Redwood National ParkHome of the world's tallest treeCalifornia > Redwood National and State Parks
The Redwood Creek Valley, seen from the Redwood Creek Overlook Redwood National and State Parks has four units: Prairie Creek, Del Norte, and Jedediah Smith State Parks, and Redwood National Park. The name "Redwood National Park" is often used to refer to all four units together, but officially it refers to the Redwood National Park unit and does not include the state parks. This page is about the Redwood National Park unit. The three state parks were acquired beginning in the 1920s, when this area was still minimally affected by logging. By the time Redwood National Park was acquired beginning in the 1960s, most of the really spectacular old growth had either been logged or purchased for the state parks. What's more, environmental regulations mostly prevent new trails from being constructed in pristine old growth. As a result, most of the park's trails pass either through small remnant patches of old growth, through second growth, or through areas that lack redwoods altogether. On the other hand, the park does has much more of a wilderness feel than the state parks. While the state park trails often run within earshot of busy roads, many of Redwood National Park's trails have no traffic noise whatsoever and few other hikers. Providing a wilderness experience was in fact one of the goals of establishing the park, and in that regard the park has been very successful. The main body of Redwood National Park is a huge swath of the Redwood Creek basin at the south end of the park. This basin includes one of the park's best-known features, the Tall Trees Grove. In this grove is the Libbey Tree, which in the 1960s was, at 368 feet tall, the world's tallest known tree. Taller trees were later found in other parks, but in 2006 the Redwood Creek basin once again became the site of the record holder when the 379-foot-tall "Hyperion" tree was discovered. Hyperion's location is kept secret since even slight root damage from visitors would likely result in its top dying off; however, the tree is likely to be within a few miles of the Tall Trees Grove, possibly in the Tom McDonald Creek valley.
The Lost Man Creek Trail The Orick Horse TrailsWest of Redwood Creek and south of the town of Orick is an extensive network of equestrian trails. The northern half of this trail network, between the Orick trailhead and Elam Camp, has been minimally affected by logging and contains endless miles of singletrack trail through attractive alder groves, with a few small patches of old-growth redwoods that are surprisingly nice. The network's southern half, between Elam Camp and the Tall Trees Grove, still has some enjoyable singletrack but is mostly made up of monotonous logging roads through dismal second-growth redwoods. Throughout the area, the horse trails are mostly in good condition and easy to hike, but a few are faint. In places it's easy to get lost since there are intersections with other logging roads that aren't shown on most trail maps, and the trails are usually signed only with a horse icon and an arrow, not the name of the trail. A GPS receiver is really useful here. I wouldn't recommend the Orick Horse Trails for first-time visitors to Redwood National Park, especially for those who come mainly to see the big trees. However, if you want to see another side of the park, check out the Ridge or McArthur Loop trails, or the old-growth redwood grove above Elam Camp.
Old growth on the Orick Horse Trail Old-growth redwood hikes
*** Emerald Ridge and Tall Trees (length 5.5 miles; climbing 700 feet) *** The Lady Bird Johnson Grove Nature Trail (length 1.4 miles; climbing 100 feet) *** The Coastal Trail, Flint Ridge Section (length 9.5 miles; climbing 1520 feet) *** The Trillium Falls Trail (length 2.8 miles; climbing 440 feet) *** The Tall Trees Grove (length 3.9 miles; climbing 690 feet)
Lupine blooms on Bald Hills Road Other hikes
*** The Dolason Prairie Trail (length 10.4 miles; climbing 2490 feet) ** The Redwood Creek Trail ** The McArthur Creek Loop (length 14.1 miles; climbing 1400 feet) * The Lost Man Creek Trail (length 22.0 miles; climbing 3100 feet) * The Lyons Ranch Trail (length 3.5 miles; climbing 550 feet) * The Mill Creek Horse Trail (length 10.4 miles; climbing 1970 feet) Getting to Redwood National Park
Except for the equestrian trails, all trailheads in the Redwood Creek basin are off Bald Hills Road. From Arcata, drive north on Highway 101 about 40 miles. Just north of the run-down little town of Orick is the well-marked Bald Hills Road / Lady Bird Johnson Grove turnoff. Kuchel Visitor Center, on the beach just south of Orick, serves as the main visitor center for Redwood National and State Parks. It's open from 9 am - 5 pm except in winter (November - February), when it's open from 9 am - 4 pm. There's no charge to visit Redwood National Park, but the Tall Trees grove requires a permit from Kuchel Visitor Center. Lodging and Restaurants
For recommended lodging and restaurants, see the Redwood National and State Parks page.
© 2007-9 David Baselt |
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