California Redwoods Camping Trip

I recently got back from a wonderful trip to the Redwoods.  If you've never been, I *highly* recommend it.  It's just unreal.

As an Oregonian, I thought I knew trees.  I thought I'd seen big trees.  And I have, it's not like Douglas Firs and Ponderosa Pines are tiny, but I had no idea.  Walking through the towering Redwoods make you feel so small. So insignificant.

We rented a cabin in Prairie Creek (California) State Park, Elk Prairie Campground.  This isn't a campground blog but I'm going to delve into it a bit.  It was a great cabin. It had two bunk beds, double size on the bottom, twin size on top. This is similar to cabins and yurts that we've stayed in in Oregon State Parks.  It was a really nice campground.  The tent and camper sites were deeper into the woods, the cabins were on the edge of a meadow.  I would have liked to be more IN the woods, but whatever, that's neither here nor there.  It was also reasonably priced at $100/night.  That's more than Oregon State Parks, but it's also in the National Park so I thought it was reasonable. There was nothing else inside the cabin, ones we've stayed in in Oregon have had a table and chairs, this one did not.  It did have a fake fireplace heater which came in handy!  The campground did have showers but the setup was really weird and didn't really have space to get dressed after showering without getting wet.  **Shrug** Most people don't have to deal with putting on socks so they can put on their leg brace with their shoes so if you're just putting on shorts or a dress and sandals, you'll be ok.

Not the best angle, but here was our cabin. You can also see the bear locker to store your food in, we just kept ours in the cabin.

Here was the view above the meadow one morning:

We also saw some elk chilling in the prairie:

We stayed pretty far back *like you're supposed to* but some people got much closer. They're crazy and reckless and not respecting the wildlife.

According to California State Parks, there are 75 miles of trails within the park.  We did not do 75 miles of hiking.  The park info doesn't say, but there were several trails that are handicap/wheelchair accessible.  I love it. I believe everyone should have access to our National Parks.

The first hike we did was Cathedral Trees Trail. It's listed as "moderate" and 1.4 miles. It connected to Foothill Trail (2.2 miles, accessible).  It starts out near "The Big Tree" which is a super original name and not even the biggest tree, but whatever.

I didn't take a picture of *every* tree in the forest, but it felt like it.  The problem is that there is just no way to capture the size of these things. Even if there's a person in the photo for scale, it's still just impossible to really gauge the magnitude.

Redwoods actually don't have very deep roots because they get so much moisture from the fog.  

Here's ya girl, inside a tree. Or cluster of trees. It's so big the outer sides don't even show here. It had been hollowed out by fire.  Redwoods are amazing trees. They are incredibly resilient and their bark is essentially fireproof.  This allows many of them to survive fires. They also survive when, say, people cut through them so they can drive through.  We didn't see any of those and despite the novelty, it makes me sad that the tree has been injured.

If you are a podcast listener (or if you're not--start with this one!) I *highly* recommend "Ologies". I have learned so much about so many different topics. I find myself caring about things I didn't know I'd care about.  Anyways, my most favorite episode ever is Dendrology--trees. Alie Ward, the host, interviews Oregon dendrologist Casey Clapp and it's just so freakin' fascinating!  The spend some time talking about Redwoods/Giant Sequoias and how unique they are, including their fire resistance and their growth from saplings. I'm guessing (I'm not the dendrologist) that the trees that I am "inside" of in the above photo was multiple trees because redwoods can grow from shoots that the tree sends out.

The next day we were tourists and went up the road to Trees of Mystery. According to their website, there is like a mile and half of trails. We walked up the trail to the gondola and rode it up the side of the hill (website says 1570 feet up). From the top we could see the ocean, though it was foggy so you wouldn't really know that's what you're looking at:

We rode the gondola back down (did not hike down, though that is an option. It's one mile of "rugged terrain") and walked through the Trail of Tall Tales. Different folks have carved out characters from different tall tales. Here's "Stumpy Wood". Heh.

After that we drove back south and hiked Lady Bird Johnson Grove.  It's a 1.5 mile loop that starts off slow in terms of big tree viewing. I admit, I was a tad disappointed. But not for long! It gets into the big trees and again, one feels tiny and humbled and overwhelmed.

Sarah is in this pic so there's some scale.

This panoramic shot also includes Sarah for scale. Definitely check out this hike if you're in the park.

Here we are inside a burnt (but still very much living!) tree.  She is the person that introduced me to hiking. I'm so grateful for her persistence in getting me outdoors. It's also been our 4th summer camping together and despite living across the state from each other, I'm so glad we still have this tradition. We are already planning next summer's trip!

We also drove up Cal-Barrow Road. It's a 3 mile dead end road near the campground.  It would be a great, strenuous-at-times hike if one were so inclined.  Maybe next time. But it was a GORGEOUS drive. It winds through dense redwoods, it was spectacular.

The last day of our vacation we headed back north and stopped in Jedediah State Park where we re-visited the Leiffer-Ellsworth Loop Trail. A 2.6 mile meander through a large grove of trees.

Again, if you've never been to the Redwoods I highly suggest you go. It is (for me, at least) a spiritual experience. I kept thinking of the hymn we often sing in church, "It Is Well With My Soul". When I am in these woods, amongst these ancient giants, all truly is well with my soul.