Redwood, Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic

“They are not like any trees we know. … They are ambassadors from another time.”

— John Steinbeck in “Travels with Charley: In Search of America”

Itinerary

• Day 1 (Home –> Humboldt Redwoods State Park –> Fortuna)
• Wine tasting at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens – try wine+cheese or wine+chocolate pairings (stop)
• Wine tasting at Fogline Vineyard or Christopher Creek Winery (optional stop if Kendall-Jackson is a circus)
• Take a detour from the 101 and drive on Avenue of the Giants between the Southern Entrance and North Entrance (MUST DO, 10/10)
• Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Visitor Center inside Humboldt Redwoods State Park (optional stop)
• Walk the Founders Grove Nature Trail Loop (stop) – 1.3 miles (Good, 6/10)
• Drive to the Big Trees Area (40.3515970, -123.9910770) (stop) – and do two trails: (1) Homestead Trail – Big Trees Trail loop (2.4 miles) (Good, 7/10) and (2) Big Trees Area loop (0.6 miles) (Great, 8/10)
• Rockefeller Loop (stop) (0.7 miles) – (MUST DO, 10/10)
• Loleta Cheese Factory (stop) (9am-5pm)
• Beer and Dinner at Eel River Brewing Company (Good, 7/10)
• [Night in Fortuna, CA]

• Day 2 (Fortuna, CA –> Redwood NP –> Prairie Creek State Park –> Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP –> Grants Pass, OR)
  • Carry non-perishable snacks, there’s no food between Orick, CA and Klamath, CA
  • Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center (stop)
  • Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trailhead inside Redwood National Park (stop) (1.4 miles | 30mins) (MUST DO, 10/10)
  • Fern Canyon hike (stop) (1.1 miles, 30mins). The drive from the 101 to the Fern Canyon trailhead is a scenic drive. (MUST DO, 10/10)
  • On the way back to the 101, stop at the Gold Bluffs Beach (Meh, 5/10)
  • Rent mountain bikes at Elk Meadows Cabins (Redwood Adventures) (optional stop)
  • Detour from the 101 and start driving on the Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway (Must Do, 10/10)
  • Prairie Creek Visitor Center inside Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (stop) – Do the Prairie Creek Trail hike all the way to the Big Tree and come back (1.2 miles) (Great, 9/10)
  • If the Prairie Creek Trail is too much, drive to Big Tree wayside (stop) and do the short walk (0.1 miles) to the Big Tree (Must Do, 10/10)
  • Brown Creek Loop (41.38762, -124.01733) – go left and only do the Brown Creek Trail (2.4 miles | 45 mins)
  • Trees of Mystery
  • Drive Through Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
  • Detour from the 101 to drive on the Howland Hill Road inside Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (rough road, SUV preferred, Car OK)
  • Boy Scout Tree Trail (stop) (5.3 miles) (Must Do, 10/10)
  • Stout Grove Trailhead (stop) (0.6 miles) (Must Do, 10/10)
  • Drive to Grants Pass
  • Beer and dinner at Taprock Northwest Brewing (Good, 8/10)
  • [Night in Grants Pass]

• Day 3 (Grants Pass, OR –> Crater Lake National Park –> Redding, CA)
  • Natural Bridge (42.888299, -122.464619) (stop)
  • The drive from Prospect, OR to Crater Lake is stunningly beautiful.
  • Steel Visitor Center (Crater Lake National Park) (stop)
  • Drive all around the rim – If East Drive is closed due to snow, Drive along West Rim, at least up to the Watchman’s Overlook (42.945869, -122.168896) (Must Do, 10/10)
  • Long drive to Redding, CA
  • Beer and Dinner at Woody’s Brewing Company (Good, 8/10)
  • [Night in Redding, CA]

• Day 4 (Redding –> Lassen Volcanic NP –> Home)
  • Park at Loomis Museum inside Lassen Volcanic NP – hike around Reflection Lake.
  • Manzanita Lake Parking (40.533022, -121.564066) (stop) (you can rent kayaks / canoes / SUPs)
  • Stop by Lake Helen
  • Bumpass Trailhead (stop) – excellent views from the paring lot, do the hike to Bumpass Hell
  • Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center (optional stop, food available here)
  • Excellent Mexican Food at Carlitos Mexican Restaurant in Red Bluffs, CA (Great 9/10)
  • Home

Photos taken with an iPhone Xs