more big trees

John B. Dewitt Redwoods State Natural Reserve

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I spotted the parking lot on my drive in and it seemed to scream, "There's a hiking trail here!" It seemed like an excellent place to stop and use a few more of the hours of daylight left in the day. Unfortunately, the information board beside the parking lot only offers about six different notices about regulations that apply to here. No dogs. No camping. All the usual and a few esoteric. There's no map or anything else to indicate a nearby trail.

sign below the tall redwoods — A sign among the old growth redwoods.

The road with the parking area actually continues after a gate. The sign would seem to indicate that it is eventually a driveway. So there's that to hike. I start up it under the old growth.

all about the base — A history of fire is written on the old trunks.

There actually are lots of little trails. I follow a step carved into a fallen trunk to a little garden of wild flowers, but the trail goes nowhere further. The flowers are nice to see. They seem to be really getting going now.

distinct leaves — Some distinctive leaves popping up around some redwood sorrel.

big petals of three — The trillium is looking strong and tall.

step in a log — And the route to get to the little garden on the far side of a fallen trunk.

I follow the road up further for a bit. The redwoods vanish, then return. They are picky about where they grow. I have a little bit of view of the South Fork Eel River below even if mostly obscured by trees. It is so very low in its gravel path.

purple flowers among giant clover looking leaves — More of the redwood sorrel.

road climbing from the river — The road as the redwoods vanish.

Unfortunately, I'm having difficulty wanting to follow a road that will eventually just be a driveway. I head back to more closely look over the old redwoods, tall and fire scarred.

fire hole all the way through a large tree — Fire has tunneled through this large tree.

burned hollow on a tree — Standing within the larger side of burn through the tree.

And then I wander the flat areas near the parking lot where so many have wandered before me. There's a primary path that loops through the big trees and around the huge logs.