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Redwoods National Park…..
After the inn manager gave us a very good deal on the second night we decided to stay!
After a relaxing morning we drove to the Redwoods National Park. As we got onto interstate 101 after leaving Trinidad, we passed the same beach as yesterday and decided to stop there for a few minutes. Me being a lover of water decided to go as far as I dare and risk the waves. At first the waves were gently massaging my feet, after some time they were getting stronger and almost making me fall….I was soaked but had a great time.
We then drove to the visitor centre near a town called Orick (population of 650):
Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center
Information, exhibits, bookstore, park film, passport stamps, restrooms, picnic area, beach access. ranger-led activities and programs (summer only), Junior Ranger programs (summer only) and Activity Booklet.
Location
US Highway 101 at Orick, Calif.
Hours of Operation
Spring-fall: Open daily, 9 am to 5 pm
Winter: Open daily, 9 am to 4 pm
Closed: New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Phone
+1 707-465-7765
We required a pass as we wanted to do the Tall Trees Grove hike (4 miles) this hike is fantastic and highly recommended….only 50 passes are available in any day but this time of years quiet, only 4 passes were supplied today, including ours! Remember to take food and water!
Unlike most national parks, there are no fees and no highway entrance stations at Redwood National Park, so it’s imperative to pick up the free map at the park information centres.
Crescent City Information Center
Information, exhibits, bookstore, live video feed from Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge, passport stamps, restrooms, picnic area, Junior Ranger Activity Booklet
Location
1111 Second Street, Crescent City, Calif.
Hours of Operation
Spring-fall: Open daily, 9 am to 5 pm
Winter: Open daily, 9 am to 4 pm
Closed: New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Phone
+1 707-465-7335.
Interpretive Activities
Junior Ranger activity newspapers are available here.
Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center
Information, exhibits, bookstore, park film, passport stamps, restrooms, picnic area, beach access. ranger-led activities and programs (summer only), Junior Ranger programs (summer only) and Activity Booklet.
Location
US Highway 101 at Orick, Calif.
Hours of Operation
Spring-fall: Open daily, 9 am to 5 pm
Winter: Open daily, 9 am to 4 pm
Closed: New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Phone
+1 707-465-7765
Interpretive Programs & Activities
Patio talks and coast walks occur during the summer. Redwood National and State Parks’ Junior Ranger activity newspapers are available here.
Hiouchi Information Center
Information, exhibits, park film, passport stamps, restrooms, picnic area, ranger-led activities and programs (summer only), Junior Ranger programs (summer only) and Activity Booklet
Location
US Highway 199 at Hiouchi, Calif.
Hours of Operation
Summer: Open daily, 9 am to 5 pm
Phone
+1 707-458-3294
Interpretive Programs & Activities
Ranger-led walks, junior ranger programs, and evening campfire programs held in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, across the street. Programs occur during the summer season. Redwood National and State Parks’ Junior Ranger activity newspapers are available here.
Jedediah Smith Visitor Center
Information, exhibits, bookstore, passport stamps, restrooms, picnic area, trailheads, ranger-led activities and programs (summer only), Junior Ranger programs (summer only) and Activity Booklet
Location
US Highway 101 at Hiouchi, Calif.
Hours of Operation
Summer: Open daily, 9 am to 5 pm
Off-season (mid-September 2011 to mid-May 2012): Closed.
Phone
+1 707-458-3496.
Interpretive Programs & Activities
Ranger-led walks, junior ranger programs, and evening campfire programs occur during the summer. Redwood National and State Parks’ Junior Ranger activity newspapers are available here.
Prairie Creek Visitor Center
Information, exhibits, park film, passport stamps, bookstore, restooms, pincic area, trailheads, ranger-led activities and programs (summer only), Junior Ranger programs (summer only) and Activity Booklet
Location
Just off US Highway 101, along Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway.
Hours of Operation
Summer: 9 am to 5 pm
Off-season: As staffing permits-please call ahead.
Closed: New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Phone +1 707-488-2171.
Interpretive Programs & Activities
Ranger-led walks, junior ranger programs, and evening campfire programs held in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park during the summer season. Redwood National and State Parks’ Junior Ranger activity newspapers are available here.
After the walk we drove north on the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway a very scenic drive!
On the way back to Trinidad we stopped again at the beach only for a few minutes. We carried on then saw a turning for the lagoon…this place was amazing. A VERY quite lagoon with the sun setting in the background. BEAUTIFUL!!
Afterwards whilst driving we saw the sun setting over the ocean so stopped and watched it set.
As all the restaurants in trinidad are fish restaurants we decided to head to Murphy’s grocery, Sangeet bought mutter paneer and pizza o and ice cream! I have nachos with salsa and good staple diet!
We ate back at the inn, after a few hours updating emails, the blog, Facebook, backing up the pictures we went to sleep……!
On the way to the Redwood National Park…..
We are travelling north on interstate 101 from Ferndale. Like previously it is a road full of twists and turns. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the main town Eureka. There we stopped for gas. Eureka has the big chain stores and malls which is quite different from the rest of the costal towns. At the gas station a girl greeted me with Sat Sri Akal, I responded and asked if there was a Gurdwara, she said the nearest one is 4 hours away in a town called Redding, as this was out of the way we decided to try and pop in on the way back. Onwards to the Redwoods…….
A few miles out out Eureka the road started hugging the coastline and the view were fantastic.
After passing a town called Trinidad we came across a very quiet beach.
The access to the Redwoods NP is free but you need to get a pass from the visitor information centre, only 50 are issued in any one day. This pass is ONLY required for the Tall Trees trail. So we decided to stay near the information centre in a town called Orick…..the town has three motels. All of them looked like they needed some major work. The only one that had any vacancies had skeletons hanging on the outside!! We turned around and drive to a town called Trinidad….now this is a fantastic little town but the motels are fairly pricey. The first one we stopped at was $56 and had plenty of vacancies…..when you look at it you can understand why! We carried on, the next one was very pricey starting at $200 +!! But hey you did get a free seven course breakfast and I should bloody well hope so! We carried on after three more pricey but very nice motels we stopped at one called Trinidad Inn, the lady was very helpful and gave us a good price on the room. After checking in, I drove down to the local supermarket called Murphy’s, where I bought hummus, gluten free biscuits. A great combination lol!
Last trip to Ferndale…..
After a fantastic morning walking amongst the giants we decided to go back to Lost Coast Cafe in Ferndale, for lunch also this would give us a good idea on how good this restaurant actually is.
Mario greeted us and said I have made some vegan and gluten free scones and saved some for you. We were very pleased. I ordered the lentil soup and tofu sandwich, Sangeet ordered the tofu sandwich without the wheat bread, Mario said I can add brown rice and make it into a stir fry. As yesterday the meals were fantastic we also had the scone warmed and it tasted amazing. Did not taste like the usual dry gluten free texture.
We can definitely recommend this cafe!
Walking among the giants…..
After checking out of the motel, we drove to the visitor information centre, this one is located on the Avenue of the Giants,
Humboldt Redwoods State Park
17119 Avenue of the Giants, Weott
707-946-2263
There we got some leaflets and good advice from the volunteers, we decided to do a couple of walks, Rockerfeller loop trail and Gould Grove Nature trail:
Old form of transport on display in this visitor centre:
A small example of what you will see also at this visitor centre:
Rockerfeller Loop Trail/Bull Creek Flats (ADA Accessible) This loop trail is at the foot of the majestic 7,000 acre Rockefeller Forest, traveling near where Bull Creek meets the South Fork Eel River. Trees soaring to immense heights combined with a relatively open under story combine to create a fairy-book forest! Trailhead: 1.1 miles west of the Avenue of the Giants on Mattole Road, which breaks off at Avenue of the Giants mile marker 20.6, at Dyerville. Length: 0.7 miles Time: 30 minutes Elevation +/-: 20 feet.
Gould Grove Nature Trail (ADA Accessible) Located directly across the Avenue of the Giants from the Visitor Center and Burlington Campground this short loop trail features 300′ tall trees, evidence of early logging, and easy access to the river via a spur trail. The trail offers a self-guided system of interpretive signs. Trailhead: Directly across the road from the Visitor Center, Avenue of the Giants mile marker 16.5. Length: 0.6 miles Time: 30 minutes
They give you a fantastic insight into the Redwoods, to truly get a real feel of the environment I think you need go do longer walks for example 8 miles.
Avenue of the Giants
A small view on how big the giants are:
We have decided to drive further north to see even larger (if that is possible!) Redwoods.
Hi, thanks for visiting my blog, feel free and have a look around. Here is a bit about me, as you may or may not have guessed my name is Mandeep, I work to travel as opposed to work to pay bills and die! Every trip for me is an adventure, I have been very fortunate to stumble across amazing places and meet awesome people along the way.
Why gaygoat? When I first started this blog I was a vegetarian, so gaygoat – happy goat! Also you have to admit it is catchy and a URL you will not forget!
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