Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA

July 24

We left Lassen in no great hurry as our drive to Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA was only supposed to be about 4 ½ hours. As we drove along Hwy 36 West, we quickly realized that Google’s calculation was grossly inaccurate. We took the road from near I-5, through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and west to Hwy 101 near the California coast. The entire hours-long stretch seemed to be one hairpin curve at 25 mph after another, without a shoulder, along mountain slopes. Liam was feeling very carsick due to all the hours of weaving, and William was understandably stressed because of all the intense concentration on driving. Finally, we got to flatter land and arrived at Humboldt Redwoods SP after about 6 ½ hours.

Humboldt Redwoods State Park protects the largest remaining old-growth coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forest in the world. Coast redwoods are thought to be as old as 2,000 years (but average 500 to 700 years old) and can grow up to 370 feet in height, making them the tallest trees in the world. They are not as massive or thick as the giant sequoias, having a base diameter of about 20 feet. They have no known killing diseases, and are resistant to rot, fir, and insect damage. These redwoods grow only in a narrow strip along the Pacific Coast of California and southwestern Oregon at elevations below 2,000 feet. They require moderate year-round temperatures, fog, and heavy winter rains. Redwoods reproduce by tiny seeds and by sprouting clone trees from their root systems or dormant burls that grow at the base of the trunk, and sometimes up high. When the parent tree becomes stressed due to drought, severe fires, or being felled, the new saplings grow in “family groups”, taking advantage of the parent tree’s root system.

One can drive the 32-mile auto tour along the Avenue of the Giants which winds through the redwood forest. Eight stops along the way highlight noteworthy features. Although not as big around as the giant sequoias we saw earlier in our trip, the redwoods are a sight to behold. Their arrow-straight trunks shoot high into the sky, their dense canopies shading the floor, giving the forest a dark, mysterious feeling. We spied lots of blackberries growing along the road where there were sunny areas between forests.

Tired from our exhausting drive we decided to skip the last few tour stops and pull into Burlington Campground where we had a nice level, wide campsite surrounded by large redwoods.

July 25

In the morning we walked the short, 0.6-mile Gould Grove Nature Trail across the street from the campground and down a spur to the Eel River, a shallow river in a wide, rocky bed. An earlier marker atop a pole showed that the river flooded 35 feet above the Avenue of the Giants in 1964. We made a quick stop at the visitor center, then pulled out on our way to Redwood National and State Parks, CA. On the way we stopped for about ½ hour to pick a few containers full of blackberries. Liam got stung on the knee by a hornet…

Here are the pictures.