Listen to the episode below:

When you think of big trees, where do you think of? Well, I used to think of Muir Woods in Northern California, but I now think of Redwood National Park as well. So, today, we’re going to talk about why you need to go to Redwood National Park.

Redwood National Park is actually called Redwood National and State Parks. As people came West, they saw the giant Redwood trees as an unending source of wood, but by the early 1900’s, much of those trees were beginning to disappear. So, the Save-the-Redwoods League made it their mission to save what was left. In the 1920’s, their efforts were rewarded with the creation of 3 state parks: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Then in 1968, the Federal Government extended the reach of those three State Parks by creating Redwood National Park. So, it is now called Redwood National and State Parks. (nps.gov) 

Take a look at the whole park!

Travel Tip: Redwood National and State Parks are free to enter unless you are parking at one of the camping locations. Check their website for fees.

Why should you make the trip to Redwood National and State Parks? Here are fourteen reasons.

Reason #1: BIG Trees

In the Pacific Northwest, there are big trees. We have them in our backyards. So, there was a moment when I was planning this trip when I questioned whether this was going to be a good idea. I mean, how big could the trees be? 

Let me tell you. They are big. Like big big. Like really, really big. They were awe inspiringly big. So, even if you’re used to what you might think are big trees, you haven’t seen anything yet!

Reason #2: The walks and hikes

I’ve mentioned before how Brent and I disagree often whether something is a hike or a walk. I feel that if you are on any sort of dirt, it’s a hike, but Brent feels that hikes have more to do with elevation gain. A ranger agreed with Brent when Trooper told her where we had hiked. At any rate, we went on a couple of great hikes and there is one hike that I would love to go on when we go back.

The Stout Grove hike in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park was beautiful! We LOVED it. It was our first look at the huge trees and well worth it!

Simper Reed Trail, also in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is another amazing hike. There are a bunch of root balls from trees that have fallen that are gigantic!

The Lady Bird Johnson Grove trail is a more intense hike to get to, but a wonderful hike as well. We were glad to have our walking sticks with us. A year after Redwood National Park was created, President Nixon dedicated this grove to former first lady Lady Bird Johnson for all of her environmental work. (When I was double checking that I remembered this correctly, I saw that only 5% of the world’s old growth forests remain, and nearly half of that is in Redwood  National and State Parks.)

Our last hike was to Big Tree in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The big tree definitely stands up to its name. It is 68 FEET around and is the 13th largest coastal redwood standing at 309 feet. They estimate that it is 1500 years old. Just imagine what it has “seen” in its life. A-mazing! The “hike” to Big Tree is so easy - it’s only about 250 feet from the parking area, so this is a must see for all hiking levels. We continued on the 0.3 mile Circle Trail to see more of the area, but you don’t have to.

There is one hike that I would like to go on the next time we’re at the park. It’s called Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It looks like such a beautiful hike, plus, it’s where a scene from the Jurassic Park - Lost World movie was filmed. You may remember a scene where one of the “bad guys” wandered off to go to the bathroom and got lost. He gets chased down a river bed and in all likelihood was killed by compies which are the tiny dinosaurs from the movie. That scene was filmed in Fern Canyon.

We didn’t go on this hike because it had been raining and part of the road to the trail is dirt, plus part of the trail is a river bed, so, until next time.

Reason #3: Crescent City

Crescent City is a cute little coastal town in Northern California that is right next to the National and State Parks. It is mostly known for the Battery Point Lighthouse that we will talk about in a bit, but it’s a great place to do a little souvenir shopping. There is a Walmart if you need anything and if the Seaquake Restaurant is still open when you go, their hamburgers are yummy!

Reason #4: Banana Slugs

There must be something in the water in Redwood because they grow some BIG slugs. They can grow almost 10 inches long and are a bright yellow, some even have brown spots, which makes their name fit them perfectly. We did see 2 banana slugs while we were in Redwood but they were nowhere near 10 inches long. Still, quite interesting though - if you like creepy crawly things, which I don’t mind unless they’re eating my plants!

Reason #5: Geocaching

There is a rule against Geocaches in National Parks, but the same isn’t true about State Parks, so Geocaching is a fun thing to do when you’re in Redwood! If you'd like to hear a bit more about Geocaching, check out episode #3 of the RSD podcast! Don’t forget to download the caches you want to find because cell service among the giant trees is spotty at best!

Reason #6: I mean BIG trees

I don’t know if I can adequately describe how big these trees are. Big big big! Look how small Trooper looks next to one of the trees.

Reason #7: Whale Watching 

Yes! You can often see whales from Klamath River Overlook just outside of Crescent City. From what I read, November, December, March and April are the best times to see the migrating Gray Whales. We were there in April and sadly didn’t see any but it is a beautiful view of the ocean from the Overlook!

Reason #8: Drive Through a Tree

I don’t know why this was something that I had to do but when I saw that you could drive through a tree, we had to go. It’s nothing special. You pay your $5 at the bottom of the hill, wait your turn, and drive through the tree. My SUV barely made it but it was fun seeing Trooper pop his head out the sunroof! Would we do it again, probably not, but I’m glad we got the picture!

There are quite a few drive through trees in the area, but the one we went to was just outside of Klamath. 

I just want to note that the tree is still alive. They naturally grow with a hollow inside. 

Reason #9: Paul Bunyan and Babe the Big Blue Ox

While you’re on the way to the Drive Through Tree, you might notice a tall figure on the side of the road with a big blue ox. That’s Paul Bunyan and his best friend Babe. Paul Bunyan is a folk hero out here in the west. He is known for his superhuman size and ability to cut down any tree with his trusty sidekick, Babe, at his side. What I remember of Paul Bunyan is from this Disney video when I was young. 

Paul Bunyan and Babe are at the entrance of the Trees of Mystery. There’s a hotel there, a pretty interesting museum with Native American artifacts, a canopy trail, and a trail through the redwoods. We didn’t go on the trail but did walk through the museum and gift shop. There are nice bathrooms there so it’s worth a stop.

Reason #10: Battery Point Lighthouse

Like I said before, Battery Point Lighthouse is a popular stop in Crescent City. You can walk out to the lighthouse at low tide, so take a look at when that will be. It’s a cute little lighthouse that sits on a pretty decent hill so keep that in mind when deciding to walk out there. According to the plaque on the lighthouse, it is one of the first lighthouses on the California coast. The lighthouse was completed in 1856 because the rugged terrain made it nearly impossible to travel in the area.

Definitely wear sunscreen - which we didn’t do - because there are few trees out there and the sun gets hot!