OTG Ben
New Member
We were in the throes of what would qualify as an average winter in Northern California. But after 10+ years of severe drought, it seems that most of us have forgotten what a normal winter feels like. It means significant amounts of snow in the mountains, and numerous winter storms delivering healthy amounts of rainfall and snow. After four months of what seemed like rain every other day, I was getting antsy to get out, but as is typical in March, all of the high elevation trails were buried under deep snow, and I wasn't in the mood to consider making the 8-10 hour drive to the SoCal deserts. So where does one go? Well, if you hug the coastal corridor, even well into Oregon, the chances of running into snow are rather minimal unless you really begin to climb high up in elevation. I'd also had relatively good luck in terms of catching mild and dry weather when visiting the coast in the North State (North Staters are quick to let you know that what we refer to as Northern California, should really be called Central Cal and they are the true Northern Californians!). It would still be a 6-7 hour drive from the North Bay to Crescent City, but at least the drive home would only be about 3 hours from the Mendocino Coast-- so it was off to the Redwood Coast we go.
Redwood Coast Adventure Trail
The RedCAT is a 470+ mile route that visits some of the crown jewels of the Redwood Coast, along with many lesser known and visited areas, like the dirt backroads of Humboldt and Mendocino County. Most folks end up burning nearly all pavement when visiting the Redwood Coast, naive to the fact that much of the travel can in fact be done on dirt. The track travels from north to south, beginning in Crescent City, and ends near the quaint seaside village of Mendocino. The vast majority of the roads can be easily traveled in an AWD vehicle, but there are a few sections through the Smith River and Hoopa Tribal lands where the ride is more pleasant in a 4x4, or AWD with aftermarket suspension-- but there's nothing remotely technical on this track.
The 472 Mile Redwood Coast Adventure Trail
Make the Drive to Humboldt
The plan was to meet a small group of folks in Crescent City on Wednesday morning. I decided to head out Tuesday afternoon and make the 4-5 hour drive up to northern Humboldt County, specifically Big Lagoon County Park and Campground. The nice thing about Humboldt County Parks, is they have no reservation system, so everything is first come first serve. We were able to secure a couple of sites for the group, and settled into camp with a nice campfire and tasty cervezas to fight the cold, damp, Humboldt climate. Now, if you get a chance to visit the Redwood Coast, I highly recommend trying to camp at least one night at Big Lagoon. While the campground itself isn't anything too special (the lagoon and beach are rather nice, but the campground itself could use a little TLC), it's the campground host, Dude who makes the visit worthwhile. With a birthname of Dude W______, and raised on a hippie commune in Washington State, I'm not sure there's anyone more Humboldt County than Dude, who refers to himself as either the OG Dude or Original Dude. Dude Lives in a small 8x12 shack with his feline friends, and enjoys making instruments out of driftwood that he's found at the nearby beach.
Dude's humble abode. You can see him hanging out by the fire in his camp chair.
Dude, spreading the gospel of positivity!
Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Smith River NRA, Prairie Creek Redwoods
We'd kick off things with a bang by jumping right into the thick of it. After meeting the group at Sea Quake Brewery, we made a beeline to Howland Hill Road. Howland Hill is an 8 mile dirt road that passes through the ancient redwood forest, featuring some of the tallest, and largest trees on earth. This would be my 5th or so time driving Howland Hill, but I could feel the buzz of energy in our small convoy as we slowly moved through the ancient forest. We'd make a stop along the way to hike the newly complated Grove of Titans boardwalk trail, that leads to the Grove of Titans, featuring some of the largest coast redwoods on earth, like Lost Monarch and Del Norte Titan.
These giants make Big Blue (Ram 3500) appear small!
Screaming Titans, one of many impressive Redwoods featured along the Grove of Titans trail.
Fun Fact
Did you know that big tree hunters now believe that coast redwoods exceed the size of their cousins, the giant sequoia and can live up to 4,000 years old? Big tree hunters like Mario Vaden and Dr Stephen Sillett of Cal Poly Humboldt are still making new discoveries that rival the size of giant sequoias, but have decided to keep the locations of these trees secret to prevent would-be big tree hunters from romping through and damaging these delicate ecosystems. The National Register of Champion Trees uses a points system that's based on this Formula: Trunk Circumference (in inches) + Height (in feet) + 1/4 Average Crown Spread (in feet) = Total Points
With over 3000 growth rings, it's believe this monster tree is believed to be over 4,000 years old. With its 40' wide truck, it's achieved 1359 points, compared to General Sherman's 1321 points. Recent scientific studies also indicate that General Sherman is NOT a single-stem/trunk tree, which would pretty much invalidate any record breaking claims. For folks interested in learning more about big trees, I'd recommend check out Mario Vaden's website and also researching the Crannell Creek Giant, an absolutely massive tree that was significantly larger than any known tree of today.
This massive redwood is thought to be 4,000 years old, and has achieved an impressive 1359 points, eclipsing the 1321 points of General Sherman.
Photo credit: Mario Vaden
From Howland Hill, I'd take the group one of my favorite locations in the North State-- Forks of Smith. I'm always amazed that this place is overlooked by folks who visit the surrounding Redwood parks. Named after the two forks of the Smith River that converge into the main fork, the Forks of Smith can be reached by a short 5 minute hike from parking lot, and it's always a highlight whenever I get a chance to introduce the Forks to new folks. From the Forks, we'd burn a quick 15-20 mile loop into the mountains of Smith River NRA, taking in the views of the Pacific several thousand feet below us. We'd head south along the pavement of highway 101 making a quick stop at Trees of Mystery for quick photo op with Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox (they also have a fantastic sky trail through the forest canopy). From Trees of Mystery, it was off to Prairie Creek Redwoods. We'd begin with the quick gravel loop along Coastal Drive that features fantastic views of the coastline and the Klamath River mouth. If you're lucky, you may even catch members of the local Yurok tribe spearfishing or smoking salmon along the banks of the mighty Klamath. We'd finish things off by heading to Gold Bluffs Beach, where we'd smartly secured reservations in advanced. As far as developed campgrounds go, Gold Bluffs is easily one of my favorite. The cliffs draped in emerald evergreens is an impressive site to behold against the rugged northern California coastline. The weather was perfect at Gold Bluff's beach, with temps in the mid to high 50s, with barely a breeze. Perfect flannel weather if you ask me! We'd settle into camp, not realizing that we'd be in for quite a surprise the following day as we'd make our way into the mountains.
The boys were mesmerized by the Smith River's clear and turquoise waters.
Coast Drive
It seems that Paul is proud of his rather impressive chest beard! And Babe may have the biggest man-sac on earth!
Looking back at camp from Gold Bluffs Beach
Redwood Coast Adventure Trail
The RedCAT is a 470+ mile route that visits some of the crown jewels of the Redwood Coast, along with many lesser known and visited areas, like the dirt backroads of Humboldt and Mendocino County. Most folks end up burning nearly all pavement when visiting the Redwood Coast, naive to the fact that much of the travel can in fact be done on dirt. The track travels from north to south, beginning in Crescent City, and ends near the quaint seaside village of Mendocino. The vast majority of the roads can be easily traveled in an AWD vehicle, but there are a few sections through the Smith River and Hoopa Tribal lands where the ride is more pleasant in a 4x4, or AWD with aftermarket suspension-- but there's nothing remotely technical on this track.
The 472 Mile Redwood Coast Adventure Trail
Make the Drive to Humboldt
The plan was to meet a small group of folks in Crescent City on Wednesday morning. I decided to head out Tuesday afternoon and make the 4-5 hour drive up to northern Humboldt County, specifically Big Lagoon County Park and Campground. The nice thing about Humboldt County Parks, is they have no reservation system, so everything is first come first serve. We were able to secure a couple of sites for the group, and settled into camp with a nice campfire and tasty cervezas to fight the cold, damp, Humboldt climate. Now, if you get a chance to visit the Redwood Coast, I highly recommend trying to camp at least one night at Big Lagoon. While the campground itself isn't anything too special (the lagoon and beach are rather nice, but the campground itself could use a little TLC), it's the campground host, Dude who makes the visit worthwhile. With a birthname of Dude W______, and raised on a hippie commune in Washington State, I'm not sure there's anyone more Humboldt County than Dude, who refers to himself as either the OG Dude or Original Dude. Dude Lives in a small 8x12 shack with his feline friends, and enjoys making instruments out of driftwood that he's found at the nearby beach.
Dude's humble abode. You can see him hanging out by the fire in his camp chair.
Dude, spreading the gospel of positivity!
Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Smith River NRA, Prairie Creek Redwoods
We'd kick off things with a bang by jumping right into the thick of it. After meeting the group at Sea Quake Brewery, we made a beeline to Howland Hill Road. Howland Hill is an 8 mile dirt road that passes through the ancient redwood forest, featuring some of the tallest, and largest trees on earth. This would be my 5th or so time driving Howland Hill, but I could feel the buzz of energy in our small convoy as we slowly moved through the ancient forest. We'd make a stop along the way to hike the newly complated Grove of Titans boardwalk trail, that leads to the Grove of Titans, featuring some of the largest coast redwoods on earth, like Lost Monarch and Del Norte Titan.
These giants make Big Blue (Ram 3500) appear small!
Screaming Titans, one of many impressive Redwoods featured along the Grove of Titans trail.
Fun Fact
Did you know that big tree hunters now believe that coast redwoods exceed the size of their cousins, the giant sequoia and can live up to 4,000 years old? Big tree hunters like Mario Vaden and Dr Stephen Sillett of Cal Poly Humboldt are still making new discoveries that rival the size of giant sequoias, but have decided to keep the locations of these trees secret to prevent would-be big tree hunters from romping through and damaging these delicate ecosystems. The National Register of Champion Trees uses a points system that's based on this Formula: Trunk Circumference (in inches) + Height (in feet) + 1/4 Average Crown Spread (in feet) = Total Points
With over 3000 growth rings, it's believe this monster tree is believed to be over 4,000 years old. With its 40' wide truck, it's achieved 1359 points, compared to General Sherman's 1321 points. Recent scientific studies also indicate that General Sherman is NOT a single-stem/trunk tree, which would pretty much invalidate any record breaking claims. For folks interested in learning more about big trees, I'd recommend check out Mario Vaden's website and also researching the Crannell Creek Giant, an absolutely massive tree that was significantly larger than any known tree of today.
This massive redwood is thought to be 4,000 years old, and has achieved an impressive 1359 points, eclipsing the 1321 points of General Sherman.
Photo credit: Mario Vaden
From Howland Hill, I'd take the group one of my favorite locations in the North State-- Forks of Smith. I'm always amazed that this place is overlooked by folks who visit the surrounding Redwood parks. Named after the two forks of the Smith River that converge into the main fork, the Forks of Smith can be reached by a short 5 minute hike from parking lot, and it's always a highlight whenever I get a chance to introduce the Forks to new folks. From the Forks, we'd burn a quick 15-20 mile loop into the mountains of Smith River NRA, taking in the views of the Pacific several thousand feet below us. We'd head south along the pavement of highway 101 making a quick stop at Trees of Mystery for quick photo op with Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox (they also have a fantastic sky trail through the forest canopy). From Trees of Mystery, it was off to Prairie Creek Redwoods. We'd begin with the quick gravel loop along Coastal Drive that features fantastic views of the coastline and the Klamath River mouth. If you're lucky, you may even catch members of the local Yurok tribe spearfishing or smoking salmon along the banks of the mighty Klamath. We'd finish things off by heading to Gold Bluffs Beach, where we'd smartly secured reservations in advanced. As far as developed campgrounds go, Gold Bluffs is easily one of my favorite. The cliffs draped in emerald evergreens is an impressive site to behold against the rugged northern California coastline. The weather was perfect at Gold Bluff's beach, with temps in the mid to high 50s, with barely a breeze. Perfect flannel weather if you ask me! We'd settle into camp, not realizing that we'd be in for quite a surprise the following day as we'd make our way into the mountains.
The boys were mesmerized by the Smith River's clear and turquoise waters.
Coast Drive
It seems that Paul is proud of his rather impressive chest beard! And Babe may have the biggest man-sac on earth!
Looking back at camp from Gold Bluffs Beach
! From that country and when I retired, I almost moved back, but the high deserts and mountains here in the Great Basin around Susanville won out in the end-but I still do miss those foggy days on some beach or rocky bluff watching the sun dive into the Pacific!
