The world famous Avenue of the Giants scenic drive is by far one of the most amazing array of redwoods in Humboldt County. The Avenue of Giants gives you access to countless hiking trailheads, picnic areas, rivers and groves. If you want to window shop, pick up some mementos or buy picnic supplies, stop by one of the numerous small towns along the Avenue such as Pepperwood, Redcrest, Weott, Myers Flat (home to the Shrine Drive-Thru Tree), Miranda and Phillipsville.

When you’re cruising along the Avenue of the Giants, be sure to stop by Founder’s Grove to wander through some of the tallest and oldest trees in the world. This easy trek includes a half-mile loop trail with exemplary specimens of the redwoods that give the Avenue its name, including the towering Founders Tree and the Dyerville Giant, a fallen redwood that’s an estimated 2000 years old. Commune with nature beneath the cathedral-like canopy, and be reminded that we are but small pieces in a much larger puzzle. 

Located alongside the Avenue of the Giants, this 10,000 acre swath of the Humboldt Redwoods State Park is particularly beautiful. Rockefeller Forest is the largest old-growth coastal redwood forest in the world. Here, the clear waters of Bull Creek converge with the winding Eel River. Take the Rockefeller Loop Trail, a .6 mile stroll, into the dark, dense forest where it becomes apparent that time has little meaning for the ancient trees around you.

You know you’ve witnessed some of the largest trees on the planet when you find yourself driving your car through the very center of one. The Shrine Drive-Thru Tree (Myers Flat) allows you to return home again with photographs to prove you were not subject to ingesting some of the local forest mushrooms and did, indeed, pass directly through a living giant.