Redwoods National Park

There is something so spectacular about feeling minute next to a tree. You are dwarfed by strength. The sheer size of the Redwoods gives instant perspective. They are century-old giants, living through passages of time that I will never see and can barely comprehend. In comparison, I am so small, insignificant, and have seen so little. In order to really appreciate our time in the Redwoods, we visited a few different places that offered unique perspectives, starting with the Redwoods Sky Walk.

Redwoods Sky Walk

The Redwoods Sky walk is a quarter-mile (half km) trail system suspended 100 feet in the air in the canopy of old-growth and second-growth Redwood trees. Swinging bridges and walkways let you meander high through the trees in an intimate immersive encounter. Of course, for my Star Wars loving boys, this experience was joyfully reminiscent of the Ewoks tree dwellings in “Return of the Jedi” which was actually filmed in nearby Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, one of the many parks contributing to the Redwoods conservation efforts. Only 5% of these prodigious old-growth trees remain; it was incredible to partake in the canopy view although it was a bit anxiety-inducing watching the kids run along these bridges 100 feet up in the air!

The Sky Walk exists in partnership with the Sequioa Park Zoo, which is a small little “fun sized” zoo nestled in Eureka, CA. Cole had a few meetings to attend to for work so the kids and I spent a couple hours at the zoo to pass some time.

Hiking in the Redwoods

Our second venture into Redwoods National Park was by recommendation by the Ranger at the Thomas H Kuchel visitor center. We stopped there to pick up our Junior Ranger Activity books. These books have become an integral part of our homeschool curriculum as they provide a way to dive deeper into the significance of each park; the biodiversities, history, biomes, wildlife, conservation efforts, geological landmarks and more. The Ranger recommended the Foothill Trail loop – an easy, flat 2.5 mile (4 km) hike that should only take 2 hours with kids. It included the famed Big Tree, which is the 16th largest tree found in the Redwoods with a boastful 21-foot diameter base.

The trail was quite empty and peaceful, it was the perfect temperature and the kids were happy to run and explore, to marvel at the trees and tell us all the wonders of nature (Clover in the forest! A Bluebird! See that fern? It takes me 24 steps to walk around this tree. A banana slug!) that they happened across. Perhaps it was the joy of walking through these ethereal, serene trees that propelled us ever onward. But our failure to bring a map combined with the crisscross trail patterning without consistent signage meant we missed our turnoff and continued deeper and deeper into the forest.

By the time we had realized our mistake, we also realized we had no cell reception by which to download a map to correct it. Even though we tried to plan ahead and be wise, we acknowledge that a mistake like not bringing a physical map along could render us in a dangerous situation in the future. On this particular occasion, we each carried backpacks with large water bottles, extra snacks, and jackets. As well, it was early in the day and we had plenty of daylight left to either keep going and find another way to loop back or backtrack. We decided to keep going with the foreknowledge that there were more adjoining trails as well as the highway that we could connect to and head back to the car that way.

We eventually did join up to the highway via the Prairie Creek Trail. Checking out the information boards at the trailheads by the highway we found we had walked nearly 7km already and had about that far to go to get back, so Cole valiantly offered to jog back via the highway which was a direct route to the car as little legs were getting very tired! Each new park we stop at we try to increase the distance we expect the kids to be able to accomplish and at this point, the 4km we were expecting would have been just right. The boys and I rested with snacks in a grove of Redwoods that opened up at the base forming little caverns just the perfect size to play house in. So with the adventures of the Railway Children in the back of our minds (I have been reading the books to Asher), we set up “house” in the openings and the kids played quite happily while waiting for Cole.

Sue-mêg State Park

It was only a year ago that the California State Park Commission changed the name of Patricks Point to Sue-Mêg State Park, recognizing the Yurok people’s traditional name for the area. It is important for us to recognize the First People and Indigenous communities that held sovereignty before colonization. One of the boys’ learning goals for Indigenous studies is; “Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story.” What a powerful statement. It seems so simple but the profound truth is that much of our learning, appreciation, and acknowledgment comes from our experiences and validating the experiences of others. Visiting this important place and learning about the Yurok people is one way that we can foster understanding, compassion, responsibility, and respect.

Sue-Mêg is an extremely special place. A traditional Yurok village was built in the 1990’s as a way to educate not only their own youth but Californian school groups as a way of sharing the culture of the Yurok people. We learned so much there – did you know;

• The planks forming the roof are not attached but overlapped so that you can move them to adjust the temperature inside and the way smoke from the fires will filter out.
• When a Redwood canoe is retired it’s often placed upside-down along the ridge of a home or lodge to not only increase the integrity of the roof but as a sign of respect.
• The lashes used to tie to beams together at the end of rafters are made out of hazelwood saplings
• The circular doors are made to a certain diameter to prevent bears from entering.

The Sumêg Village is used for seasonal encampments as well as ceremonies, celebrations and traditions and has traditional Yurok family homes, a sweathouse, changing houses, a redwood canoe, and a dance house.

Agate beach

A quick hike down from Sumêg Village is Agate Beach, a long wild stretch of sand where, if you are lucky and look closely, you can find agates hidden amongst the rocks at the tideline. One of my boys is all about rocks, gemstones, fossils and other such treasures and we all LOVE the beach so it was a great way to spend a bit of time exploring before we had to head off to our reservation at Fern Canyon.

Agate Beach did not disappoint. The waves ran up against the shore as if in a race. The sand yielded as the boys ran with them. The great expanse of beach stretched on with other visitors dotted along the landscape so far away that we felt like it was all ours.

Fern Canyon

My most favorite place at the Redwoods, and I think everyone in our family would echo the sentiment, was Fern Canyon. You need to make a reservation in advance and it’s quite a drive to get out there but well worth it! The road out (one way in some places with many blind corners) goes over a mountain through a redwood forest and spits you out at Gold Bluffs beach. We were welcomed by a Ranger at an entrance checkpoint who checked our reservation and then warned us of the Elk in the area. It was a bit of a standing joke with our family – we had been in the Redwoods for several days and everywhere we went we were warned of Elk and everything was named after the Elk, but we hadn’t seen a single one! However, just a little way down the beach we spotted one happily walking along the sand!

There are two stream crossings to get to the end of Gold Bluffs Beach road. Being that it was late September and California was in a state of drought, both of these were fairly easy to accomplish with our Orlando, the deepest part being about 6 inches. The National Park Service government webpages are so wonderful for finding out everything you need to know before you visit one of the National Parks including road conditions, permits needed, things to do in the area, descriptions of hiking trails, closures, etc. We felt really prepared for Fern Canyon because of this great resource.

The short walk to the canyon is easy and pleasant. There’s nothing to suggest that all of a sudden you will find yourself at the bottom of 50-foot walls covered with five different varieties of ferns as well as mosses leading you down a hallway of glorious lush green life. A gentle stream flows at and around your feet with wooden walkways that create opportunities to cross if you are keen on keeping your feet dry. However the further you get into the canyon there are more and more chances to get your feet wet while traversing fallen logs brought down by winter storms. All of us happily ended up with wet feet as we explored to the fullest.

Fern Canyon has been a sought-after location for filming movies such as, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” “Walking with Dinosaurs,” and “Dinosaurs Alive.” You can see the allure of the prehistoric for the location as some of the ferns themselves are an ancient species, said to date back millions of years.

It was an incredibly special and revitalizing place, one that I felt grateful to experience. I hope it remains untouched and wild for years to come because I can’t wait to go back again.