California's Best Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

The Drive » Follow the

winding road through beautiful

inland forests with views of the

east and its layers of ridges and

valleys, until you reach Klamath

with its bear bridge. Del Norte

Coast Redwoods State Park is

just a few minutes up the road.

6 Del Norte Coast

Redwoods State Park

Marked by steep canyons

and dense woods, half

the 6400 acres of this

park (vehicle day-use $8)

are virgin redwood

forest, crisscrossed by

15 miles of hiking trails.

Even the most cynical of

redwood-watchers can’t

help but be moved. Tall

trees cling precipitously

to canyon walls that drop

to the rocky, timber-

strewn coastline. It’s

almost impossible to

get to the water, except

via gorgeous but steep

Damnation Creek Trail

or Footsteps Rock Trail.

The former may be only

4 miles long, but the

1100-ft elevation change

and cliffside redwood

makes it the park’s best

hike. The unmarked

trailhead starts from a

parking area off Hwy 101

at Mile 16.

The Drive » Leaving Del

Norte Coast Redwoods State

Park you’ll enter dreary little

Crescent City, a fine enough

place to gas up or grab a bite,

but not worth stopping long.

North of town, Hwy 199 splits

off. Take it to South Fork Rd; turn

right after crossing two bridges.

7 Jedediah Smith

Redwoods State Park

The final stop on the trip

is loaded with worthy

superlatives –

the northernmost

park has the densest

population of redwood

and the last natural

undammed, free-flowing

river in California, the

sparkling Smith. All

in all Jedediah Smith

Redwoods State Park

is a jewel. The redwood

here is so dense few

trails penetrate the park,

so instead of hiking,

drive the outstanding

11-mile Howland Hill

Scenic Drive, which

cuts through otherwise

inaccessible areas. It’s

a rough, unpaved road,

and it gets graded only

once a year in spring

and can close if there are

fallen trees or washouts,

but you’ll feel as if you’re

visiting from Lilliput

as you cruise under the

gargantuan trunks. To

spend the night, reserve

at the park’s fabulous

campground tucked

along the banks of the

Smith.

45 p131

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

Start: 5 Redwood National Park

Just north of Orick is the turn-off for the 8-mile

parkway, which runs parallel to Hwy 101 through

untouched ancient redwood forests. It’s worth the

short detour off the freeway to view the magnificence

of these trees. Numerous trails branch off from

roadside pullouts, including family- and ADA

(American Disabilities Act) -friendly trails Big Tree

and Revelation Trail.

NEWTON B DRURY

SCENIC PARKWAY

DETOUR:

NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA

10

(^) NORTHERN REDWOOD COAST