Tour of Northern CA – Redwoods (102)

After enjoying the Pacific coast in Jenner, CA for several days, we headed north and inland to the Redwoods.

Our home base was the Benbow KOA in Garberville, CA.

The KOA is next door to the historic Benbow Inn, which was built in early 1900’s.

We’ve stayed there before and enjoyed the beautiful hotel and grounds, and the afternoon tea and scones in the parlor each day.

The restaurant had opened just the day before, and we looked forward to eating on the outdoor patio. However, due to crowds, they realized they had to limit the restaurant to guests only.

However, we could still walk down to the river, which was as beautiful as ever.

The next day we went south the Richardson Grove State Park. It’s a small but beautiful park right on Highway 101, which narrows quite a bit here to maneuver through the trees. If you are in a motorhome, watch your side mirrors, as the redwoods come right up to the edge of the road!

The park has restored the original lodge which is snuggly nestled among the trees. In the 1800’s, the lodge hosted dances and other activities for locals and travelers.

The park also has a nature trail with several interesting trees.

Yes, that “branch” growing on the side of the redwood is larger than most other trees!

The Eel River runs through the Park, and is very inviting on hot summer days.

On the way back, we had to checkout The Legend of Bigfoot store.

The next few days we drove north to Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

We never tire of a leisurely drive through the Avenue of the Giants. We took a day to cover the entire route, stopping at many places to take in the view.

On one visit we hiked the Drury-Chaney Loop Trail.

It’s a beautiful 2.5 mile hike through the redwoods, among the ferns and clover.

Most plants open up their leaves to catch as much sunlight as possible. We noticed this clover would instead fold its leave when in direct sunlight.

Just north of here is town of Eureka, which has a beautiful downtown with several Victorian houses built in the late 1800’s. The nearby town of Ferndale also has similar architecture, but we didn’t stop there this trip (since most businesses were closed).

While in the area, the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge is another great place for a hike.

On our last day, we made it back to the coast, to Shelter Cove on the “lost coast”. Shelter Cove is located on a rugged coastline, with spectacular black sand beaches and beautiful vistas.

This cove is where the fisherman put their boats in the water. Notice the blanket of fog just above the beach.

We stopped at the nearby lighthouse and went down to the beach to explore the tide pools,

Watch your step as the bluff are not very stable.

In addition to the tide pools, we saw many seals on the rocks, enjoying the sun.

Before leaving, we visited the black sand beach. Beautiful!

After a long stay in the redwoods, it was time to leave the area and conclude our tour of Northern California in the wine country.

Al & Deb