Road Trippin' Pt3: Redwoods and Northern California Coast

Our final stretch took uu back into Californai and the mighty Redwoods — we kayaked the crystal-clear Smith River, hiked amongst giants, collected Junior Ranger badges. We ticked off 3 more movie locations As we wound south through Mendocino, Bodega Bay, and finally across the fogged out Golden Gate Bridge and the end of our trip. Two weeks, 2,300 miles - done!

We woke at Kamp Klamath to the dawn chorus at 5am and snoozed until the sun came up. I’ve since learned that the Klamath River has recently been restored by removing dams in conjunction with the indigenous people. 

Today we were to be immersed in the Redwoods, so many people had told has how wonderful these trees are so we were excited for the day. Not one to do things normally, I had booked a kayaking trip on the Smith River to paddle through these great wonders. 

The Smith River is the only river without a dam in California, the water is crystal clear and cold. My favorite type of water! We launched our inflatable kayaks and followed the guide down river, there were a few small rapids to get over. Super fun and no one fell out. Soon, we were joined by a river otter who swam with us, climbed onto the banks and waggled its butt at us. This was so incredible, we are used to seeing the sea otters on the coast so to see a river one was marvelous. 

We pulled into a rock in the middle of the river with the opportunity to jump off - i didn’t but of course I got in a swam in the cool refreshing water. Back in our kayaks and we arrived at Stout Grove. Quite a popular grove in the Jedediah Smith  Redwood area so we got some odd looks wandering around in wetsuits and life vests. Seeing the trees with a guide was worthwhile as we learnt a fair amount about the trees and how this ecosystem behaves. 

Back on the river and the final stretch to our put in point and we had to negotiate more small rapids and one that was Grade II! It was great fun but H was getting nervous about the massive rapid ahead. We went over it and told him afterwards that it was done and he was do proud! Back at the beach and our Jeep - we dried off, had another tail gate picnic before heading to the visitor center. 

The National Park Service visitor centers are worth going to. The knowledge of the rangers is incredible and they will help you find a trail or area to explore that suits your needs. They also run the Junior Ranger Program so H collected his workbook completed it and earned his second badge. We drove along the Avenue of Titans and took a quick walk along the Grove of Titans (there were a lot of people so we didn’t last long). Further along the road that winds through the Redwood Grove was the Boy Scout Trail so we hiked some of this one instead. No boardwalks and a proper trail. These trees are way more impressive than anyone can describe to you, hundred of years old, taller than tall things and doing their bit of the climate every single day. 

We returned to camp, lit a fire, toasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and reflected on the incredible day. 

We’d earned a lazy start, H even lazier - we were decamping around him and finally had to wake him up by deflating his bed. 

Our first stop was the Prairie Creek Visitor Center where H earner his third Junior Ranger Badge. This area is new growth Redwoods so it looks a little different to the Jedediah area, but we weren’t here for the Redwoods.

We had managed to get a permit for Fern Canyon so headed for the track to get to this magically place. The NPS website and the guidebook warn that you must have a decent car to get along this route. It is a dust road that winds through the trees and towards the coast before arriving at the trail head carpark. Which was full of Tesla’s and even Cruise America camper! 

The Canyon is incredible with a stream running through, it is recommended to take water shoes as sometimes its impassable without them. We managed in our waterproof boots and avoided wading. There are trees to clamber over and rocks to navigate. The canyon is full of life, so green with a variety of plants throughout. Sadly no dinosaurs as this canyon was used in Jurassic Park. Back along the dust track and onwards to the Humbolt Redwoods. This is the first place we actually managed to get a spot in the state park campsite so we we’re pitch amongst these giant trees. 

We had another slow start as the pace of life on road has slowed, the sun rose and beamed light between the trees which was spectacular. Our plan was to stay local an the visitor centre was right next to to our campsite. We asked about good places to hike and were given a good itinerary that would take in the highlights of the Humbolt Redwoods whilst also getting off the beaten track. H earner another Junior Ranger Badge. 

We drove along the Avenue to Giants that winds through the Redwood grove and found the ‘Founders Tree’ which is massive. We did the classic photo of arms out stretched and could have down with a a few friends to get all the way round. We headed to the Bull Creek trail and did a 4 mile hike through these impressive tress, the first grove we awed at was the Tall Tree Grove - I love the imaginative names here. We barely saw a soul as not many people sway far from the road and parking lots. Our hike took us over streams and up into these impressive towering trees. This area was used as Endor in Star Wars - the boys were way more impressed than me. 

We headed back to camp and grabbed our swimmers to cool off in the river across the road from our campsite. We waded and dipped and had the whole river to ourselves. We had a Young Sheldon inspired dinner - spaghetti and hotdogs which is actually pretty delicious. A campfire, more marshmallows and a peaceful night in the trees.

As we left the Redwoods behind we really felt like we were on our way home. There was one last things to do before heading back to the coast. There is a famous drive through tree that Grandad and told H all about. The ‘experience’ cost us $15 and despite the guy measuring the height of the car we almost lost a back off the roof and jammed the Jeep into the narrow whole. It was pretty funny but my Dad still owes us $15! H found it hilarious - particuarly as the French man who was deciding whether to take his hire car through took one look at his wife an said “Non” very firmly. 

We took the mountain road to back to the coast which was heart in mouth type switch backs and climbs. I almost kissed the ground when we got our first glimpse of the Pacific. Back on the coast road we wound our way to Mendocino and our final camping spot. We headed straight to town and ate an amazing lunch in now of the many independent eateries, this small town is full or independent shops and art galleries. 

Our camp was a small campsite with just 4 tent pitches in the woods, the sky was clear and the start shone brightly, we had a relaxing evening around the fire. 

Our final non travel day was spent in this pretty coastal town, we spent the day on the beach, walking the cliff paths and mooching around the shops. The coast here is stunning, and the town is at the mouth of Big River. There is a kayaking/canoeing company that you can rent traditional canoes from to explore the river, it looked great but alas we should have booked a while back. 

We had a final camp meal sausages - I had the most bizarre conversation with the butcher who had moved to this remote stretch of California from Essex (UK) which explained why the sausages were so good. Our final night camping night was so peaceful with bats buzzy around the camp and I made a point of getting up in the night to see the incredible stars. 

Now we really feel like we are heading home as we have one night stop left. Our route hugged the foggy coast, the route twists and turns along rugged coastline and through small coastal towns. Whilst today wasn’t a long drive we decided we want to just get to our last stop as I had booked a lovely hotel with a pool. 

Our final stop was a Bodega Bay - famous for being the location of Hitchcock’s The Birds - and we our hotel was The Inn at the Tides. This was a real treat at the end of a long journey. We spent the afternoon in the pool and hot tub, sat on our veranda  and watched the fog roll in. We ate at the Wharf which was originally used in the Birds. The fog really rolled in whilst we were eating and by the time we got back to the hotel to enjoy our complimentary bottle of wine we deemed it too cold to sit out and enjoy the ‘view’. We’ve definitely  lost our British hardiness.

On last highlight of the trip was to be on the long drive home. Our route took us towards San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge, in true San Francisco  Bay the bridge was shrouded in fog but it lifted enough to view the bridge. The drive across was not fun, I was in the driving seat and unusually for the US the lanes are narrow - I need to work out how to remove the audio from the GoPro video! Five hours later and we completed the circuit - 2,300 miles completed.