Believe it or not, our first trip to Redwood National Park ended in tears. But when we returned, it was for the experience of a lifetime.
After our wonderful Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park adventure the week before, we were stoked for more fun in the forest! February, after all, was turning into the month of fun Fridays! Online, Kent and I had discovered one place we wanted to go above all others: the Tall Trees Grove in Redwood National Park.
The Tall Trees Grove is remote: deep in the heart of this out of the way national park. Distance from the coastal highway protects this hidden gem from tourism. Kind of a shame – because it’s so incredible. But good news for a couple of quiet folks desiring some quality, contemplative time in the forest!
It was the perfect destination, and we had the perfect set-up. We were going to run all the way to Tall Trees alongside Redwood Creek!
So we set off super early on another one of our fun Friday dates, drove through a misty morning to the trailhead and started to run!
This trail was beautiful in a brand new way. It was much more open than our trails in nearby Prairie Creek, where we’d run deep in the forest. Here, the trail was right beside the creek on a grassy bank. The forest was close beside us on the flanks of a hill, but not close enough to block out views of the sky.
Progress was quick on this flat, smooth path. Easy, breezy, beautiful singletrack! It meandered through the long grass, into a few pretty groves of trees and then…into the river.
Yes, our trail led directly down into the rushing Redwood Creek. The water was crystal clear, so we had a good idea of how much water we’d be getting ourselves into if we went on. It wasn’t all deep, and there were gravel shoals near the center. But the winter river was wide, and sure to be icy. We’d have to wade, and with an air temperature hovering around zero, we would be in for a shock! It might be a shock we couldn’t recover from on this midwinter day, so it seemed like our journey was at an end.
Kent accepted reality faster than I did. I simply refused to believe that this was it, and I clomped around through the bush for many minutes, looking for a better line across. There I came across a large pile of uniform wooden boards. Hand on my shoulder, Kent told me he’d read about a temporary summer bridge. We’d found it, only it was in pieces and this wasn’t summer.
Although it was easy to make a new plan (Prairie Creek was just around the corner!), I was heartbroken. I felt like I’d betrayed the Tall Trees I’d so badly wanted to see. Frozen and frustrated, I cried salty tears as we ran back to the car.
Luckily, this is not the end of our Redwood National Park story. That day, I recharged with animal crackers and went on to have a great run. And a few days later, we seized an opportunity to return. Turns out that with a special permit, you can drive (almost) to Tall Trees Grove!
We drove slowly up a winding, scenic road high above Redwood Creek. After a while, we turned onto a gravel road. Closing a locked gate behind us, it definitely felt like we were getting off the beaten path! However, we weren’t alone: there were other cars in the tiny lot.
The trail down to the Tall Trees Grove was a treat right from the start. Although named after a particular area, the whole forest is full of massive, ancient redwoods. These were definitely some of the biggest we’ve seen. As the trail switchbacks led us further down into the forest, we were gasping around each corner.
We’d done running drills earlier in the day, so this wasn’t a workout. In fact, we hiked rather than ran. This turned out to be the perfect tempo for this trail. It gave us time to appreciate each individual stand of trees. We spent time getting to know several individuals. Sometimes it was a unique twist in that thick bark that caught my eye. Sometimes it was a burl, or a clearing that allowed me to see all the way up to the crown if I craned my neck!
It seemed that it couldn’t get any better. But when we reached the riverside, we saw why this particular grove is so special. The Tall Trees Grove truly is home to some unbelievably tall trees. Tall, thick and charismatic. We peeked out at the Emerald Mile, then simply sat down in the forest to simply be there and absorb it all.
The few folks we encountered in the grove seemed to share our sense of reverential awe. Wide, toothy smiles were exchanged rather than words, to preserve the silence.
After our sit, we wandered slowly around the loop in meditative silence. It was as though I’d found my temple, here in the forest. The canopies of the trees formed a cathedral ceiling that filtered all other hues but green. The lighting was ethereal, illuminating the captivating, long-lived beings that give this grove its name.
It was very hard to leave those tall trees. I had to walk backwards at first. But for the return journey back up the ridge, I put my camera away. I just looked, touched, and breathed in what they breathed out. This time in Redwood National Park, I was completely at peace.
Another one for your bucket list. Come see coast redwoods in their very own national park. More information on Redwood National Park is here – so you can start planning! And plan more national park adventures in the US with us, right here!
