NorCal Road Trip Day 4: The Tallest Trees on Earth

We woke up at The Inn at 2nd & C in Old Town Eureka. From the window of our boutique Victorian hotel, I could see the brackish waters of Humboldt Bay dancing in the morning sunlight. Rebecca was still asleep, recovering from the late arrival the night before. In need of a cup of coffee and lodging for the coming evening, I made my way down to the lobby. 

An employee named Stephanie was extremely helpful and friendly. I told her about our decision to stay in Eureka for a second night instead of following our original plans and asked if she had any availability for us. Not only was Stephanie able to secure us a room, but she moved us to her favorite room in the entire hotel: the Captain’s Quarters. 

Once I saw it, I recognized it as the room that convinced me to book the hotel in the first place. I loved the angular ceilings, restored charm and colorful walls of the room when I saw it online. It even featured an exclusive sitting area that overlooked the intersection below from the hotel’s turret. It was so perfect that we were going to get to experience that room after all. I couldn’t wait to tell Rebecca the good news when I returned to the room!

Before Rebecca and I embarked on the day’s big adventure to Redwood National Park, we stopped at a local co-op to get some hiking snacks and asked the staff there for any recommendations for lunch on our way. Heeding the local advice, we stopped in Arcata on our way north for lunch at Japhy’s, a soup and noodle place. After sampling some local coffee from Northtown Coffee, we continued on Highway 101 into the coastal wilderness.

There’s no shortage of things to see at Redwood National Park. Redwoods typically grow the tallest in the flat land of valleys, where they have plenty of moisture and are protected from the wind and salt of the coast. So, a few weeks before our trip, I secured a permit to access the Tall Trees Grove, located in a valley home to the world’s tallest tree: Hyperion. 

Hyperion stands at around 380 feet! We’d heard the exact location of Hyperion isn’t widely shared to discourage people from going off trail and potentially damaging the tree by climbing it, carving into it or other silly things humans do. Apparently, step-by-step instructions to Hyperion are shared online but we chose to abide by the rules set by conservation experts. Still, we thought we’d at least be able to eyeball things and say, “Yep, that one is the tallest!” But it turns out: almost all of these trees look like they could be Hyperion, and they are all awesome in the literal sense of the word.

We spent over three hours walking among the giant trees, admiring their height, size, age and color. There’s nothing like looking up at a tree that is over 50 times my height, or touching the trunk of a tree that predates the Declaration of Independence by centuries. At one point, I heard Rebecca lean in close to a tree and whisper, “I respect you.” It’s an otherworldly, spiritual and humbling place. I cannot recommend it enough. If you want to see the redwoods, you can do that in places further south and easier to access than Tall Trees Grove. But, if you’re willing to put in the time it takes to include Redwood National Park in your trip, do it—it’s worthwhile. 

A peaceful creek flowed through the grove, so we sat down to rest and admired our surroundings. We noticed beautiful wildflowers, stone grey frogs and even a doe grazing on the other side of the water. I closed my eyes and pretended I was sitting in the Garden of Eden. Ancient, life-giving trees surrounded us, both inspiring and humbling me. Life was plentiful and was displayed in countless species and sounds around us. And I felt connected to creation, surrounded by a landscape that, with the exception of a hiking path, had little to no signs of human meddling. 

On our drive out of Redwood National Park, we stopped at the beach area near the western entrance and caught a perfectly timed setting sun shining over the Pacific waves and the sea stacks they pounded. Our leisurely pace meant the gift shop was closed (major mistake) so we headed back for our second night in Eureka.

We picked up a pizza in Arcata and drove back to The Inn at 2nd & C. And in true Loran and Rebecca fashion, we sat down to eat that messy pizza in the elegant lounge of our Victorian mansion.

I wouldn’t have had it any other way.