Redwood National Park |
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Midway between San Francisco, California, and Portland, Oregon, Redwood National Park and the contiguous California state parks protect the remaining uncut groves of the tallest trees in the world, the coastal redwoods. Mature redwoods are more than 500 years old, and the oldest of the trees are documented to be 2,000 years old. They are among the longest-living organisms on Earth. Aside from the redwood groves, the park includes diverse ecosystems of evergreen forests, fast-flowing rivers and streams, and dramatic beaches. So a visitor might see a black bear, bald eagles, and sea stars in a single day. The park is also home to herds of Roosevelt elk. Although the elk were once on the verge of extinction, they have been brought back and successfully reintroduced in recent decades. Today the elk are among the most commonly seen of the large wildlife.
But the biggest draw of this park is, of course, the trees. Trails through the redwood groves lead visitors to scenes of quiet wonder. Those who walk through the forest in the early morning are treated to a dramatic theatre of light and shadow and ever-changing shades of green, as long beams of sunlight filter through the trees. On days of light or medium fog, the forest becomes a dreamscape of incredible mystery and beauty, changing subtly throughout the day. In heavy fog, you might feel like you've been transported to another time or another planet, and many movies with such settings have been filmed here.
Redwood National Park has no campgrounds but there is a youth hostel in the park. The nearby state parks offer campsites, and U.S. Route 101 passes through the park it from north to south. Current Internet Travel Offers for Redwood NP...
This article is based on work found at WikiTravel. A list of contributors is available a the original article. This article is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license.
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