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A Redwood Road Trip
Discover the Gentle Giants of Northern California
By Teri Brown
There are many attractions for amusement-hungry children throughout the Redwoods. One of the premier attractions along highway 101 is the Trees of Mystery, and we spent an entire afternoon there. Giant statues of Paul Bunion and Babe the Blue Ox greet you in the parking lot and you will want to get a picture of them. (Also note that Babe the Blue Ox is anatomically correct, so be prepared for some questions!)
Once inside we opted to go on the interpretive trail up to the Sky Trail. The walk was beautiful and led us to many unusual trees and tree groups including the Cathedral Tree, where many weddings take place. The Sky Trail is a gondola ride up to the top of the trees giving you a unique look at the canopy. The vertical rise is 571 feet and the view is amazing. Once at the top, you can linger on the observation decks or perhaps walk along one of the trails.
The trip down is just as spectacular and your trail takes a different route back to the gift shop and museum. This path includes the history of Paul Bunion and some fun sculptures depicting a few of the characters included in these tall tales. After we pai for the Sky Trial ride we explored the gift shop and found ourselves back in a Native American museum. The End of the Trail Museum boasts an incredible collection of Native American artifacts that has been assembled over a period of about 40 years by museum owner, Marylee Thompson. My teens were impressed by the collection, and from what I could tell, younger children were equally as delighted.
