Last year after we camped with our friends on Miller Bar in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, we drove back to San Francisco via Highway 101 and missed an opportunity to drive Avenue of the Giants. We kept seeing signs to turn onto it, but assumed it was some kind of tourist trap. It wasn’t until later that we realized that it was actually a more scenic 32-mile route paralleling 101 that meandered through some of the best old growth redwood forests in Humboldt County.
Fortunately, we were able to rectify that mistake when we found ourselves along the same stretch of road after attending the NWOR Overlanding Rally in Washington. We had stayed the night before in Grant’s Pass, Oregon and spent the next morning driving along the coast down through the network of forests that make up the Redwood National and State Parks. This time we veered off Highway 101 and entered Avenue of the Giants (or route 254) from it’s north entrance, just south of Scotia.
The redwoods loomed large above us on both sides and immediately, time slowed down. It felt like we were driving a toy car through the land of giants. We picked up an auto tour brochure and continued to the Drury-Chaney Grove (stop #8, mile marker 44) where we got out to stretch our legs and do a short hike. It was magical walking among the redwoods, the ground carpeted in sorrel.
From there we drove to see the Rockefeller Forest, a short detour along Mattole Road. John D. Rockefeller was so taken with these redwoods that he donated $2M in the late 1920s to preserve these trees. We did the quick 1-mile loop around these majestic giants. It’s easy to see why Rockefeller fell in love with this place.
We made a final stop at the Visitor Center. Lots of people were camping in the nearby Burlington Campground and I was surprised to learn that Visitor Center sold firewood. I guess fires weren’t a big concern for this time of year.
Back on Avenue of the Giants, we continued south and eventually popped back onto Highway 101 near Phillipsville. It had been a lovely detour and well worth the extra time to slow down and be among the redwoods.
Coda
While this was a beautiful drive, it’s worth noting that there are equally beautiful stretches of Highway 101 that hug the coast and also meander through redwoods forests. In fact, the entire portion of Highway 101 north of the AotG makes for a wonderful roadtrip, with opportunities to camp or stay in small town along the way. When we did the drive last year, we stopped and hiked to the coast on this fantastic trail to Damnation Creek. You can read more about that trip here.