Wednesday night in San Francisco…so I planned to order food at restaurants the day before accordingly.
My hubby, however, is good with grabbing what he can, so stay tuned for that. 😉
SURROUNDED BY BLACK BEARS FOR BREAKFAST
So after the sun set at Crater Lake, we drove to Grant’s Pass to spend the night.
The next morning we enjoyed breakfast near our hotel at Black Bear Diner, which had Oregon ambience with black bear imagery throughout the diner.
Since their omelettes were huge, loaded, and delicious, I happily ate only half, and took the rest with me for lunch.
They also had a cute store with misc bear items, including cute stuffed bears, one of which I really wanted, but didn’t get. Oh, well.
FROM OREGON TO CALIFORNIA
After driving past a ton of Bigfoot signs, we entered California, where the mountainous terrain became quite charred from the Smith River Complex fire in August 2023.
Eventually we left the scarred remains, entered forests, and ultimately, arriving at the Hiouchi Visitor Center which began our Redwood Forest experience.
Since the main road through Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park was closed, the Hiouchi Visitor Center showed us an alternate route on an unpaved road, which ended a bit further south than our planned lunch spot of Crescent City.
WHY ARE REDWOODS SO MASSIVE?
Receiving a slip of paper with directions to the trail, we soon found the trees nearly 4 times larger than the ones in my East Coast back yard.
As a result of the unique climate conditions we were experiencing along the Northern California coastline, these trees are the tallest of any others, growing as high as 380′.
Whereas Oregon had a lovely range of 70 degree mornings and 90 degree afternoons, I was much colder in Northern California.
While visiting this visitor center, we learned that the foggy chilly weather was exactly what allowed the Redwoods to thrive: 60-140 inches of annual rain, summer fog, 45-61 degrees throughout the year, rich soil, and wind protection due to the many trees.
Since their bark is comprised of tannin, Redwoods easily repel insects and decay, while their thick bark protects them during forest fires.
Any damage incurred to the trees usually results in healing due to their burl sprouts which promote regrowth.
JEDIDIAH SMITH REDWOODS STATE PARK
Therefore, these towering trees average 500-700 years in age, while the oldest ones discovered are 2000 years old!
Tall as I am, I felt as though I was surrounded by giants, thankfully of a friendly nature.
Averaging 16 to 20 feet in diameter, sometimes the trunks of several trees growing closely together merge into one.
This one had a neat cave hideout!
On this cloudy day, intermingled by fog, my imagination went wild when I saw the plethora of ferns at the base of the massive trees.
I kept waiting for a dinosaur to walk up to our car!
Instead, we found a couple touring the area from Northern Virginia, like us!
SEASTACKS
Eventually, we came to the ocean, right at the time the sun came out!
Starving, we enjoyed the view while I downed my take out box breakfast omelette, while my hubby found some snacks in our stash to tide him over until food discovery.
The rocks poking out of the water are called seastacks.
Originally part of the oceanic plate that subducted into the continental plate, these are a combination of sedimentary, metamorphic, and volcanic elements, called a Franciscan melange.
As the waves crash into the coastline, they wear away the softer rock, leaving behind the more resilient rock.
DEL NORTE COAST REDWOODS
My hubby now routed our car into Del Norte Coast Redwoods, which we enjoyed with sunshine overhead…nevertheless the air was still chilly, in the low 60s.
After driving through more of the Redwoods, we again came to the coast with more amazing views of seastacks.
Following our Redwood Tour map, we again entered the woods.
PRAIRIE CREEK REDWOODS STATE PARK
Now driving in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, we arrived at Kuchel Visitor Center.
Even though we had just left the Redwoods to a more open area, I was surprised to find the beach and ocean from their back window.
Interpreting both the Redwoods and the beach, offering programs out their back door (beach) and front door (Redwoods), this interpretive center had great offerings within to teach about both ecosystems.
Encouraged by my husband to walk out their back door onto their deck, we explored the boardwalk to the beach, while I felt very cold on that July afternoon in the low 60s with windchill. Brrr
Well, this would have been quite a bit of fun to explore, but we needed to press on to arrive at our lodging for the night.
SEEKING FOOD: CLOSED ON TUESDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS
Quite hungry for dinner, my hubby pulled into the next town Trinidad, on the coastline, for dinner.
Since nearly every restaurant was closed, because it was Tuesday, the three we found open were super busy.
The one that most appealed to me was so packed and no available parking.
Driving around we finally snagged a parking spot, entered to put our name on a wait list, then waited forever.
Could they just do take out? They had no idea how to do that. What?
We pressed to best place #2, though busy, happily offered takeout.
Waiting there for them to cook the order, we collected sightseeing literature for Humboldt County, about more Redwoods. Wow! I’ve always thought the Redwoods were merely one park.
Finally my hubby grabbed his completed order to eat later that evening, then we pressed on to a charming late 19th century Victorian town lost in the Redwood studded hills along the Northern California coastline. Stay tuned!
