Adventures in Redwood National and State Parks (National Parks Trip #3)

This post represents another installment in the series documenting our West Coast National Parks trip in the summer of 2017.  Alan and I, along with our 18 year old daughter, Kyra, logged a total of 8,513 memorable miles of adventure over the course of five and a half weeks during the months of July and August.

As I’ve noted in the past, this National Parks trip was intended to be a “sampler” trip – as were our two previous cross-country National Parks trips.  When vacations were constrained by work and school schedules, we squeezed as much sightseeing and as many experiences into our travels as possible.  The theory was that when we stumbled on a place we really enjoyed, we could always return in the future.  Our schedule allowed just two days to explore Redwood National and State Parks and the coast of southern Oregon, so we planned to pack those two days with as much adventure as we could.

Well, not THAT kind of adventure!

Following our whirlwind tour of San Francisco, we left Lake Solano County Park on the morning of Day #19 of this five and a half week trip.  Our destination that evening was the campground in Jedediah Smith State Park which is within Redwood National and State Parks (link HERE).  Redwood is an unusual park system, as it’s co-managed by the National Park Service and California State Parks.  The entire unit holds 130,000 acres of forests, rivers, prairies, and rugged coastline, including 40,000 acres of old-growth redwood forests.  It was when logging threatened those old growth forests in the early 1900’s that serious conservation efforts began.  Local chapters of the California Federation of Women’s Clubs made the first protective purchases of old-growth redwood groves, and the Save-the-Redwoods League was formed in the 1920s.  The League’s leader, Newton B. Drury, encouraged and guided the California State Parks system to protect large tracts of virgin redwood forest, and Redwood National Park was established in 1968 to protect pockets of remaining redwoods.   This cooperative effort seems to be unique, but effective, and we’re all able to enjoy the spectacular redwood forests that would have certainly been obliterated by timber harvesting had conservation efforts not been undertaken.

Tall, tall trees

On our way to what we affectionately refer to as “Jed Smith,” we stopped briefly to visit Living the Dream Ice Cream on the boardwalk in Eureka, California.  Yup, ice cream is always a treat and this was good ice cream.  But, the three of us agreed that it couldn’t hold a candle to our experience at Ampersand in Fresno (link HERE to read that post).  With less than two hours to go to Jed Smith, we jumped back in the truck and hit the road.

The waterfront - Eureka, California

Even before we arrived at our campground that evening, we experienced the magic of Redwood National and State Parks.  A number of elk were grazing alongside the road, and we considered them to be an impressive welcome committee and a harbinger of adventures to come.

The bunkhouse-style travel trailer we were using on this trip was 30’ long.  When I was researching the campgrounds in Redwood National and State Parks, I found that we were too big to fit in most and at the upper end of the limit for Jedediah Smith State Park – leaving only a smattering of decent campsites.  I really wanted to snag a site in Jed Smith, due to our preference for waking up in whatever park we’re visiting.  Although we’ll camp outside the parks if we need to, our perspective is that there’s nothing better than starting our days already ensconced in the magnificent beauty of our public lands.  I was thrilled that I managed to secure an enchanting site, and Jedediah Smith State Park didn’t disappoint.  Upon our arrival, Alan deftly snaked us through the campground roads, and tucked our trailer into a gorgeous campsite beneath the towering redwoods.

The campsites at "Jed Smith" were scattered among the redwoods.

We rolled out of bed on Day #20 in excited anticipation of the day’s explorations, and headed out to hike to Hidden Beach.  Our entire family enjoys spending time at the ocean, but most of the beaches on the east coast are vastly different from those along the west coast.  Alan, Kyra and I found the many rock formations along the west coast fascinating and exceptionally photogenic.  Hidden Beach provided our first truly personal connection to the Pacific Ocean on this trip, and we stayed to enjoy its beauty for quite a while.  There is something about the ocean that can soothe the most tattered of souls.

We all enjoyed the view and the solitude at Hidden Beach.

From Hidden Beach, it was on to Fern Canyon, and a hike up Home Creek through the narrow canyon formed by towering rock walls covered with ferns.  The ancestry of some species of ferns found here can be traced back 325 million years.  So, it seems appropriate that a couple of scenes in the movie, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” were filmed here.  Fern Canyon was an amazing hike in an almost other-worldly section of the park.  Visitors should be aware that a timed-entry system is currently in place for Fern Canyon, to protect the canyon and enhance the experience of visitors.  From May 15^th through September 15^th, you’ll need to obtain a (free) parking reservation to access the Gold Bluffs Beach/Fern Canyon parking area.  Be aware that the road to the parking area, Davison Road, is a narrow, winding gravel road, and low clearance vehicles are not recommended due to two possible stream crossings.  For additional information on Fern Canyon, link HERE.

It does kinda sorta feel like dinosaurs might be just around the bend, doesn't it?

Also on the day’s itinerary was the Newton B. Drury Scenic Drive, named after the aforementioned leader of the Save-the-Redwoods League.  We had timed our visit for early evening, hoping that one of the seven resident herds of Roosevelt Elk in the park might be out and about.  The Roosevelt Elk is the largest of six recognized subspecies of elk in North America, and they are, indeed, awe-inspiring.  We lucked out during our drive, and spent a good deal of time simply watching these magnificent animals graze.

More elk!

We closed out our first day in Redwood National and State Parks with our first ocean sunset of the trip.  A short drive over to Kellogg Beach provided solitude and a stunning end to our day of grand and glorious adventures.  Nature never disappoints.

That's Kyra, capturing a photo of the sunset.

Back at our campsite under the towering redwoods in Jedediah Smith State Park, we settled in for a good night’s sleep in anticipation of the next day’s adventures – a hike through Stout Grove and a drive up the Oregon coast.  I hope you’ll join us!