When people think of driving cross-country they generally think of ending up on the west coast somewhere in California. Now we had finally done that. We crossed into California on one of the smallest interstate roads that California has to offer. It was a little funny that we were about to see some of the largest trees in the world but driving in on tiny route 101 from Oregon. We stopped to take a picture with a tiny “Welcome to California” sign on the side of the road before continuing on to our campsite for the night.
For those who have never been to the Redwoods in California they are not located in just one place. Redwood Forest National Park isn’t just one park but a collection of state parks and a national park. While most of these parks are located in far northern California just south of the Oregon border they do stretch all the way to just north of San Francisco. Most of them are not in easily accessible places. What I mean by this is that while San Francisco is located in northern California the biggest groves of the trees are located roughly 6 ½ hours north of the city. This area is still northern California. California is a huge state!
We started our visit to the trees at one of the visitor’s centers to get a lay of the land and find out what we should see in our days in the area. We were told that the closest one to us was one that should not be missed. After a short 10 minute drive we arrived at Jedediah State Park. We were a little nervous as we entered as the road turned from a wide 2 lane road, to a 2 lane road with no shoulder, to a 1 lane road and finally an unpaved 1 lane road as it entered the park. (There were turnouts though so everything turned out ok!) Almost immediately after entering the park we saw our first Redwood. We of course had to pull over and check it out. It was huge. By huge I mean huuuuuuuge. It was way to big to capture in a single picture and pretty difficult to even describe in words so that you can get a picture in your mind just how massive this tree was. So you can try to picture it, the average redwood tree is between 500 to 800 years old, has a height of 350-380 feet, a width of 28-30 feet and weighs approximately 50,000 pounds. After taking pictures, videos and watching Julie hug the tree we climbed back into Bubbles and continued down the road. The road was around 12 miles long but going 20 mph it took a while to see it all. We stopped and hiked at different groves taking pictures and just being in awe of the natural surroundings around us. It wasn’t just the trees that were amazing it was the rest of the forest around it too. The trees are so big that they block out most of the sunlight. Even though it was a clear and sunny day the forest was dark and mysterious looking. It had just rained the day before so in some spots where light hit steam was rising from the ground giving the forest almost a spooky/erie look from a distance. It was really neat.
We made our way though the park emerging on the other side in late afternoon. From Jedediah Park we drove the short distance to the main town in the area Crescent City. As it was a smaller town there really wasn’t much to see. It was right on the ocean, which was beautiful, but for the most part Redwood tourists and a small fishing industry seemed to keep the town going. We stopped at small brewery for a beer and at a great little BBQ restaurant for dinner before retiring back to the campground for the night. It was a great day one in the Redwoods. One side note, Julie references a book she mentions in the video as Tall Trees but the actual title of the book is Wild Trees but she highly recommends it.
The next day we woke up and were off! First stop for the day was just south of Jedediah Park at Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. This was again an amazing drive. It ran parallel to Route 101 but felt like a world away. It was a little 2-lane road tucked amongst the massive redwoods. We drove slowly through the park stopping every now and again to take short hikes and checking out the different redwoods that we passed. We stopped at the visitor’s center at the end of the drive buying a few souvenirs and having lunch in the van. While eating lunch we noticed that next to us in the adjacent clearing, huge elk had gathered. Most of them came right up to the road and stood there munching on grass. While Julie and I were safe in Bubbles we were surprised just how many people got within a few feet of these beasts. Elk can weigh up to 730lbs and run lightning quick. They also can be ill tempered which wouldn’t have been good for the few people standing close to them. This day however they seemed to all be in a jolly mood as they didn’t charge anyone.
From Del Norte we ventured a bit further down the road to Humboldt State Park and the Avenue of the Giants. While stopping and reading a bit about the park we noticed a Bubbles cousin (an Airstream Class B RV) pull up behind us. In it were Dan, Alycia and their son Nate from Boulder, CO. We toured each other’s van seeing how the other side lived and exchanged email addresses. (We have since emailed many times exchanging campground notes. Hi guys!) As it was getting a bit dark we had to rush through the drive and found a great KOA just down the road.
The next morning we woke up and drove the short distance north back to the Avenue of the Giants. This day we got the full experience. While the road technically has a speed limit of 35 I’m not sure we went over 20 as we wanted to go as slow as possible to take in the last section of Redwoods that we would be in. We drove slowly down the road stopping a few times. The last Redwood Grove we stopped at held the Dyerville Giant tree, which grew to an amazing height of 370 feet. This tree fell to the forest floor in 1991 so you are able to stand next to it, which was amazing.
Exiting the Avenue of the Giants we headed down Route 101 until California Route 1 started. This little 2-lane road weaved its way across the last mountain range next to the ocean and popped out almost directly in the surf. It was quite the site after being in mammoth trees and not being able to see more than a few yards in front of us to being able to see as far as the horizon on the pacific ocean. That night we stayed at one of our favorite campgrounds to date, which was located directly on the beach in Westport, CA. We were given the campsite directly next to the beach so two steps from the RV we were standing in sand. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening wandering the beach, watching the waves crash in before making dinner and planning our route south to the Bay area.
Next up ……. An amazing coastal drive, hockey game & northern California’s largest city!
