Redwoods National Forest
- Thread starter Pooh2
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bcla
On our rugged Eastern foothills.....
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2012
There is no Redwoods National Forest. Were you thinking of Redwood National Park? There are lots of places to see redwoods along the coast from southern Oregon to Santa Cruz however. They pretty much only grow naturally within several miles from the coast. I think Siskiyou National Forest (in Oregon) has some redwoods, but it's not going to be the really tall trees found maybe around Humboldt or Del Norte Counties in California.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/rogue-siskiyou/recarea/?recid=69596
The place I'd like to visit some day is Redwood National and State Parks. I'm guessing this is what you might have had in mind. It's kind of a joint operation between the National Park Service and California State Parks. The state operates three state parks (Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Del Norte Coast Redwoods, and Prairie Creek Redwoods) and NPS operates several areas around it as Redwood National Park. Together they're almost one long strip almost 80 miles north-south.
http://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm
In this map the state park areas are in a light green, and the NPS areas are in a darker green. The national forest areas are in a really pale green.
If you're thinking maybe that area, perhaps Eureka, Crescent City, or Arcata. Those are the larger towns. However, Orick has a few motels, and there's this place kind of in the middle:
http://www.redwoodparklodge.com
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/rogue-siskiyou/recarea/?recid=69596
The place I'd like to visit some day is Redwood National and State Parks. I'm guessing this is what you might have had in mind. It's kind of a joint operation between the National Park Service and California State Parks. The state operates three state parks (Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Del Norte Coast Redwoods, and Prairie Creek Redwoods) and NPS operates several areas around it as Redwood National Park. Together they're almost one long strip almost 80 miles north-south.
http://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm
In this map the state park areas are in a light green, and the NPS areas are in a darker green. The national forest areas are in a really pale green.
If you're thinking maybe that area, perhaps Eureka, Crescent City, or Arcata. Those are the larger towns. However, Orick has a few motels, and there's this place kind of in the middle:
http://www.redwoodparklodge.com
Lain
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2014
Eureka is a popular place to stay when exploring the redwoods. It's the biggest "city" in that part of California and has a lot of lodging options, including nice B&Bs, chain motels like Best Western, and lots of things to see and do especially around the Historic district. However, it's still about a 45 minutes drive south of the Redwoods National and State Parks. We enjoyed our stay there when we visited the redwoods last year. I've also heard that Arcata, which is just north of Eureka, is also nice. It's a college town (home to Humboldt State University), and also has a variety of lodging and dining.
On our way north from Eureka, we passed by Trinidad, which has a beautiful light house overlooking a quaint cove and feels almost like it belongs in New England. There are a number of B&B options there, and we'd consider staying there next time. Lodging is obviously pricier than motel options, but apparently fills up fast.
While there's a lot of beauty at the Redwoods National and State Parks, locals we met in Eureka actually recommended we check out Humboldt Redwoods State Park where they said there are taller trees. This is about 45 minutes south of Eureka, and you can turn off of US 101 onto the Avenue of the Giants to start exploring. It was well worth a detour on our way back down to San Francisco.
On our way north from Eureka, we passed by Trinidad, which has a beautiful light house overlooking a quaint cove and feels almost like it belongs in New England. There are a number of B&B options there, and we'd consider staying there next time. Lodging is obviously pricier than motel options, but apparently fills up fast.
While there's a lot of beauty at the Redwoods National and State Parks, locals we met in Eureka actually recommended we check out Humboldt Redwoods State Park where they said there are taller trees. This is about 45 minutes south of Eureka, and you can turn off of US 101 onto the Avenue of the Giants to start exploring. It was well worth a detour on our way back down to San Francisco.
bcla
On our rugged Eastern foothills.....
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2012
That may just be local pride talking. The lists of the tallest trees are typically in Redwood NSP, but the locations of individual trees generally won't be disclosed. They don't want visitors specifically seeking out the biggest trees for fear that the soil might get compacted around them by the traffic. However, it's all pretty grand along the entire coast. It's certainly going to be taller trees than around Santa Cruz or at Muir Woods.
Lain
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2014
I've read that, but honestly from the ground I couldn't tell which park had the taller trees. There were large trees everywhere and my wife and I kept pointing at trees that we thought were bigger than the last. The experience of standing in these groves of trees -- many standing as thick as a bus and some up to 2000 years old -- was truly awe inspiring. We loved the Redwoods National and State Parks, but if you have time -- particularly if you're coming from or going toward San Francisco -- the Avenue of the Giants around Humboldt Redwoods State Park is well worth the detour.
bcla
On our rugged Eastern foothills.....
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2012
It's all pretty good for redwoods around Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties. Of course there's the tendency for visitors to seek out the biggest or tallest, but frankly it's all good. I actually haven't visited this part of California. I've seen old growth redwood in the Santa Cruz area and Muir Woods. While they do grow naturally in these areas, it's not the conditions that lead to 300+ ft trees like in the North Coast.
The closest I've been to that kind of experience is giant sequoia at SEKI. There's a huge sequoia grove called the Redwood Mountain Grove. There's no pavement and off-trail activity is allowed up to the trees themselves. Some are named, but none are marked. This OK since visitation is light and the activity is relatively dispersed.
Lain
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2014
Not to mention all the logging that decimated the old growth forests around the San Francisco Bay Area during the last two hundred years. I agree, go north to see the big trees. I've been to the forests in the Santa Cruz mountains and Muir Woods, and it's a completely different experience up there.
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