Redwood Forest- Part 1

Our next adventure took us to the coast of Northern California. For three days we explored the coast and the beautiful Redwood Forests that surround it.
View Larger MapInstead of starting our tour from the top or the bottom (which would have made sense) we started from the middle. Early one morning, not so long ago, we left the warm beds in the Trinity Area and headed west. But as you've probably noticed, we can't just take the easy route (you miss way to much), so we found some back roads. If your interested and have the time this is the road I recommend:

• Coming from Redding take the Hwy 299 along the Trinity River to Willow Creek.
• Continue following the river up Hwy 96 to Weitchpec.
• Start up Hwy 169, but turn left shortly and cross Martins Ferry Bridge to Bald Hills Road.
• Bald Hills Road goes straight into the backside of the Redwoods.
  View Larger Map

What a beautiful drive: from the small towns and rivers off of the Highways, to the bridges and gorges, to the beautiful foliage and views up into the mountain, and the erie fog as you approach the coast. It does take sometime, but the journey is half the adventure!
Right off Bald Hills road we made our first stop to view the majesty of the gigantic redwoods at Lady Bird Johnson Grove. Here there is a one mile loop trail, with great informational plaques and brochures, we just took a quick look, but still loved the peaceful calm that surrounds the area.

Bald Hills Road ends into Hwy 101. We stopped just south for a quick lunch in Orick, and then headed into the Redwoods. There are hiking trails and side roads throughout. For those drivers out there, I recommend taking Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. There is a great little visitors center with informative displays and free maps! (Check it out at: http://www.nps.gov/redw/. Throughout Prairie Creek there are plenty of hiking trails, many that head to the coast. But this time we took the drive. Now if you want a bit more adventure, your car can handle it, and you've still got some daylight left, then take the Coastal Drive off of the scenic parkway. It loops up and meets with Hwy 101 after some good, narrow dirt roads. We started our drive a bit late and lost all light about half way through. When the fog rolls in and the visibility goes down to a few feet, it becomes the perfect setting for a horror story. (We could hear the ocean, but only saw blackness.) But no horror here, just some adventurous driving. (We did do the drive again the next morning to check out the beautiful coastal view)!We made it to Kalamath that night and settled down at the Ravenwood A Motel, http://www.ravenwoodmotel.com/. With charmingly decorated rooms, friendly, informative owners, a comforting environment, and good prices we highly recommend this great motel.

That's all we could fit into one day, so stop by later this week to read about Part 2 of our Redwood Adventure!