That redwood trees are tall and old is not news. One of the best known of the giants in Redwood National Park (appropriately if unimaginatively named Big Tree) stands at 286 feet tall and is 1500 years old. It is neither the tallest nor the oldest among the redwoods that stretch along the Pacific Coast from Central California to Southern Oregon, however. The tallest reaches a hundred feet higher into the sky, the oldest a thousand years further back in time. Circumference is another way of measuring these behemoths. Big Tree stretches out to over 74 feet. It would take 15 Peggys to reach around it.A view looking up Big Tree.
To truly get a feeling for the size of the redwoods, one needs to go for a walk among the magnificent trees. Words and photos simply can’t capture the awe one feels. Living in Northern California and Southern Oregon, which we did before moving to Virginia, Peggy and I have been privileged to visit the Redwood National Park several times. When we were planning out our 3-month trip up the Pacific Coast, there was no question that we would visit again.
One of the easiest ways to provide perspective on size is to put a person in the photo. I volunteered.A well worn trail worked its way up between these two. I was not the first to stand there and pose.Given the size of the redwoods, one would expect to have roots digging deep into the ground to hold them up. It isn’t the case. But what they lack in depth, they make up in width, as Peggy demonstrates here. It isn’t unusual to find the base of Redwood trees burned out while the tree continues to stand and live. The spaces created have an unusual name: Goose pens. They were so large that early pioneers could fence them in and use them for animals such as geese.Peggy and I often joke about getting crooks in our necks because we spend so much time looking up when we walk through the various groves.I always like the perspective gained from shooting up from the base of a large tree.Or three.One of the most impressive walks one can take in Redwood National Park is the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail. Among America’s First Ladies, Lady Bird stood out for her environmental concern and was a strong advocate for saving the redwoods.This plaque was located in the heart of the grove. Saving the redwoods was a long, difficult process that involved the dedication of numerous people starting in the early 1900s with the formation of the Save the Redwoods League. Before 1850, there were approximately 2 million acres of coastal redwoods. California’s gold rush brought hundreds of thousands of people to California and a huge demand for lumber to build homes and commercial structures. It is a demand that has continued down through the decades. Today, only 5 percent of the old-growth coastal redwood forest remains. I confess, I am something of a tree hugger myself. This early photo from the Erickson Collection at Humboldt State College shows old growth redwoods being hauled out of the forest to the Excelsior Lumber Company in Eureka, California where they were to be sawed into lumber.In addition to saving the redwoods for present and future generations, considerable work is also being done throughout the National Park to repair damage done by the logging activities of the past. Peggy and I hiked down the Ah-Pah Trail off the Newton Drury Scenic Highway which talks about and demonstrates some of the efforts being made. This woodsy trail was once a logging road. That’s it for today. In our next post we will feature some of the strange ‘creatures’ that hang out on the trees and are worthy of a fantasy novel. There’s no preview photo this time. It will be a surprise.
20 thoughts on “A Walk among the Giants: Redwood National Park… The Pacific Coast Series #12”
Your photos are good, but I think you will agree that you have to be there to really appreciate the feeling one gets to walk among the giants. I wish everyone could experience it.
Goose pens were news to us as well, Peggy. And this was our first time on the Lady Bird Johnson trail. Our staying places for one to two weeks at a time is making a substantial difference in what we can explore.
I was surprised and pleased to see the plaque honoring Lady Bird and the designation of of a trail in her honor. More than our wildflowers profited from her efforts.
Amazing photos, Curt, and I love the perspective shots. These are amazing trees, and I feel lucky to have them in ‘our backyard.’ I’m behind on reading, so have fun wherever you may be!
Lucky indeed, Lauren. And the Redwoods are only one of the reasons when it comes to natural beauty. Laughing. We are indeed having fun. Now we are in Florence, Oregon listening to the wind shake our trailer, all snuggled in.
Wandering through Time and Place 
Your photos are good, but I think you will agree that you have to be there to really appreciate the feeling one gets to walk among the giants. I wish everyone could experience it.
Absolutely, Ray!
I love old trees, but I have never seen one this tall! And 1500 years old is crazyyyy! How wise are these trees?
Pretty darn wise, I’d say. Grin.
Such splendors we have in our country!!
And a fair part of my life has been devoted to finding, and appreciating them, G.
I hadn’t heard of the use as goose pens! The Lady Bird Johnson walk is magnificent.
Goose pens were news to us as well, Peggy. And this was our first time on the Lady Bird Johnson trail. Our staying places for one to two weeks at a time is making a substantial difference in what we can explore.
They are so magnificent! This national park was one of the very first places I visited on my very first visit to the US, back in 1974.
Alison
Wow, they’re just amazingly large! I’ve seen big trees before, but nothing like this. Someday, hopefully!
I’m sure you would love it Diana. Sequoia National Park south of Yosemite is another place to check out towering giants.
I think technically I’ve been to Sequoia, but I was 1 so I have no memory of it.
Ah, but the trees would have been even bigger then. Grin.
You wouldn’t think there’d be such a sense of peace among such giants, but it’s there. Such a beautiful place.
I was surprised and pleased to see the plaque honoring Lady Bird and the designation of of a trail in her honor. More than our wildflowers profited from her efforts.
Indeed, Linda. Her work with wildflowers is legendary. Having a wild flower center and a redwood grove named in her honor is one heck of a legacy.
Redwood forests never ever get old, even when I lived there for 7 years. Thanks for bringing us along, you guys.
It’s like going to the Grand Canyon, or Yosemite, or Death Valley, how could it ever get old!? Always glad to have you along Crystal!
Amazing photos, Curt, and I love the perspective shots. These are amazing trees, and I feel lucky to have them in ‘our backyard.’ I’m behind on reading, so have fun wherever you may be!
Lucky indeed, Lauren. And the Redwoods are only one of the reasons when it comes to natural beauty. Laughing. We are indeed having fun. Now we are in Florence, Oregon listening to the wind shake our trailer, all snuggled in.