I’ve had quite a bit of fun reliving the experiences from our Vancouver to LA road trip over the past few months. Memory is such a fickle thing, and it turns hazy as time inevitably moves forward. It’s one of the reasons why I enjoy photography – or, if I am more truthful, it is why I am compelled to photograph.

Reminiscing aside, one of our last stops in California before heading up north to Vancouver was Redwood National Park. There are three state parks – Jedidiah Smith, Del Norte Coast and Prairie Creek – here as well. We only had half a day to explore the area, but it was enough time for us to get an up-close look at these magnificent trees.

Fun fact: The redwoods are the world’s largest living things (no kidding), and it was such a treat to walk amongst these towering giants that have lived on this earth far longer than I have.

Scroll down for some visuals we snapped on the road and on our hike, and get my travel tips on what to do if you decide to check this out!

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Here are some of my travel tips to the Redwoods:

• Take the Avenue of the Giants route. It’s a portion of the old Highway 101 that now parallels Freeway 101, and is a lot more scenic and quiet compared to the latter. Also, don’t be worried that you can’t return to the freeway once you get onto it; there are multiple exits throughout.
• Check out the visitor centre when you arrive. The folks there were super friendly and told us what would be the best trails for us to attempt based on our time constraints. They truly are a wealth of information, so don’t forgo that!
• Go for a short hike. Even though we only had a few hours to spare, we went for a two-hour hike in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, where we saw the Big Tree. I mean… the scale and height of this tree is CRAZY. Anyone would look like a midget next to it.
• Layer up. The sun might be out, but temperatures are cool within the park, so do bundle up.
• Follow the trails. You won’t have any data when you’re amidst a dense thicket of trees (duh), so don’t go straying off the beaten path. The signs that mark the trails are adequate, but sometimes can be a little confusing. For example, we had to cross a big road that cut through the middle of the forest to keep to the right trail. Thankfully, my husband’s a good navigator :p

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway
Orick, CA 95555

xx,
iz