Well, not quite north to Alaska but we are headed north up Hwy 101 through California's Crescent City in the sixth leg of our "Enormous Evergreen" trip. After stopping at the must-see Trees of Mystery, and less than 20 miles further up 101, you'll come to the town of Crescent City. While not as beautiful as the forests that surround the town, its claim to fame seems to be the tsunami that struck the town in 1964. Follow 101 through town and veer east onto Route 199.
You will get your last view of the giant California Redwoods at Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park. The park is named after the intrepid explorer, Jedediah Strong Smith who was the first white man to explore the interior of Northern California. The park was formally established in 1929, and is bisected by the last major free flowing river in California, the Smith River. Since this is a journey through the trees, you will find a diverse selection here. Conifers other than redwoods include western hemlock, Sitka spruce, grand and Douglas fir, as well as the less common Port Orford cedar. Primary examples of understory trees include tanoak, madrone, red alder, big leaf and vine maples, and California Bay.
The seventh edition (and up-coming blog) to this incredible trip will move us further north into Oregon's water and tree-filled southern region.
