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Avenue of the Giants Scenic Drive
Exploring Humboldt Redwoods State Park
(Continued)
Please read the first segment of the Avenue of the Giants scenic drive, if you haven’t done so.
This page explores the central and northern portions of the Avenue of the Giants scenic drive in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, including various easy trails.
You’ll start north from the Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center, where you left off the last time.
Avenue of the Giants trails in Humboldt Redwoods State Park
The Avenue of the Giants features a variety of easy trails that can be done within a short time, including an exceptionally gorgeous one that is wheelchair accessible.
You need not hike to enjoy the Avenue of the Giants, but we hope that you'll at least try the Drury-Chaney Trail described below.
Some trails include
- Founders Grove Loop Trail
- Rockefeller Loop Trail
- Tall Tree Trail at Big Trees
- Giant Tree at Big Trees
- Fallen Giant Flatiron Tree Trail at Big Trees, and
- Drury-Chaney Trail
If you prefer, the Humboldt Redwoods State Park website or volunteer rangers at the visitor center will guide you to longer and more difficult hikes. Humboldt State Park has true wilderness areas in rugged terrain away from the Avenue of the Giants.
Founders Grove Nature Trail
A sometimes crowded, but nevertheless very enjoyable trail is in Founders Grove, an area with particularly large trees, including Founders Tree.
The nearly flat Founders Grove loop trail, also called the Founders Grove nature trial, can easily be done in less than 30 minutes.
Coastal redwoods grow larger when they are at lower elevations along rivers and creeks. Moreover, although they don’t like the salt air found immediately adjacent to the coast, they grow bigger and taller when basking in damp marine air flowing in off the ocean, such as along the South Fork of the Eel River next to Founders Grove.
Coastal redwoods don’t like dry air and high temperatures. Those conditions are for lesser trees like poplars and pines, redwoods argue.
Because the air is dryer and the summer temperatures somewhat higher in the southern portion of Humboldt Redwoods State Park, redwoods along the northern portion of the Avenue of the Giants grow a bit taller than along the southern portion.
Directions to Founders Grove Nature Trail
It’s easy to reach the Founders Grove Nature Trail.
Drive north from the Humboldt Redwoods State Park visitor center along the Avenue of the Giants.
Continue past Burlington Campground.
After the Avenue of the Giants crosses the U.S.101 freeway, turn right onto Dyersville Loop Road.
In a moment, you'll see parking for Founders Grove on your left.
The short loop trail begins across the road.
Mattole Road trails
From Founders Grove, go back to the Avenue of the Giants and turn right.
Drive north on the Avenue of the Giants.
Quickly, you’ll reach Mattole Road.
Turn left onto Mattole Road and drive under the freeway.
Mattole Road, which also goes to Albee Creek Campground and to isolated Cape Mendocino, takes you to the Big Trees area, to the Rockefeller Loop Trail, and to the most easily accessible areas of the park that are less visited.
Rockefeller Loop Trail
A mile west of the Avenue, the Rockefeller Loop Trail, which takes some 30 minutes, provides a fine walk with no steep grades.
We'll walk the trail, but first a bit of background.
Development of California's redwood parks
The forest here, the largest grove in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, was named after John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who donated to preserve 10,000 acres of redwood trees at this site.
Thus started a family tradition.
- John D’s son Laurance, sometimes in conjunction with his father, donated land for Virgin Islands National Park and money or land for the establishment, enlargement, and improvement of others, including Acadia, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountain, and Yosemite national parks.
- Another son New York governor and eventual U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller put his heart into the expansion of New York’s state parks and forest preserves while in Albany. He also donated Kykuit, the family's idyllic Hudson Valley home and gardens, to the National Trust upon his death, as well as additional land to the state park system.
Although the Rockefeller family contribution to California's redwood state parks was larger than most, for years the park system developed mostly through gifts from families, garden and other clubs, and small preservation groups, not through government acquisitions. Trees were preserved one grove at a time.
The state was slow—and the federal government even slower—to protect these wonderful trees.
Rockefeller Loop Trail
You won’t always find the Rockefeller Loop Trail well marked, but if you keep going in a loop, you should be okay. Stay on the heaviest traveled paths.
Besides, the Eel River, Bull Creek, and Mattole Road confine the area. You can’t venture too far off track.
Plan on less than 30 minutes walking in this beautiful area.
Big Trees trails
The Big Trees area, four miles from the Avenue of the Giants, offers 3 very short but interesting walks. If you are the type who likes to tick items off of a "to do list" quickly, this is the stop for you.
At Big Trees, less than 30 minutes total takes you to the
- Tall Tree of the Rockefeller Forest—check,
- Giant Tree (With a 53 foot circumference, we’re not kidding)—check, and
- Fallen giant Flatiron Tree—check.
There’s no access from the Big Trees parking lot starting from when winter rains begin around October to when the runoff subsides in late May or perhaps early June.
Drury-Chaney Trail – our favorite
From Mattole Road, return to the Avenue of the Giants, and drive north.
If you have time for just one trail in any of the redwood parks, hike the Drury-Chaney Trail.
This easy walk takes around 45 - 75 minutes without stops. It has an all-weather surface.
The route is clearly defined, but please hold the hands of small children, because among these densely packed giant trees, they could be out of sight in an instant.
From the parking area to a fire access road, you’ll walk in and out on the same trail.
However, soon after the fire road, Drury splits into a loop trail. Take the section on your left and go around.
Or—please, only if you have to—skip the loop portion to save time.
Because the trail sign does not show up well from the road, watch for the following 4 indications:
As you near the northernmost portion of the park, at
- Milepost 43.9,
- Some 10 miles north of the Visitor Center,
- Just before Pepperwood village, and
- Immediately past a sign pointing right to Shively,
parking for the Drury Trail should pop up on your left. If you enter Pepperwood village, you’ve driven too far.
Don't let a sign adjacent to the parking area that discusses second-growth forests mislead you.
With humongous trees like these, this isn’t a second growth forest. It is instead one of the most beautiful and majestic portions of Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
Unlike many redwood groves, where trees block the light that promotes lush ground cover, vigorous growth covers the floor of Drury. That helps make this area especially beautiful.
The lush blanket probably results at least in part from the proximity of this portion of Humboldt State Park to the Pacific, which brings in more fog and dampness.
Wheelchair accessible
Several years ago, park rangers finished making the entire Drury-Chaney Trail wheelchair accessible.
During the winter, heavy rains may create a few gullies and a branch or two may fall, but normally people with reasonably strong arms should be able to wheel themselves along this gentle trail without difficulty.
If not, enough hikers use the trail during the summer to help give a push now and then for a single traveler.
End of Avenue of the Giants
Continue north along the Avenue of the Giants through Pepperwood.
Humboldt State Park ends, and soon you’ll reach the U.S. 101 freeway.
Take the northbound onramp toward Eureka.
The Avenue of the Giants has a competitor, the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway in Redwood National Park, and we’re off to explore it also!
Go on to Part 6: Scenic drive from Avenue of the Giants to Arcata, and continue your scenic drive!
Part 1: Redwood and Mendocino scenic drive introduction,
Part 2: Directions from San Francisco to Mendocino,
Part 3: Mendocino scenic drive,
Part 4: Avenue of the Giants scenic drive,
Part 5: Avenue of the Giants scenic drive (continued),
Part 6: Scenic drive from Avenue of the Giants to Arcata,
Part 7: Arcata travel guide – what to do,
Part 8: Humboldt and Mendocino counties in depth,
Part 9: Scenic drive from Arcata to Redwood National Park,
Part 10: From Redwood National Park to San Francisco,
Part 11: Motels and hotels along your redwood scenic drive,
Part 12: Camping along your redwood scenic drive, and
Part 13: Mendocino and Redwood parks airport choices.
