500 Miles On the Redwood Coast (Northern California)

[OTG_1]

We were in the throes of what would qualify as an average winter in Northern California. But after 10+ years of severe drought, it seems that most of us have forgotten what a normal winter feels like. It means significant amounts of snow in the mountains, and numerous winter storms delivering healthy amounts of rainfall and snow. After four months of what seemed like rain every other day, I was getting antsy to get out, but as is typical in March, all of the high elevation trails were buried under deep snow, and I wasn't in the mood to consider making the 8-10 hour drive to the SoCal deserts. So where does one go? Well, if you hug the coastal corridor, even well into Oregon, the chances of running into snow are rather minimal unless you really begin to climb high up in elevation. I'd also had relatively good luck in terms of catching mild and dry weather when visiting the coast in the North State (North Staters are quick to let you know that what we refer to as Northern California, should really be called Central Cal and they are the true Northern Californians!). It would still be a 6-7 hour drive from the North Bay to Crescent City, but at least the drive home would only be about 3 hours from the Mendocino Coast-- so it was off to the Redwood Coast we go.

Redwood Coast Adventure Trail
The RedCAT is a 470+ mile route that visits some of the crown jewels of the Redwood Coast, along with many lesser known and visited areas, like the dirt backroads of Humboldt and Mendocino County. Most folks end up burning nearly all pavement when visiting the Redwood Coast, naive to the fact that much of the travel can in fact be done on dirt. The track travels from north to south, beginning in Crescent City, and ends near the quaint seaside village of Mendocino. The vast majority of the roads can be easily traveled in an AWD vehicle, but there are a few sections through the Smith River and Hoopa Tribal lands where the ride is more pleasant in a 4x4, or AWD with aftermarket suspension-- but there's nothing remotely technical on this track.



The 472 Mile Redwood Coast Adventure Trail

You can also catch our trip on the Youtubes

Make the Drive to Humboldt
The plan was to meet a small group of folks in Crescent City on Wednesday morning. I decided to head out Tuesday afternoon and make the 4-5 hour drive up to northern Humboldt County, specifically Big Lagoon County Park and Campground. The nice thing about Humboldt County Parks, is they have no reservation system, so everything is first come first serve. We were able to secure a couple of sites for the group, and settled into camp with a nice campfire and tasty cervezas to fight the cold, damp, Humboldt climate. Now, if you get a chance to visit the Redwood Coast, I highly recommend trying to camp at least one night at Big Lagoon. While the campground itself isn't anything too special (the lagoon and beach are rather nice, but the campground itself could use a little TLC), it's the campground host, Dude who makes the visit worthwhile. With a birthname of Dude W______, and raised on a hippie commune in Washington State, I'm not sure there's anyone more Humboldt County than Dude, who refers to himself as either the OG Dude or Original Dude. Dude Lives in a small 8x12 shack with his feline friends, and enjoys making instruments out of driftwood that he's found at the nearby beach.



Dude's humble abode. You can see him hanging out by the fire in his camp chair.


Dude, spreading the gospel of positivity!


Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Smith River NRA, Prairie Creek Redwoods
We'd kick off things with a bang by jumping right into the thick of it. After meeting the group at Sea Quake Brewery, we made a beeline to Howland Hill Road. Howland Hill is an 8 mile dirt road that passes through the ancient redwood forest, featuring some of the tallest, and largest trees on earth. This would be my 5th or so time driving Howland Hill, but I could feel the buzz of energy in our small convoy as we slowly moved through the ancient forest. We'd make a stop along the way to hike the newly complated Grove of Titans boardwalk trail, that leads to the Grove of Titans, featuring some of the largest coast redwoods on earth, like Lost Monarch and Del Norte Titan.


These giants make Big Blue (Ram 3500) appear small!


Screaming Titans, one of many impressive Redwoods featured along the Grove of Titans trail.

Fun Fact
Did you know that big tree hunters now believe that coast redwoods exceed the size of their cousins, the giant sequoia and can live up to 4,000 years old? Big tree hunters like Mario Vaden and Dr Stephen Sillett of Cal Poly Humboldt are still making new discoveries that rival the size of giant sequoias, but have decided to keep the locations of these trees secret to prevent would-be big tree hunters from romping through and damaging these delicate ecosystems. The National Register of Champion Trees uses a points system that's based on this Formula: Trunk Circumference (in inches) + Height (in feet) + 1/4 Average Crown Spread (in feet) = Total Points
With over 3000 growth rings, it's believe this monster tree is believed to be over 4,000 years old. With its 40' wide truck, it's achieved 1359 points, compared to General Sherman's 1321 points. Recent scientific studies also indicate that General Sherman is NOT a single-stem/trunk tree, which would pretty much invalidate any record breaking claims. For folks interested in learning more about big trees, I'd recommend check out Mario Vaden's website and also researching the Crannell Creek Giant, an absolutely massive tree that was significantly larger than any known tree of today.


This massive redwood is thought to be 4,000 years old, and has achieved an impressive 1359 points, eclipsing the 1321 points of General Sherman.
Photo credit: Mario Vaden


From Howland Hill, I'd take the group one of my favorite locations in the North State-- Forks of Smith. I'm always amazed that this place is overlooked by folks who visit the surrounding Redwood parks. Named after the two forks of the Smith River that converge into the main fork, the Forks of Smith can be reached by a short 5 minute hike from parking lot, and it's always a highlight whenever I get a chance to introduce the Forks to new folks. From the Forks, we'd burn a quick 15-20 mile loop into the mountains of Smith River NRA, taking in the views of the Pacific several thousand feet below us. We'd head south along the pavement of highway 101 making a quick stop at Trees of Mystery for quick photo op with Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox (they also have a fantastic sky trail through the forest canopy). From Trees of Mystery, it was off to Prairie Creek Redwoods. We'd begin with the quick gravel loop along Coastal Drive that features fantastic views of the coastline and the Klamath River mouth. If you're lucky, you may even catch members of the local Yurok tribe spearfishing or smoking salmon along the banks of the mighty Klamath. We'd finish things off by heading to Gold Bluffs Beach, where we'd smartly secured reservations in advanced. As far as developed campgrounds go, Gold Bluffs is easily one of my favorite. The cliffs draped in emerald evergreens is an impressive site to behold against the rugged northern California coastline. The weather was perfect at Gold Bluff's beach, with temps in the mid to high 50s, with barely a breeze. Perfect flannel weather if you ask me! We'd settle into camp, not realizing that we'd be in for quite a surprise the following day as we'd make our way into the mountains.


The boys were mesmerized by the Smith River's clear and turquoise waters.


Coast Drive


It seems that Paul is proud of his rather impressive chest beard! And Babe may have the biggest man-sac on earth!


Looking back at camp from Gold Bluffs Beach

 

[OTG_1]

Day 2: Elk Hers, Redwood NP, Hoopa Tribal Lands, snowdrifts and deadfall
Now I'm not sure what it is, but every time I stay at Gold Bluffs beach the weathers seems to be perfect. We awoke to the crashing sound of the surf and blue skies. We begrudgingly packed up camp, ready to hit the trail once again. The first order of business would be to track down one of the local elk herds, which turned out to be quite a bit easier than expected. Just as we crested the hill leaving Gold Bluffs Beach behind us, one of the herds was congregating at one of the many elk viewing areas in Redwood National and State Parks. We made a quick 10 minute stop, keeping a safe distance so as not to disturb any of the elk. It's a shame that so many folks feel that wildlife are simply there to entertain us, failing to give these magnificent beasts the respect and space they deserve. We'd make a quick trip to Big Tree (around a 1.5 mile hike), before making our way into the backroads of Humboldt County.

Remember those seldom driven backroads I'd mentioned in the original post? That would be a big part of day 2. First, we'd head up Bald Hills Road, which used to be mostly dirt, but has since been mostly paved over. Once you get near Schoolhouse Peak, the pavement gives way to dirt. These high elevation prairies are largely the work of hundreds of years of forest management by local tribes like the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa peoples, who used "good fire" to keep the meadows open. The meadows thrived with biodiversity, and attracted large out of the forest, like Elk. We'd make a stop at Schoolhouse Fire Lookout for lunch, and make the short hike to the top-- man was it windy!
From Schoolhouse Peak, we'd push on and into Hoopa Tribal Lands. Things started out simple enough, with the occasional encounter of deadfall (typically less than 4" here and there), that was quickly handled by my trust 18" electric chainsaw. As we started to climb higher, the frequency and size of deadfall began to increase. And what should have been recognized as a rather ominous sign (an abandoned and shot up car sat at the intersection of our next turn), would lead to more deadfall, and then snowdrifts! We ran into a decently sized downed tree, that we'd try to move across the trail with my winch, except the line was dragging the tree further into the bed of the dirt road. The tree was also in a rather precarious position, hanging off the steep bench of the road. I was concerned after making a cut, the section would allow the tree to slide down the bench, potentially injuring anyone in the vicinity (ie me who was doing all the chainsaw work). After an hour or so, we managed to cut the tree into smaller sections and clear the trail. And that's when we hit the snow!

I was aware there was some minimal snow on the Hoopa Tribal lands as I'd check the NOAA snowdepth layer prior to heading out on the trip. The most recent storm was a cold one that had dumped snow down as low as 3,000' along some of the coastal mountains. Since we were mostly softroading, and still covering a decent amount of pavement in between dirt segments, I was fully aired up. The first bits of snow we easy, but then it got deeper, and deeper, and I managed to get Big Blue stuck, and she nearly slide off the side of the trail. One of the guys secured Big Blue's rear bumper, I aired her down, and was able to get her back on track. After airing down, driving through the snow become a breeze, except the snow only got deeper, and there was more deadfall ahead. Recognizing that we were only 3 miles at most from our turnoff to camp, I was intent on pushing on through-- except it was getting late in the day, and not everyone had the same gusto to keep on keepin' on.
I've led maybe two dozen group overland adventures over the past few years, and one thing you become rather skilled at is reading the mood of the group. We definitely had some folks that didn't seem to thrilled about doing recoveries and chainsawing in the cold and dark. I made the executive decision that we'd backtrack, drop down to the pavement of Hoopa, and then take Bair Road to camp, which I suspected would be clear as it was one of the main thoroughfares leading to Hoopa. Se dropped down to town, amazed at the swelling banks of the Trinity. A local native women standing above the river smiled and waved as we passed by-- this must have been another omen, but a postive one unlike the shot-up car! We were able to cover the 20 or so miles to camp in about 45 minutes. There was quite a bit of snow near the summit of Bair Road, but it had all been plowed or moved aside from the regular traffic this route sees. With maybe 20 minutes left until darkness, we dropped down to Lacks Creek, happy to find one of the larger campsites completely vacant.


Who wouldn't wan to wake up to this?


California is the only state that is home to all three subspecies of elk: Roosevelt (here), Tule, and Rocky Mountain


The Big Tree was definitely big!


Visit the Redwood Coast in early spring and you'll be greeted with scenery like this around every corner!


Schoolhouse Peak



Sum up the Hoopa Tribal lands with one word: "deadfall"


The first bit of snow was rather easy to pass through, but it got a lot deeper just a short way up the mountain!

Day 3: Rain, Humboldt Backroads, Mattole River and the Lost Coast
The pitter patter atop my camper's aluminum roof indicated that the rain had begun. I'd checked the forecast earlier on our trip, and there was a chance of rain going into the weekend, but forecasts indicated that it would be minimal. Well, if there's any chance of rain when visiting places like Humboldt and Del Norte counties, a chance of rain often leads to a day's worth of moderate to heavy rain. I'd experienced this while visiting Smith River NRA in the past, when a 24 hour rainstorm surprised us. The pitter patter picked up, and had become a constant drone of large raindrops on the camper and surrounding camp. Water was accumulating quickly, and the dirt parking lot became enveloped with shallow pools of water and mud. We hurriedly jumped in our rigs, intent to stay dry and warm.

One of the more pleasant things about visiting the Redwood Coast in late winter or early spring, is the insanely beautiful verdant rolling hills that are often cloaked with oak and douglas fir. We'd explore the dirt backroads in the Kneeland area. The mist and rain created and otherworldly experience as we shuffled along on our journey. As pretty as the scenery was (and it definitely was!), there's only so much driving you can do without getting out of your vehicle. But when you're dealing with heavy rain, you don't have much choice! We were making good time, but sensing the group needed a break, I proposed we head into the town of Fortuna and grab a hot lunch at Eel River Brewing Company. Let's just say no one in the group objected!
After a nice dry lunch, we exited the establishment to be greeted by clouds giving way to blue skies. We hopped back in our rigs and began the ascent up Bear River Ridge. The section of the route that climbs up Bear River Ridge and follows the pock-marked pavement of Mattole Road along the Lost Coast is probably my favorite. The views atop Bear River Ridge are impressive, but the wind was absolutely whipping (40-50mph gusts). The dirt gives way to perhaps the most pathetic stretch of pavement in California. Now the views are absolutely sublime, aspecially as you drop down through the quaint outpost of Capetown, but the asphalt is in an absolutely miserable state. We took in the views of King Range that juts out of the Pacific like a geological monolith. This the only section of the California Coast that I would find remotely comparable to the ruggedness of Big Sur. As we passed through Petrolia, sprinkles began to fall on our wind shield, which soon turned into a light rain. We pulled into AW Way County Park, that sits along the banks of the Mattole River. Unsurprisingly, we were the only ones in camp. The evening was filled with periods of no rain, light rain, and moderate rain. Honeydew sees just shy of 100" of year during an average year, so I wasn't at all surprised by the amount of rain we were getting.

Mattole means clear water in one of the local indigenous languages, but the recent storms had turned the normally clear Mattole to a milky brown. We explored the banks of the Mattole between showers, and even spotted a seasonal waterfall high up on the mountain that I'd never seen before. AW Way is a fantastic place to visit during the summer, as it's inland location tends to see temps that are 10-20 degrees warmer than the coast. And since the majority of groundwater is not derived from snowmelt, the water is quite comfortable during the warm season.


If you look at trees to the right of the powerlines, you can tell the wind is whipping through them with serious force!



One of my favorite places in the Golden State!


Just one of the many downpours that we experienced while staying at AW Way.

 

[goldtooth]

Great write up so far. We have driven many of the same roads in our Westy during our travels to the Redwoods and Lost Coast. Last time we were on Bald Hills road, it was so foggy you couldn't see more than 30 feet. Kinda a bummer as it is so beautiful up there.
nate

 

[OTG_1]

Humboldt Redwoods, More Rain, through the heart of the Emerald Triangle, the Mendocino Coast
It rained on and off over the course of the night. By the time folks started crawling out from their warm, dry, beds, the light rain had turned into a steady drone of moderate rain. I'd warned folks about the possiblity of rain on the trip, but it seemed like the previous day of driving with minimal time out of the vehicles, had worn folks out a bit-- but I was intent on finishing the track and making it to the Mendocino Coast. Three of the guys would break off and head home, while Tony opted to stick around through the SoHum (southern Humboldt) and northern Mendo backroads before breaking off to Reno. We said our goodbyes and began that journey along Mattole Road through the Mattole River Valley.

The Mattole River Valley is an absolutely gorgeous valley. If it wasn't so remote, I'd seriously consider buying a plot of land here. And with the marijuana market in freefall, there are definitely some deals to be hand in Humboldt and Mendo these days. The pavement of this section of Mattole Road is in much better condition that the stretch along the coast. We passed quaint farms and ranches, and of course numerous greenhouses that indicate another sort of farming out this way. Most folks who visit this part of the state are familiar with Avenue of the Giants, a 20-odd mile scenic road through the old growth redwoods in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Sure it's a nice drive, but the Mattole Road drives straight through Bull Creek Flats, which is the most impressive redwood forest on earth. The forest contains the densenst known biomass on earth, and also happens to have the largest concentration of trees over 350' tall, with a few nearly eclipsing 370'. We stopped at one of the small parking lots to make a quick hike through the forest. Now, if you've never gotten to explore the redwoods in the rain you're in for a treat! The dense canopy does a fantastic job of blocking and soaking up most of the rain, and the white noise that is created from the rain falling on the canopy, and the absence of tourists, is really something special! And redwoods just look so much better in the rain and fog too!
After our quick 20 minute hike through Bull Creek Flats, I wanted to bring Tony down to the Dyerville Bar that has a fantastic view of the Dyerville truss. Dyerville Bar is the perfect jump off point for the Dyerville Loop, a favorite route among the Adventure Bike crowd that features a various stretches of pavement and dirt. I was surpised how steep and narrow some of the dirt sections were. Dyerville Loop leads to the heart of the Emerland Triangle. Rural Outposts like Blocksburg, Alder Point, Harris, Zenia, Island Mountain and others can only be reached from these rural networks of mostly dirt roads. Like many beautiful places in the world, the backroads of SoHum and northern Mendo have an incredibly dark history. At least dozens, perhaps hundreds of people have met their demise in these hills and mountains as the result of the greed and paranoia of those involved in the marijuana trade. Now, don't let that dissuade you from visiting these beautiful places. Stick to the main road and always heed any No Trespassing signs, and you'll be fine-- oh, and definitely don't leave your vehicle unattended overnight on these rural roads. Like many rural locations in NorCal and Oregon, locals often look at unattended vehicles in rural locations as a novelty and chances are it'll be in a rather pathetic state once you return!

These days, it seems like more and more property is being sold or auctioned off as it's become harder and harder for pot farmers to turn a profit. We'd take Dyerville Loop to Bell Springs Road, and follow Bell Springs for its entirety until it meets highway 101. Like the dirt roads around Kneeland and Bear River Ridge, Bell Springs is a special place in early spring. But the hills/mountains are a bit higher in elevation, so the weather and wind can be a bit finicky, especially in winter and early spring. More verdant rolling hills dotted with oak and doug fir-- man, I don't think I'll ever be ever to move away from NorCal no matter how much the haters love bagging on the state of California right now. Not many places can compete with the diversity and beauty of the Golden State.

We dropped down to the pavement and pulled over in Laytonville for a quick lunch and said our good byes. My original plan was to take Sherwood Road, a 25 mile or so dirt county road that leads from the Willits area to Fort Bragg, but I knew the road had a reputation for lots of mud during the wet season. Instead, I'd continue south to Highway 20, head west and then take a series of dirt roads through Jackson Demonstration Forest that would pop out by the village of Mendocino. And good thing I did, because I hadn't realized that Mendocino County gates Sherwood Road from fall through May most years! Now we were just a 1-rig convoy, we being myself, and Shasta the adventure Shepsky who was anxiously sitting the backseat as we bounced along the dirt roads of Jackson Demo. Compared to the rather grandiose forests of Humboldt Redwoods, Jedediah Smith and Redwood NP, the redwoods while still beautiful in Jackson Demo, leave a lot to be desired. The drive through the forest was quite peaceful, but in the distance I could hear the thunderous sounds of some pretty heavy artillery. I was coming up on a local dump site, that also doubled as a shooting range, right in the middle of the forest. A bit of a shame to be driving through the forest only to come to a clearing that's littered with trash and bullet casings. I gave a friendly wave and quickly passed through the half dozen or so vehicles that were congregating at the makeshift shooting range, and 10 minutes later I was back on the pavement. As we crossed highway 1, the rain had totally ceased. I turned the truck southbound headed for Big River Beach. Big River Beach and Lagoon is one of my favorite places along the Mendocino Coast, and since Shasta had been cooped up the entire day, I knew she was antsy to get out and run around.

Upon opening the backdoor of the truck, Shasta eagerly sprung from her perch and made a beeline for the sand. When she doesn't get her exercise, the Husky half seems to dominate her personality, and she let me know that I needed to play with her. I happily obliged chasing her about the beach while throwing driftwood to her. I took her on an honest 30 minute walk up Big Haul Road, before light rain started to return. The original plan was to find camp somewhere along the coast, but with the rain returning, and home only being 3 hours away, I decided to hightail it back home.


The boys hustling to load things up before the rain returns!



Mattole River Valley-- Heaven on earth?


Skip Avenue of the Giants to drive thru the most impressive old growth forest on earth-- Bull Creek Flats!


With Bull Creek swelling upon its banks, we had to walk across this well placed deadfall to reach the hiking trail.



Dyerville bar and truss-- a fantastic place to swim in the warm season.



Somewhere along Dyerville Loop



Dyerville Loop, near Harris, CA.


Jackson Demo Forest


We made it to Big River beach!


Think Shasta was happy to get out of the truck?

 

[dierkz]

That's a truly wonderful trip! Those giant trees are amazing

 

[caputz24]

Thank you for the trip report. Very thorough. The video was awesome to watch. I'm looking forward to doing a similar trip with the family. Would you recommend waiting for early summer or is the weather and trails good/safe for a late November trip?

 

[the deputy]

Excellent report! Spectacular scenery!

 

[nickw]

I grew up in Crescent City - I know that area very well. Drive up the G-O Road next time you are in the area, neat history and a very pretty drive once you get up on top of the mountains. There is a really cool fire lookout up there on Red Mountain too.

Saga of the G-O Road, 30 Years Later | NEC

www.yournec.org

Depending on how far S you get it's a beautiful drive on the way back North up and over Bell Springs road into Alderpoint.

I always loved the redwoods - spent many hours exploring Jed Smith as a kid and mountain biking all over that area in the 80/90s.

 

[jim65wagon]

Such beautiful scenery. I'm putting Bull Creek Flats on my list! Thank you for showing us the Redwoods from the diet roads, I haven't managed to see them this way yet!

I had not realized that I've driven on part of Mattole Road until I looked up A.W.Way park. We hiked the beach to the Punta Gorda lighthouse a few years ago. We were staying at Tolkan Campground if I recall correctly. That area is amazing!

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