Exploring Part Of The Redwood Coast in California

This morning we decided to pack up a lunch and explore a bit of the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.  We started just a mile west of our RV park in Klamath by taking the Coastal Drive.  This is a narrow, scenic, partially paved road that takes you on an 8-mile drive high above the Pacific Ocean.  Although the sky above was clear and blue, there was a heavy fog bank lying low.  It covered up any view of the ocean.

                                            If the fog wasn’t there, the view would be wonderful.

The Coastal Drive is so narrow that sometimes 2 cars cannot pass.  We had to pull over several times to allow another car to go past.  Even though we could not see the ocean, it was fun to drive along and enjoy the forest.  This coastal fog is one of the things that have helped the giant Redwood trees thrive in this area.

                                            This part of the road is paved with a pull-out.

                                            The sun shot it’s beams down onto the road.

Once we got to the end of the Coastal Drive we picked up the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway.  This is a fully paved road that takes you through the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in the Coast Mountain Range.  There are numerous hiking opportunities here.  We did pull off the road to check out a short trail.  No dogs allowed so we left Annie in the car, which was why we didn’t take a longer trail into the forest. 

                                                           Majestic Redwood trees hug the roadway.

There were a few people out for these short hikes today.  These trails are not good for the disabled as there are many tree roots sticking up, elevation shifts and uneven terrain.  One of the best parts of being off the road and inside the forest is the total quiet.  All you can hear is a light wind rustling the tree tops and the occasional bird chirping. 

                                           The sun was streaming in through the tall trees. 

                                            This large burl on a Redwood looked like a face. 

Bruce and I took turns posing for a pic with these giant trees.  Like Bruce said today, “no matter how many times we come here, these trees are totally amazing to see.”  It’s true.  We never get tired of returning to this coastal area of California.

                                            Bruce took his turn first.

                                            Next it was my turn with a different group of trees.

After returning to our car and Annie, we drove on down to the end of the Drury Parkway and the Prairie Creek Visitor Center.  This is by the viewing area for the Roosevelt Elk which are the most commonly seen mammals in this park area.  Not today!  The elk were not to be seen.  That’s OK since we’ve seen them here many times.

We drove on down to the Elk Meadow area and got out our picnic lunch.  It was a beautiful day and just a little on the cool side.  After eating we drove out toward Gold Bluffs Beach.  This is reached by driving west on Davison Road.  Davison Road is another narrow, unpaved road through the forest.  Trailers and RV’s are not allowed because this is such a bad road.  There is a campground at the end of the road but we did not explore that.  It is suitable for tents and small RV’s like truck campers.  We got to the end of our part of the road to find Gold Bluffs Beach shrouded in a bit of fog and gray skies overhead. 

                                            More coastal fog.

                                            A lot of driftwood on this beach.

This pretty much concluded our touring day.  We got the WiFi at our RV park today so we could get this post and the one before it posted onto the blog.  I’ll be planning an RV park review of this place in a day or two.  Tomorrow will be another travel day for us. 

Until next time…..so long for now!