A new team of outdoor professionals in Northern California has rated the ten most notable trees in Redwood National and State Parks, home of the world’s tallest living things. The list comes from Redwood Coast Parks, which officially launches this month in Orick, California.
“No private organization has more experience in Redwood Country,” said Redwood Coast Parks chief Richard Stenger, a former national park ranger spearheading the group. “We work with naturalists, arborists, equestrian experts, representing generations of people who have lived and worked around Redwood National Park.”
The RCP team ranked the trees based on visitor feedback, visual aesthetics and scientific value. For more information, maps, photos, trail tips and nearby lodging, visit: https://RedwoodCoastParks.com
1. Iluvatar
This monster, one of the most massive trees in the world, with more than 200 trunks and stems, graced the cover and eight-page centerfold of National Geographic Magazine in its feature on the super trees of Redwood National and State Parks. It resides in the Atlas Grove in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
2. Nugget
Once the tallest known tree, this ex-champ in Redwood National Park could retake the crown someday. It’s the second fastest growing redwood on record. The tree has plenty of elevated company in Tall Trees Grove along Redwood Creek near Orick. Several neighbors are among the world’s ten tallest trees.
3. Corkscrew Tree
This photogenic oddity featuring four trunks knitted together poses a botanical mystery. Some think it a cathedral tree with a fairy ring gone wild. Others suspect that several coast redwoods grew around a tree of a different species that later died and decayed. In either case, explorers of all ages find its twisting nooks irresistible.
4. Klamath Tour Thru Tree
Only three living drive thru trees remain, all along Highway 101 on Northern California’s Redwood Coast. The newest and least visited one offers the most pristine natural setting. It stands atop a small private hill surrounded by Redwood National Park. Craftsmen who carved the tree’s cavity avoided essential living wood, safeguarding its health.
5. Stout Tree
The largest redwood in Stout Grove, a forest at the confluence of two wild and scenic rivers in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, features distinctive rippled bark and a wooden viewing platform to protect its roots and provide wheelchair access.
6. Big Tree
This old growth giant lives up to its name, having a circumference of 68 feet. Estimated at 1,500 years in age, the tree is just off the Newton Drury Scenic Parkway near the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Visitor Center.
7. Sir Isaac Newton Tree
A former American Forests national points champion and one of the largest recorded redwoods, this tree in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park has an unmistakable burl that makes it stand out among the other giants along the Prairie Creek Trail.
8. Horse Goose Pen
Guided horse rides from the Orick rodeo grounds go into Redwood National Park and stop at this unusual tree with a large natural cave, a so-called goose pen, for an unforgettable selfie.
9. Eternal Spring Tree
This redwood has a hole in the cambium from which water constantly flows. It’s in the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, a popular mountainside forest in Redwood National Park.
10. Hyperion
The tallest of three trillion trees on the planet lords over Redwood National Park from a secluded hillside near Redwood Creek. Park rangers keep its location secret to discourage foot traffic. Fortunately, the few trekkers who find the 380-footer tend to respect low-impact hiking protocols.
ABOUT RCP
Redwood Coast Parks, a group of professional redwood adventurers, is based in Orick, California, the central town in Redwood National Park. It’s a project of the Northern Humboldt Lodging Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to sharing the wonders of the Redwood Coast. More @ https://RedwoodCoastParks.com.
