Today we drove HWY 101 up through Eureka, to Crescent City and through the Redwoods. Our first stop was at a beach near the Park Kuchel Visitor Center. The beach was very pretty with giant rocks embedded in the surf. The waves were quite violent and beautiful. Next we stopped briefly at the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trailhead. The trailhead was very nice but we decided against a hike due to the long drive ahead. Our next stop was Elk Meadows where there is a herd of Elk that stay in the area. On down the road we stopped at the Prairie Creek State Park. Just next to the visitor center are beautiful trails around a grove of very large Redwoods. Leaving the park we traveled the Newton Drury Scenic Parkway, very nice.
We ate lunch at Subway in Crescent City before heading across HWY 199 through Jedediah Smith Park where some of the large Redwoods are found. We stopped at the first campground area in the Park and were able to let Maverick explore the beach of the Smith River. Another beautiful setting. We left the campground and followed the Howland Hill Road through the park and by the Stout Grove. The road was unimproved dirt/gravel/rock and quite narrow. The trees along the road were amazing. This road ends back in Crescent City where we enjoyed wandering around the beautiful coastline. We stumbled upon a nice dog park and let Maverick stretch his legs for a while. On the way back we stopped for a bathroom break at the “Tree of Mystery” roadside attraction. They have a gondola ride through the trees. We weren’t interested so we never figured out what the “mystery” was about. Out front they also have a giant Paul Bunyan and Babe to draw you in.
