Northern California Redwoods - Hiking Jedediah Smith Redwoods

Boy Scout Tree Trail - Jedediah Smith Redwoods

We had the opportunity to take several hikes in Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park while on our trip to Southern Oregon. No matter where you go in this area of California, you are going to see some spectacular trees and other plants of the redwood habitats. In a matter of minutes, you can be on the trail, hiking along the forest floor, bordered by ferns and wildflowers. There is always a bird singing somewhere in the forest and since you feel as if you are all alone you realize it is singing for your enjoyment.

Look up there at those redwoods....in the sky...practically.

There is no chance of missing these ancient trees when are right there hiking under them. On some places along the trail you can reach out and touch the soft fibrous bark. In other places you have to literally climb under or through downed redwoods. This is the best way to get to know these quiet giants. 

Looking down wasn't so bad either...these are monkeyflowers.

When all around you are tall redwoods, it is easy to forget to look down and notice the floor of the forest with its carpets of Redwood sorel and other colorful wildflowers.

Red Clintonia - Amazing!

I love this flower! We actually stopped and just enjoyed the color of the bloom and as we stood there another couple came along and wanted to photograph the flower since it was new to them. I was so glad that I had read my field guide before we hiked to refresh my memory with some of the flowers we would more than likely see. I was able to share the name of the flower which is always fun.



We saw lots of downed trees that appear to be melting into the forest floor. Even in their death, these trees provide a living habitat for other growing things.



Like these False Lily of the Valley plants.....isn't it great how the forest just fills in when a tree falls?



Fern Falls was found at the end of one of our hikes....time to just stop and drink it all in. Time for a nature journal for me and climbing up to the top of the falls and then out on the log for Mr. A. It was hard to tear ourselves away to make the hike back. It was an awesome hike. (Fern Falls is at the end of the Boy Scout Tree Trail.)

If you venture to Redwood National Park in Northern California, don't miss driving Howland Hill Drive. Even if you just take the drive and don't get out of the car, roll your windows down and enjoy the scenic road winding around the redwoods.



There is also a lovely river that runs through the park. Here is the Smith River in all its glory. A few years ago we camped right next to the Smith River at Panther Flat....quiet campground with nice spots for tents.



There is no shortage of hikes to try in Jedediah Smith Redwoods. We drove down Walker Road all the way to the end and then got out to walk along the river. I love the poppies sprouting in the river rocks. It was a fine way to end our stay at the redwoods part of our trip.

Hope you enjoyed my Oregon/Redwoods series. We certainly had a wonderful, wonderful time getting out and spending time as a family in the wide open outdoors hiking and camping.
Oregon Tidepools 
Oregon Coast Hiking

Speaking of wide open....my boys and I are going to heading out again soon to another part of the west, Grand Teton National Park. You can be sure we will share those experiences as well.

Barb- Harmony Art Mom

Magnificent Redwoods - Closer Look and a Nature Journal Entry

There are three kinds of redwood trees: Coast redwoods, Dawn redwoods, and Giant sequoias. I have two of the three in my neighborhood. We have a sequoia in our backyard and there is a small grove of redwoods planted across the street at the school. We stopped last week to take a closer look at the redwood while we were out on a walk.

The bark of the redwood is spongy and in the photo above you can see how you can peel the bark in strand-like fibers. This tree is such an amazing creation and our family has found delight in learning the details of the life-cycle of this tree.



Here is an excerpt from the Save the Redwoods League website:
"The coast redwood is one of the world’s fastest growing conifers. In contrast to the tree’s size, redwood cones are very small — only about an inch long. Each cone contains 14 to 24 tiny seeds: It would take well over 100,000 seeds to weigh a pound! In good conditions, redwood seedlings grow rapidly, sometimes more than a foot annually. Young trees also sprout from their parent's roots, taking advantage of the energy and nutrient reserves contained within the established, shallow root system."



Isn't this just amazing to see? I grew up with a Coast Redwood in my backyard but I don't ever remember noticing this part of the growth cycle before. I love the way a more regular nature study has opened our eyes to the wonderful things right in our own neighborhood. Trees seem to become just part of the landscape unless we slow down for a closer look. I feel like a poet sometimes when we are looking at trees....words just seem to spill out.  You cannot stand under one of these mammoth trees and not have a whole string of adjectives come to mind.



We are going to do some more research on the way the redwood will regenerate and I am sure this study will continue when we take our camping trip to coast of Northern California later this summer, a trip we have taken before but we are all eager to do again. A whole forest of redwoods is an experience to treasure. 


Here I am last summer (2010) at Humbolt Redwoods in Northern California.
Does that give you an idea of how tall these trees are in real life?



I am trying to be more disciplined about adding to my nature journal regularly. It isn't so much that I don't want to take the time but rather that I always spend way more time than expected doing research, reading field guides, and then getting lost in joy of the actual journaling time. Even the simple task of sketching a small twig from the redwood into my nature journal brought into focus some special attributes that a casual glance could not reveal. I have been enjoying adding some photos to my entries and find that the combination of sketching, writing, and adding a photo brings me a great sense of satisfaction.

We have had a really busy week so the small square activity and our mammal study have been postponed. Guess who we will be learning about for our winter mammal study? Mr. Fox Squirrel!

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Redwood Dreams

After we left the Oregon coast and the wonderful tidepools, we headed south back down into California and to the redwood forests. We stayed two days near Redwood National Park and then inland to Humboldt Redwoods. Both places were refreshing and awe inspiring. I know that many of you dream of seeing the big trees and I hope you get to in real life someday. It is worth the effort and the dreaming.

In the meantime, I will give a little glimpse into our few days there this time around.

The majesty of these trees has inspired many before us. I spent some time this trip meditating on the men and women who dedicated parts of their lives to saving these forests and their ancient giants. Many of these trees have been alive since at least the time of Christ....that gives you something to think about as you walk alongside these living things so tall they make your neck hurt to look up at them.


One person that I learned about on this trip was John D. Rockefeller. He played a huge part in saving thousands of acres of these trees at a time that it was crucial. These trees were being cut down for a growing nation's hunger for timber. He was invited to visit these groves of trees early in the 20th century and he immediately jumped in with a million dollars to purchase great forests of the redwood trees. He donated another million later on and saved many more. Today you can walk through the Rockefeller Redwood Forest and see many of these ancient giants up close because of efforts of the Save the Redwoods League and others.


I prayed a silent prayer first to our Grand Creator thanking him for these unique and special trees. Noting their qualities and their beauty and how they so wonderfully tell us of God's qualities and beauty. Then a prayer of thanks to having created us with the ability to appreciate these trees and forests. Lastly for those that have appreciated and loved the forests before us, keeping them safe for our families to enjoy.



These forests just seem to make you want to seek a little solitude as you hike, even my energetic teens are struck with their awesomeness.


But boys will be boys and they tend to want to climb up on the fallen trees to get a new perspective on the scene.


Hiking in the redwoods is quiet because the trails are softened with "duff" which makes a matted forest floor. It is spongy and easy to walk on with little dust. I find it very enjoyable and your eyes are free to take in the contrasts of light and dark of the forest. The sky is bright above but under the canopy of the trees it is sometimes quite dark. This is the stuff that storybooks are filled with...lots of interesting sounds, smells, and curious sights.

We took a drive one of our days to a place that we had never ventured to before...the Lost Coast of California. What a day!


Leaving the dense forest and heading down into the coastal valleys was an awesome experience. The road was crazy with potholes, narrow sections, crazy curves, steep ups and downs, and wild drivers.


We stopped at several spots along the way to take in the view and snap a few photos. Here is my oldest son setting up his photo with the redwoods, the rolling hills, and the ocean in the distance.


Here is one of his photos from the day's trip along the Lost Coast. Amazing color in the water. We spent the whole day exploring and taking in this unique place in California.....a little off the beaten path. We had a picnic lunch along and stopped in a little town called Petrolia to sit at a picnic table and enjoy our afternoon.

There is so much to write about but at the sake of turning this into a travel journal, I will finish here. If you have any questions about anything I have shared in this post, please feel free to email me for more details.

I hope this gives you a glimpse into our time in the redwoods and along the redwood coast. Keep dreaming your redwood dreams.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

More info on the Lost Coast Drive
More about the Save the Redwoods League and Rockefeller


My favorite hiking guide book to the redwoods.


My favorite picture book for the redwoods.

Various Tree Musings

Magnolia trunk

Birch trunk

Oak trunk

I realized as the weekend went by that I have started noticing tree trunks and how they are all so different. Someone mentioned this in a post and if I remember who it was, I will link to her. She was talking about how she wonders why we always color a tree trunk and branches brown when they are nearly all some other color. I thought this was interesting and ever since reading her thoughts I have been fascinated by the different colors and textures of tree trunks.

Our trip to Oregon gave us some good tree memories. Here are a couple of photos and thoughts to go along with them.

Here is one of the tallest trees in the world, if not the tallest. Apparently, the tallest tree changes from time to time and I couldn't find any solid evidence online to point to this particular tree but we will just say it is one of the top ten tallest trees in the world. Most of the tallest trees are found in Northern California among the redwoods. (Giant sequoias have more mass but are not taller.) I enjoyed the tree no matter how tall it was and just standing at its base, I was humbled. My thoughts turned to how long it has been growing and all the things that have changed in the world since it was a seedling.

This beautiful madrone tree in Oregon caught my eye. I wish now that I had taken a few extra steps to really examine and photograph the color of its bark in light of my current thoughts on trunk colors.


How about this beauty of an oak along the Rogue River in Oregon? It was just perfect for gathering acorns under and for a little shade on a warm autumn day. There were plenty of blackberries still waiting to be picked along this trail as well. We took a long walk along the river and enjoyed the solitude.

As we wind up our study of trees in the next few weeks, I am going to try to focus on the changing of the landscape due to the falling of leaves. I did notice this morning that the weekend's rainstorm had hastened the falling of many leaves. I have a better view across our little valley and can see more clearly the neighborhood because the view is not obstructed by so many leaves. It is a different landscape...changing but still pretty.

Trees seem to frame my life.

My boys have become more aware of trees these past eight weeks. Having a focus draws attention to a certain aspect of something that we see every day. My middle son takes his dog for a walk each morning and each morning he finds a special leaf to bring to me as I cook breakfast. He always has an explanation for why he picked the leaf and then lays it on the table at my spot for me to enjoy. Something so simple but it has touched me that a fifteen year old boy takes the time to focus his eyes at least for a few minutes each day on something most of us don't take the time to notice and then make it special for his tree lovin' mama.

I find myself feeling grateful for these little gifts that nature study has brought into our family's life.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Visiting Maple Tree Country: Outdoor Hour Challenge #34

Our Outdoor Hours this week were spent along the northern California Coast and southern Oregon coast. Our first stop was camping at Humboldt Redwoods (great place for camping) where most of the tallest trees in the world live. We saw ancient redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) towering overhead.

These trees are so tall and grow so densely that the forest floor is dark and quiet. It is quite the experience to hike along the trail and silently observe these magnificent trees up close.

The forest seemed to have its own atmosphere in and among the trees. The mist in some areas was high up in the canopy of the redwoods and it was dripping down on our heads as we hiked underneath.

In some parts of the redwood forest, it seemed as if the light never penetrated down to the floor and there were mushrooms and moss growing everywhere. It was like stepping back in time.

Mixed in among these forest giants are Big leaf maples. This time of year they are a brilliant yellow and orange and the leaves are *large*. My tree book says that the leaves are between 16 and 24 inches long.

Here is a leaf I saw on the ground that shows how big they are in real life.

"It is its autumn transfiguration which has made people observant of the maple's beauty; yellow, orange, crimson, and scarlet foliage makes these trees gorgeous when October comes."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 628

This leaf was on a tree in Ashland, Oregon in Lithia Park. The trees in the park were just turning colors as we walked through last weekend.

It was really cold and the air had a bite to it. We bundled up and enjoyed the walk.

After this trip along the Pacific coast, I have thought a lot about our dependence on wood from trees. We passed many areas in the forest where it had been clear cut, leaving nothing left standing to speak of. There were many, many lumber mills and great stacks of both logs and lumber.

Here is a stack of logs that we passed in the town of Eureka, CA. You cannot even imagine how tall and long these piles of logs are but this gives you an idea. It is a big reminder how useful certain trees are in our every day life. Look around you at this very moment and you will no doubt see lots of things made from wood.

I know that trees are a renewal resource but it does make you stop and think when you see so many areas clear-cut and then the piles of logs sitting at the mills. It truly is a balancing act….the love of the forest and the love of wood products.

Just a some thoughts as we travel along on this trip.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom