Some of the tallest trees in the world can be found in the aptly named Tall Trees Grove in Redwood National Park / Scott Johnson
In Redwood National and State Parks, set aside a half-century ago to protect what little remains of the tallest trees on the planet, it’s saying something to be given the moniker Tall Trees Grove.
In one sense, it’s a badge of honor. This tiny protrusion of land at a horseshoe bend of Redwood Creek is home to what once was the tallest tree known to mankind – the Libbey Tree, discovered by a National Geographic team in 1963 and later featured on the magazine’s cover. Although that goliath has since lost its crown (quite literally), this grove still hosts some of the tallest known trees in the world, including a handful that tower above 350 feet. These trees inspired the movement to designate Redwood National Park in 1968.
Yet the Tall Trees name also serves as temptation for the adventurous and curious who make the trip to this northern California gem, intrigued by seeing the tallest or biggest anything. Count me among them. Go big or go home, right? During a July visit to the park, I set out with my wife and 1-year-old son to see these magnificent trees.
To ease overcrowding, the park limits the number of people who visit the Tall Trees Grove. Permits are available on the day of your hike at park visitor centers. The park notes on its website that, except for summer holidays, permits are usually available to all comers. However, taking both the drive and hike into consideration, this trek is at least a four-hour commitment. I suggest picking up a permit before noon, especially since day users are supposed to be out before sunset.
I grabbed our permit just after 9 a.m. in Crescent City. After loading up, we drove 38 miles south on Highway 101, with a detour along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, and then turned inland on Bald Hills Road. As we ascended, the coastal fog burned off, and it started to feel more like summer than fall. Seven miles up, there’s a locked gate at the gravel Tall Trees Access Road. A man there had driven through and was attempting to lock the gate, but didn’t know how. I told him go ahead and that I’d lock the gate behind me. Except I couldn’t figure it out either. I did my best and looped the lock through the chain enough to keep the gate closed. To say the least, I’m not an engineer.
Redwoods tower above the other trees in the Tall Trees Grove / Scott Johnson
From the gate, it’s another slow, curvy, and dusty (in the summer) six miles to the trailhead, where you’ll find a primitive shelter and restroom. Bring all the water and food you need. Unfortunately, the kiosk for interpretive brochures was empty. In mid-July, mosquitoes were out in full force, so we didn’t linger.
The Tall Trees Grove loop itself is only one mile long, but there’s a 1.5-mile hike to get there. My wife at my side and our son strapped to my back, we began the descent toward Redwood Creek. We passed some massive trees, some of which needed to be negotiated after falling across the trail. One has a tunnel carved through it. We felt as if we were in the middle of nowhere, the silence only interrupted by a few birds and the joyous squealing of the 1-year-old harnessed to my back.
As the trail flattened out, the trees got bigger. A signpost marks the start of the Tall Trees loop. That there are massive, tall trees here is obvious. Where you can peer through the foliage, you can see how the redwoods don’t even start branching out until above the canopy. Without the interpretive guide or doing research beforehand, however, I had no idea which trees were the tallest (though I now know the Libbey Tree is behind an interpretive sign titled “The Tall Tree”). The closer you are, the more you lose perspective. To gain some, you can take a side path to the Redwood Creek Trail and view the grove from the gravel bar. If it’s not too hot, that’s also a great place for a lunch break.
The enchanting loop encourages you to linger and take in its majesty. Before heading out, we stopped for a snack, and another couple pointed out a sizable snake that was keeping an eye on us. It eventually slithered toward the creek. Even though we saw about 25 groups of hikers on the trail, it never felt crowded. Thanks to the permit system, there’s breathing room for everyone.
Save some energy for the return trip. It’s about 800 feet of elevation gain in that mile-and-a-half. My son enjoyed the ride by falling asleep. Hikers we passed either gave me a sympathetic glance (mostly male) or ignored me completely to gawk at the 20 pounds of tiny human in my backpack (mostly female). Now in the heat of the early afternoon, I was dripping with sweat by the time we made it to our car.
On the drive back up the access road, be wary of speeding drivers. One peeled out around a corner in front of me, and I was fortunate to have not been closer. Still, that was the only moment of annoyance during an otherwise peaceful and memorable hike.
And, yes, I figured out how to lock the gate on the way out.
Nearby Hikes
Another, but longer, option for hiking to Tall Trees Grove is the Redwood Creek Trail. It’s eight miles one way, but dispersed camping is allowed on Redwood Creek gravel bars at least ¼-mile from Tall Trees Grove. With a free camping permit, you can make it an overnight trip.
For a shorter and less-strenuous walk amongst old-growth redwoods, head to the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, also accessed from Bald Hills Road. The interpretive nature trail is a mile-long loop, but without the dusty road and steep access trail. Your biggest turnoff could be trying to find a parking space, depending on the time you visit. The redwoods here may not be as tall as those in the Tall Trees Grove, but they are no less impressive from ground level. This grove is named after the former first lady, who dedicated the national park at this location in 1968.
Hikers negotiate massive downed trees along the trail to Tall Trees Grove / Scott Johnson
Comments
The Tall Trees Grove was very significant in locating the 1968 RNP within the Redwood Creek Watershed. One of the early planners was the Late Paul Fritz who was devoted to securing old growth coastal redwoods for protection within the "WORM BOUNDARIES" of the 1968 RNP. Ironically, one of the first NPS decisions (summer 1969) was to allow ARCO, Arcata Redwood Co., to cut an old growth redwood supposedly protected within the 'WORM: A MERE QUARTER MILE above Redwood Creek's slopes. The justification was a lightning fire ignited within the higher canopy which would have been contained/suppressed by subsequent FOG and high humidity with containment fire lines around the base so the old redwood could have been "saved" !
RNP has a long 50 year history of Park Superintendents with a Law Enforecent background such as the late Nels Murdock; often these individuals are transferred to RNP to gain their last 3 years higher graded income prior to retirement and not on their knowledge or respect in protecting old growth coastal redwood. Compare the history of the North Group Sierra Club key persons fighting for the last remnants to be protected and the recent RNP Management History of charlatan managers without any significant ecological background or sincere respecful interests toward ancient trees !
One of the first actual NPS management actions at Tall Trees Grove was the felling of the Giant Redwood Sign reading "The Howard Libby Tree" (FORMER PRESIDENT of ARCATA REDWOOD CO.) well after The National Geographic Society Team made their "Tallest Tree" measurements known. Once the ARCO sign was dismantled, NPS Maintenance personnel used the planks to construct the first foot bridge over to Tall Trees Grove from the Logging Road which eventually became the Redwood Creek Trail of approximately 8.5 miles from the Trail Head near the beginning of the Bald Hills County Road. The County of Humboldt Road supervisor requested that RNP take over the road maintenance during the summer of 1969; Nels Murdock wisely responsed that RNP would consider their request once no Log truck Traffic was rolling off the Bald Hills Road !
Of course, as the US Congress planned/allowed during the next ten years, widespread clearcutting occurred above The Tall Trees Grove until the RNP Expansion of 1978. We are most appreciative to The North Group Sierra Club and to their Leaders, among whom Ms.Lucille Vinyard, for their sincere devotion and respect they had for the BEAUTY of these ancient trees and the complex ecological factors allowing these mere fragments of the old growth coastal redwood forests to be perpetuated. In Memoriam:
To both Paul Fritz and Lucille Vinyard who demonstrated that a small number of educated citizens can make significant positive conservation contributions.