Founders' Grove

Length 1.3 mi · Climbing 20 ft

California > Southern Humboldt County > Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Founders' Grove

Background

The Founders' Grove, conveniently located just off the Avenue of the Giants, is the most-visited grove in Humboldt Redwoods and is a major North Coast redwood attraction. Sitting on a large alluvial flat at the intersection of two rivers and shielded from storms by 3000-foot-tall mountains to the west, the grove provides an ideal environment for redwoods. The grove has a open, spacious feel with huge trees growing side-by-side with much smaller trees. While this is certanly one of the most impressive groves for the sheer size of its trees, it is not as attractive as the major groves in other parks, in large part because the trees are all the same drab brown color. The ground cover is also somewhat sparse; the grove is not as lush as other locations even within Humboldt Redwoods and can start to look somewhat dry in late summer. In the winter, however, the ground cover is an attractive and unusually dense layer of redwood sorrel that looks a lot like a plush carpet, which is in turn covered with a sparse layer of ferns.

The grove's appearance varies a lot depending on the season. Summers are unusually hot and dry for a redwood forest and by the end of summer the grove is rather dry and dull-looking.The grove is more attractive in winter, when the redwood sorrel ground cover is a dense, plush carpet.

Unfortunately, a major four-lane highway runs alongside the grove and a constant roar of high-speed traffic fills the grove. The Avenue of the Giants runs through the center of the grove and adds its own traffic noise. If you visit before about 8:00 am, the traffic is much more subdued and it is a little easier to appreciate the remarkable beauty of this place.

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Hike description

Three loop trails run through the Founders' Grove.

The Founders' Grove loop is a half-mile-long trail that begins at the parking lot. At the near end of the loop is the Founders' Tree; at the far end is the now-fallen Dyerville Giant.

A connecting trail leads from the Founders' loop to the less-visited but still impressive Mahan Plaque loop. The Mahan Plaque itself marks the location where several exceptionally large trees were cut in a logging operation that would have destroyed the entire grove, had Laura and James Mahan not seen the damage and taken steps to preserve the grove.

Founders' Grove

Three trails, all unmarked, branch off from the Mahan loop. Going clockwise around the loop, the first trail begins at a short triangular post and connects the Founders' Grove to the rest of Humboldt Redwoods' trail network. The redwoods end almost immediately on this unexceptional trail as it climbs to a cut above highway 101. The other two trails both lead to the Avenue of the Giants.

Across the Avenue of the Giants from the Founders' Loop is another, short loop trail. Although it has no trailhead marker to indicate its name, it is an official trail and is called the Goosepen Loop on the official park map. Although the forest looks much the same as on the Founders' Loop, highway 101 runs immediately adjacent to the trail on a high berm. In the shadow of the barren berm, the forest seems rather dark and depressing. For this reason, this loop is not included in the recommended hike.

Founders' Grove