Redwood National Park

Tourist in a Hollowed Redwood Tree at Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Redwood National Park, California

I had previously been to the redwood forests at Muir Woods National Monument and Big Basin Redwoods State Park, but the North Coast redwoods are in a league entirely of their own. The Lady Bird Johnson Grove is seriously the most awesome forest that I have ever visited in my life.

The rhododendrons were still in bloom and a lot larger than what I had expected. The blooms grow at least 15 - 20 or more feet above the ground in some cases. There was no fog during my time in Humboldt County so I had a limited window of opportunity to photograph the redwoods in decent lighting. The light was just too harsh during the daytime.

Lady Bird Johnson Grove classifies as an old-growth redwood forest, which means that it has never been logged. The trees are much more thick and dense here than second-growth forests. It is apparent from the minute that you walk onto the trail. The extreme amount of precipitation that this area receives also plays a part in their immense size. (The world's tallest trees).

I only encountered three or four groups of people here in this night and was the last person left by the time I left. This experience would be nearly unheard of in a tourist-mecca like Muir Woods. It was so eerily quiet at Redwood National Park, that I could hear elk calling from a distance.

I waited eight long years to make the trip up here. I am certainly not going to allow another eight to go by without spending more time up here. The photo opportunities are simply too abundant to do this area justice in a short amount of time.