From the Rogue River Valley, we headed a bit to the southwest and back into Northern California east of the town of Crescent City. There we explored the old-growth redwood forest of the region. These weren’t the first big trees that we had seen on our travels. We had walked among the Giant Sequoias back in Yosemite. The Redwoods are taller, but the Sequoias have more volume. The tallest Redwood presently identified is 379 feet tall. It is hard to do justice to these majestic trees in pictures, but here are a couple of shots that give some perspective to their massive and soaring beauty.
Most of these larger old-growth trees are in the range of 600 to 2,000 years old. They generally span from San Francisco north to Southern Oregon a few miles inland from the Pacific where the climate is cool and wet. Many of the old-growth Redwoods were cut down and used to build California cities such as San Francisco. Scotty’s Castle back in Death Valley used Redwood beams and planks in its construction.
Most of the remaining old-growth forests of Redwoods now are protected in Federal and State lands. Highway 199 as it passes through the Redwoods is curved around many of the giant trees in order to preserve them. One tree in particular was so close to the road that it had been “notched” in order to give vehicles just a bit more room. We also enjoyed all the ferns that are growing in the cool most environment below all these tall trees.
We visited here last summer and loved it.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is hard to capture the magnitude of these huge trees in pictures.
Sometimes, you just have to go there.
Great pictures! We also really liked that area when we visited last year. They are amazing trees. We haven't made it yet to Yosemite but have seen the Sequoias. They are really spectacular sights.
ReplyDeleteBeing from the East, I had only heard of redwoods and seen photos, but I was totally unprepared for our visit to Muir Woods and the size and age of the trees.
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