hand-hewn redwood
buildings. In the native
plant garden you’ll find
species for making
traditional baskets and
medicines. The 2-mile Rim
Trail, a former Yurok trail
around the bluffs, circles
the point with access
to huge rocky outcrops.
Don’t miss Wedding
Rock, one of the park’s
most romantic spots, or
Agate Beach where lucky
visitors find bits of jade
and sea-polished agate.4 p131
The Drive » Make your way
back out to Hwy 101 through
thick stands of redwoods. North
another 5 minutes will bring
you to the sudden clearing of
Big Lagoon, part of Humboldt
Lagoons State Park. Continue
just a minute for the visitors
center.4 Humboldt
Lagoons State Park
Stretching out for
miles along the coast,
Humboldt Lagoons has
long, sandy beaches
and a string of coastal
lagoons. Big Lagoon and
prettier Stone Lagoon
are both excellent for
kayaking and bird-
watching. Sunsets are
spectacular, with no
structures in sight. The
Stone Lagoon Visitor
Center, on Hwy 101, has
closed due to staffing
shortages, but there’s
a toilet and a bulletin
board displaying
information. Just south
of Stone Lagoon, tiny
Dry Lagoon (a freshwater
marsh) has a fantastic
day hike. Park at Dry
Lagoon’s picnic area
and hike north on theunmarked trail to Stone
Lagoon; the trail skirts
the southwestern shore
and ends up at the ocean,
passing through woods
and marshland rich with
wildlife. Mostly flat, it’s
about 2.5 miles one way –
and nobody takes it
because it’s unmarked.4 p131
The Drive » Now, at
last, you’ll start to lose all
perspective among the world’s
tallest trees. This is likely the
most scenic part of the entire
trip; you’ll emerge from curvy
two-lane roads through redwood
groves to stunning mist-
shrouded shores dotted with
rocky islets.5 Redwood
National Park
Heading north, Redwood
National Park is the first
park in the patchwork ofTRIP HIGHLIGHTGIANT TREES
With lots of kitsch mid-century appeal, the following destinations are a throwback
to those bygone days of the great American road trip.
Trees of Mystery (www.treesofmystery.net; 15500 Hwy 101; adult/child & senior $14/7;
h8am-7pm Jun-Aug, 9am-4pm Sep-May; c) It’s hard to miss the giant statues of Paul
Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox towering over the parking lot at this shameless, if
lovable, tourist trap. It has gondola running through the redwood canopy and, if
you come on summer weekends, the lumberjack giant even cracks wise at tourists
wandering in from the parking lot.
Chandelier Drive Thru Tree (www.drivethrutree.com; 67402 Drive Thru Tree Road, Leggett;
$5 per car, h8:30am-9pm; c) Fold in your mirrors and inch forward, then cool off in
the überkitsch gift shop.
Shrine Drive-Thru Tree ($3/6 walk/drive through; 13078 Avenue of the Giants, Myers Flat;
hsunrise-sunset; c) Look up to the sky as you roll through, on the Ave of the Giants
in Myers Flat. Though it’s the least impressive of the three, it’s a necessary stop for
the drive-through trifecta.
Tour-Thru Tree (430 Highway 169, Klamath; hsunrise-sunset; c) Squeeze through a
tree and check out an emu.NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA10
(^) NORTHERN REDWOOD COAST