Today was big tree day, reserved for hiking around and seeing the giant redwoods the parks are named after and famous for. Due to a bad ankle, part of our group split off to do a variation on the less strenuous Big Tree Loop instead of the originally planned West Ridge loop.
Big trees near the visitor center
From the visitor center, we decided to start off in the direction of the Cathedral Trees Trail. There were a few steep areas and some branches strewn across the trail, but for the most part it was a very moderate hike that still provided very nice scenery. The trail started off with dense fields of tall grass below light tree cover. Beyond the Foothill Trail split off, we saw a slow transition from light yellow to lush green grass, to ferns and smaller trees, and finally to full fledged towering redwoods.
Trailhead starting from a wide meadow
By the time we reached the fork between Cathedral Tree Trail and Rhododendron Trail, we were seeing huge “Cathedral Trees”, redwoods growing in a circular formation. When a large redwood falls, new trees grow around the stump, forming a circle of trees. Standing in the middle of the groves, you can look up into the small speck of sky framed by the tops of the trees and imagine that you are seeing the heavens above you. Maybe that’s where the name comes from.
Cathedral tree grove
Continuing on the Cathedral Tree Trail, we encountered many more picturesque groves of trees, as well as massive fallen trees and their corresponding stumps. A bit past the one and a half mile mark, we finally reached the main feature of the day. Appropriately labeled “Big Tree” on all the park maps, the 1500 year old tree reaches a height of 304 feet and a diameter of 21.6 feet, giving it a larger footprint than some bay area apartments. A nearby sign said that in the late 1800s, some people were considering cutting down the tree to build a dance floor on the stump. It lucky that they eventually decided against it, leaving this great piece of natural history for all to enjoy.
The famed Big Tree
For the last segment of the hike, we decided to return to the visitor center via the Foothill Trail. The way back led us through a few more redwood groves, and was almost completely flat, making it almost a leisurely walk to end our redwood adventures.
Large groves on Foothill Trail
The redwood forests of northern California are vast. During our weekend there, we only had time to explore the southern part of a single park. If we come back in the future, I would definitely make it a priority to find lodgings farther north, making visits to the northernmost Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park possible. There are countless more trails to explore in the area - we’ve only scratched the surface so far!
- MC 5/27
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