Jedediah Smith Redwoods Crescent City CA

We were excited to have the opportunity to visit the Jedediah Smith Redwoods Crescent City CA at the very northern tip of the California coast.

Crescent City

In fact, Crescent City is so far north that it’s just a short drive to Oregon. Steve and I specifically came to this neck of the woods to see the Giant Sequoia, commonly know as Redwoods. But having traveled the California coast from San Diego to Crescent City, we couldn’t help but notice that the coastal views kept getting more spectacular the further north we went.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods  

It was chilly and drizzly with an occasion snow flake or two, when we headed out to the Jedediah Smith State and National Park. Knowing that the temperature was cold to us Floridians we bundled up for our expedition. Steve and I knew this would be a driving tour through the Redwoods, but we also knew we would get out of the Jeep to take photos.

 

All I can say is OMG!!! Those suckers are Tall. We actually stopped every couple of feet to get out and take pix. No matter how hard we both tried, there was no possible way to get an entire Giant Sequoia – from ground to top – in one shot. They seem to soar to the heavens. Redwoods can grow to over 350-feet in the air!

Redwoods

 

Giant Sequoia have a life span of – pretty much forever. The oldest known Giant Sequoia is 3,200–3,266 years old based on dendrochronology. Giant Sequoias are among the oldest living organisms on Earth. Giant Sequoias are only outlived by Bristlecone Pines, the oldest aged at 4,844 years in the Great Basin, And by Alerce trees, the oldest aged at 3,639 years in Chile.

The Jedediah Smith Redwoods in Crescent City CA grow with impressive density. The taller the trees get, the broader their girth. There were places along our driving trail where we could barely squeeze between a pair of opposing Redwoods. With only about a half inch to space on our side view mirrors we proceeded slowly and cautiously. And the whole time we practically held our breath, praying that no cars would be coming from the opposite direction. We did encounter one vehicle coming at us. Fortunately it was in an area with few trees and we were able to pull over and let them pass. It did seem odd that it was a two-way path through this amazing forest.

Smith River

 

Driving through Jedediah Smith Redwoods Crescent City CA, we kept noticing a beautiful river with emerald green water. The Smith River wends its way through the park. It is calm in most areas and has raging rapids in others. But throughout the water remains crystal clear and stunningly beautiful.

Crescent City Lighthouse

On our drive back to Ladybug we wanted to check out the Crescent City Lighthouse. Unfortunately for us, the lighthouse was closed but the park was open which gave us a chance to take some pictures. Which we did until the wind picked up whipping the cold, wet air all around us.

Not quite ready to end our day of exploring the northern tip of California, we decided to take a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. We had only driven a couple of miles passed our RV park when traffic came to a complete halt. Many cars began to turn around. Before following suit we learned that the road ahead was closed due to a rock slide. Yikes. Our plans were to head back to Sonoma a couple of days later. How would we get there now that the road would be closed for weeks, if not months?