June 5, 2024 | Photo Album
The highlight of our trip were the walks associated with a three-night stay at Elk Meadow Cabins, which are nestled on private land between the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and Redwood National Park. The state park began with just over 5,000 acres in 1923 and over time grew to 14,000 acres. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the present visitor center, trail system, campground, and picnic facilities.
In October 1968, the National Park Service created Redwood National Park in Del Norte and Humboldt counties, and in 1994 the service and California State Parks agreed to co-manage four parks: Del Norte Coast, Prairie Creek and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Parks, and Redwood National Park. Together the four parks preserve over 105,000 acres of redwood forest.
We had enjoyed Stout Grove and driving Howland Hill Road through the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park to the north. Now we drove down coastal highway 101 to the entrance of the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway running through the heart of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, shown at the top of the map below.
Newton Drury was born in San Francisco in 1889. He and his brother had an advertising and public relations agency which was approached by the Save the Redwoods League in 1920 to manage their organization. An ardent conservationist, he was instrumental in raising $25 million to preserve 135,000 acres of redwoods across thirty state parks in California. He was the Land Acquisitions Officer of the State Park Commission, and later Director of the National Park Service.
We drove along the ten-mile parkway named in his honor through the old growth forest until we reached the Big Tree Wayside. There were plenty of people taking the short trail to the photo opportunity at the Big Tree. I preferred to avoid the crowd and instead shot it from a side angle.
The Big Tree is not the biggest in the park, but it is over 1,500 years old, 304 feet high, and almost 22 feet in diameter. I then drew us away from the families down the Cathedral Trees Trail, and we did not have to walk far to lose almost everyone.
As the giant trees surrounded us, Wendy was struck by how we could no longer hear the people at The Big Tree and all sounds died away. She whispered to me, “Isn’t this great?”
I could tell it was an emotional experience for her. She later described it as feeling protected by giants, sheltering her and giving her the peace she has sought on our many travels.
We continued along the hilly trail, watching our steps to avoid stumbling over the many tree roots. I had Wendy pose by the upended roots of a fallen giant.
Wendy took a shot of me with some of the redwoods.
And I returned the favor, with her providing much-needed scale for the spectacle.
I shot a video pan upward, and Wendy photographed me in the act.
Here is the pan I was shooting:
We couldn’t resist some more shots of the outlandish scale of the trees.
And I wrapped up the walk shooting upwards.
We returned to our vehicle and drove the short distance to the Prairie Creek Visitor Center, where we could use the restroom, and Wendy got a poster and some mugs to remember this favorite place.
Then we drove past our rented cabin to Orick, where we bought groceries for our stay; there are few restaurants in the region. Then it was back up 101 to Elk Meadow Cabins. I had reserved the Johnny Redwood cabin, which was quite nice.
We knew that one of the Roosevelt Elk herds in the parks lived nearby, and on the first evening I saw one meander by our back porch.
Later, on one of our drives along US 101, a herd of elk crossed near our cabins.
We would return on the following days for two more walks at Prairie Creek park, which will be described in the next post.
Meador Manor 