Trixie Navarre

I remember the first time I read about the Redwood National Park in elementary school, and how even back then I felt that traveler’s pull that I often speak about. I can still recall those photos of the giant ancient redwoods, and as a child I was struck by their enormous size and peaceful energy.

I begged my parents to go considering we did live in Southern California, but anything past San Francisco was not considered a vacation. Decades later I eventually made it to the redwoods with my own daughter, and it was an extraordinary experience for all of us. It was magical, and better than I had ever expected.

The redwood forest is one of the most meaningful places on Earth as it contains some of the oldest, and tallest trees in the world. This ancient coastal redwood forest in Northern California is a surviving remnant of a population of trees, which existed for 160 million years. These tree types were once found in many of the moist temperate regions on Earth, but can now only be found on the west coast of North America.

The Redwood National Park has been protecting this ancient rain forest since 1968, when the land of uncut growth near Orick, CA had been secured. Ten years later in 1978, 10,000 more acres had been purchased from the U.S. Government to add to the national park. The forests were in need of protection due to extensive logging, that had begun in the 1850s during the gold mining days. When the redwood forests became a national park, only 5% of the old growth redwood trees remained on private property.

The Redwood National and State Park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 to further protect this global treasure. The criterion for this designation, according to the UNESCO site- “Redwood National and State Parks comprise a region of coastal mountains bordering the Pacific Ocean. It is covered with a magnificent forest of Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), the tallest living things and among the most impressive trees in the world. Several of the world’s tallest known trees grow within the property.”

Exploring the redwood forest was a magical experience, and was more than I thought it would be. The massive redwoods, which can live up to 2,000 years old, were majestic and powerful. Even the foliage and ferns were giant, we all felt so little while walking the paths of this ancient forest.

We spent about a week in the area; exploring fern canyon, the coastal area, and several redwood forests. The trip was unforgettable, and to this day it has been one of our favorite family vacations.

For visiting information, please visit – Redwood National and State Park

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Memories made together last a lifetime…

– Anonymous

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