Touch Grass: Redwood National and State Parks

On the Avenue of the Giants. Photo credit: Adrian Keller Feld

Still struggling to come up with a spring break plan? From the Bay Area or beyond and looking to make your drive home into a road trip? The Redwood National and State Parks may be the perfect stop. With some situated conveniently right off a major freeway, they can be a quick stop or a full trip depending on the level of hiking and nature immersion you’re looking for. Camping and hotels are plentiful around the redwoods, and the drive down from Portland is roughly eight hours, so it is a long trip. If you choose to just drive through the redwood forests, there are actually places you can drive through the middle of a redwood, since the trees are so large. One of these trees is located on the Avenue of Giants, a good quicker redwood stop as it winds next to US Route 101, so you can easily enter the magic of the forest while on a larger road trip.

Redwoods stand as the world’s tallest trees, and while pictures of them are striking, nothing is quite like walking amongst them. Standing so small on the ground, the world feels muffled, in silent reverence for the ancient lives all around. Looking up, the world almost seems to spin, as the trees go on and on into the sky, stretching far above, their leaves creating a temperate and damp microclimate below. Nature brings peace even in small amounts, but the tranquility in the redwoods is unmatched. To learn more, visit the Redwood National and State Parks section on the National Parks website. So, go out and touch grass in the redwoods!