Complete awe! California’s coastal redwoods are like nothing else. Some adjectives we used during our time here: big, beautiful, imposing, amazing. Pictures don’t do the trees justice, but we surely took plenty.

Redwoods can live over 2,000 years each. Some of the trees we saw have lived during the times of Cleopatra, the crusades, the vikings, Columbus, the pilgrims, Abraham Lincoln and the creation of the national parks system. It was painful to realize how many giants have been logged in the past. But due to some smart, fore-thinking and persistent folks in history, hundreds live.

You can tell the difference between old growth forests that were not logged and new growth forests that were. Some birds will only live in old growth forests. It is worth visiting both for comparison. We visited old growth at Lady Bird Johnson Grove and Prairie Creek State Park, and new growth at the Trees of Mystery. Redwoods have a tenacity for life, with the ability to withstand fire and utilize many tactics for growth and survival.

We had a great time here and would recommend this visit to anyone! Jackson earned his Junior Ranger badge here!