Humboldt Redwood California State Park

September 11, 2019

In the early 1900s, loggers came to what is now Humboldt Redwoods State Park to cut down lofty ancient redwoods for grape stakes and shingles. The founders of Save the Redwoods League thought that was akin to “chopping up a grandfather clock for kindling.” From the acquisition of a single grove in 1921, the League has raised millions of dollars to build and expand this park. Today Humboldt Redwoods spans 53,000 acres, an area almost twice the size of San Francisco. About one third, or 17,000 acres, of the park is old-growth redwood forest—the largest expanse of ancient redwoods left on the planet.

The Humboldt Redwoods State Park visitor center is between Weott and Myer’s Flat on the Avenue of the Giants, 17119 Avenue of the Giants, Weott, CA 95571.

The visitor center offers a wide variety of fun and educational exhibits and activities, including a theatre, displays, a bookstore, and the famous Kellogg Travel Log

the world’s first RV, carved out of a fallen log and driven cross-country four times. Bird-caller Charles Kellogg promoted redwoods conservation and the fledgling Save the Redwoods League in his unique motor home.  Auto Tour brochures are available at either end of the Avenue of the Giants and at the visitor center.

This park offers one of the best places to see redwoods by car in the entire North Coast region: the 32-mile-long Avenue of the Giants. (40.3524862, -123.9238863) Good stops along the way include Founder’s Grove, with its fallen 362-foot Dyerville Giant.

Founders Grove Nature Trail Loop
(40.3524862, -123.9238863)

Founders Tree 5th tallest tree, 346.3
(40.3519200, -123.9238900)

Dyerville Giant 362 ft tall and was considered the tallest tree in the park before its fall in 1991. The redwood’s crash to the ground moved the earth so much that it registered on a nearby seismograph and one local, who heard the impact from half a mile away, thought a train had crashed. Today you can walk the whole length of the tree and stand in awe of its massive root system beautifully on display.

Dyerville Giant Facts: 362 ft. in height 17 ft. diameter 52 ft. circumference Possibly 2,000 years old. (40.3525270, -123.9238610)

Rockefeller Redwood Forest and Bull Creek Watershed

Big Tree Day Use Parking
(40.350429. -123.991922

Big Tree Loop Trail is a east 0.6 mile loop across Bull Creek from the parking area.

Flat Iron Tree fell in 1995
(40.349638, -123.992937)

Giant Tree 363ft
(40.349694, -123.991489)

The Tall Tree trail is located just west of the parking area.

Tall Tree 359.3ft
(40.351241, -123.992697

Immortal Tree
(40.4169353, -123.9672958)

Though not the oldest redwood in the forest, this large tree is over 950 years old, and is currently around 250 ft (76 m) tall, though originally it was much taller.

It has survived not only the ravages of time but also the 1964 flood of the area, a 1908 attempt at logging, and a direct lighting strike which removed the top 45 feet (14 m) of the tree (making its original height close to 300 ft). It is from its age and the perceived hardiness to the fates that the tree derives its name. Markers are visible on the tree,

denoting the heights of where the loggers’ axes

and the floodwaters struck the tree.

Situated in the northern half of the Avenue, The Immortal Tree is easy to find, and has a large gift shop and parking area in front of it.

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