Redwood National Park
We had three fabulous days in Redwood National Park/State Parks. We hiked over 16 miles on the trails, saw elk and a lot of gorgeous redwoods. This was the first time we have been here and we had an outstanding time.
Thursday 9/28/23
We had spent the night at Elk Spring Casino and woke up to the sound of the Pacific Ocean and an elk walking in the meadow next to us. We didn't see much of the ocean because there was fog. We were on the road by 9:30. Larry drove for 31 miles but it took about an hour because Redwood highway was a curvy road through the forest and along the coastline. During the drive we had to stop because of road construction. They were working on a bridge and removing trees and other debris off the highway. I felt sorry for the workers because it was foggy and damp. No complaints because the drive was beautiful.
Pacific Ocean
Our next destination was Redwood National Park and State Parks for three nights. Redwood National Park was establish in 1968. It's unique because it is joined with three state parks, where they're cooperatively managed. The complex has 139,000 acres, the four parks protect 45 percent of the remaining coastal redwoods.
While at the park we stayed at Elk Prairie Campground. On the way to the campground we stopped at The Big Tree area and walked around. The parking area was very small but we were early so we had no problem parking the Minnie. The Big Tree was about .25 mile up a paved trail. There was a beautiful canopy of trees right before the tree. It was huge (height 286ft, diameter 23.7ft, circumference 74.5ft and estimated age 1500 years). A lady asked Larry to take her picture because the tree was too big for a selfie. Another couple was there and we took their pictures. Afterwards the lady showed Larry how to do panorama pictures to capture the whole tree. There were other short trails at the area. One goes to bigger trees. It was amazing to look at all the trees.
Standing under the Big Tree
When Larry checked in at the campground he told the ranger that he had a senior pass but had not been able to figure out how to use it when he made the reservation via the website, she said no problem and changed the charge to half price. She said it happens all the time. We found our site with no problem. The sites are very small and we barely fit. We had the perfect site because the water faucet and trash was right there and the restroom and showers were just down the road a couple of sites. They also have an elk viewing area. They did have wifi at the check in booth, it was a ways away but we did walk up there to check e-mail and the weather.
Campground sign
After setting up the Minnie we had lunch. Then we went on a 4 mile hike. We walked to the visitor center using the trail. It was .9 mile there. As we were hiking there we hiked the Revelation Loop (.3 mile), where we saw tall redwoods. When we got to visitor center we walked through it, it was small so it didn't take long. Then we hiked the Elk Prairie Trail (1.6 miles), it took us through the forest and along the road. We had a super hike.
Prairie Trail
I finished reading Death of an Archbishop. It was an excellent book about the life of a French priest in America during the 1800s. While reading the novel I learned a lot about the hardship the missionaries and people in the west went through during that era. Larry chose me another book, which was The Road to Bittersweet by Donna Everhart.
After dinner we walked around for a bit and went to the elk viewing area. We didn't see any elk today. I ended up doing 16,000 steps.
Friday 9/29/23
It drizzled on and off all day but it didn't stop us from hiking. After breakfast we went on a 5.6 mile hike. We started from the Minnie and hiked to the visitor center. On the way there we walked by the cabins, where we saw a covey of quail. They didn't fly away they just walked fast. We walked through a tunnel that went under the road, where we picked up Elk Prairie trail (1.6 mile). As we hiked Elk Prairie trail we saw a couple of deer. We hiked Elk Prairie to Cathedral trail (1.4 mile), which took us to the Big Tree. From there we hiked Karl Knapp trail (4.1 mile) but we only hiked part of it to a Nature trail. About a half mile into the Nature trail we got to a creek, they had removed the bridge for the season so we couldn't cross because it was too deep. We turned around and went back. We hiked the trail back to the campground. The hike was through Redwood Forest and was outstanding. We saw a few people hiking the trails. The creek was very nice. The trees were huge and amazing. Some of the fallen trees in the forest are called nurse trees because they have other trees and plants growing on them. This was beautiful to see. There were a couple of places where we had to climb up a steep hill. This got our hearts pumping. By the time we got to the top we had to rest to catch our breath. Some of the tree roots were out of the ground and formed a little cave. This was neat to see. Some of the trees appeared dead at the bottom but the tops were still growing and others had other trees growing from them. We saw a lot of trees in groups, which did look like a cathedral. It drizzled while we were hiking but we couldn’t tell in the trees. We hiked under a tree a couple of time. Instead of removing a fallen tree from the trail they cut a hole big enough for you to hike through it. How cool is that. We had an outstanding hike.
Quail at the cabins
One of the trees roots
A cathedral of trees
Walking through a tree
After the hike we relaxed with a book.
After dinner we went back to the viewing area so Larry could check his e-mail and the weather. We saw a bull elk by the employee building so walked closer to it. He was all by himself and was beautiful. After taking pictures we headed back to the Minnie. Larry saw a telephone booth with a phone so he took a picture of me using it. I ended up doing 18,000 steps for the day.
Using the phone
A bull elk
Saturday 9/30/23
It continued to drizzle through the night but by 7:00 it was gone. After breakfast we went on a 6 mile hike. Today we hiked Davidson Trail (2.8 miles). We started at the campground and took the main road to the trailhead where we saw a couple of bull elks grazing. We walked a little closer to get a better look and picture. They kept an eye on us when they thought we were getting too close they walked off. What was weird was there was a car and they didn’t pay any attention to it. Then we continued our hike. The trail was down a road so it was wide. The road went through the forest, where it had been logged and had second growth trees. They’re not as wide as the old growth but they were beautiful. The road went for miles and miles. We only hiked it for two miles to Elk Meadow, where there were picnic tables We didn’t walk down the road to the area because we would have to hike it back up. This is where we turned around and went back the way we came. During the hike we hiked by a beautiful house with a great backyard. It had a high fence around the yard so the elk won’t get in it. We did see another a bull elk grazing around the fence. Further down the road we saw a couple of huge metal buildings, that had been used for automotive stuff because we saw the remains of an old lift. It looks like it been used to store part of the old road. There were some culverts there so we rested on them on the way back. After our rest we continued down the road. We saw a herd of elk in a parking area off the highway. It looked like they were enjoying the sun. When we got back to beginning of the trail we took a short trail back to the Minnie. We had a super hike.
Two bulls
Old metal building
Last night I finished reading Road To Bittersweet. It was a great book, it took place in 1940. It was about a family’s hardship after a flood came through and took everything they had and they survived it and how it changed their lives. Then I chose another book called Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls.
After dinner we went back to the elk viewing area and checked our e-mail and the weather. Afterwards we walked around the campground. I ended up doing 20,000 steps for the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I would love to hear friendly comments on anything at all. Ruth