Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

The Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway is a 10 mile alternate route to Highway 101. Named after a man who dedicated 40 years to preserving redwood forests and securing hundreds of thousands of acres as parkland,

 savetheredwoods.org

this scenic drive passes through the heart of old-growth redwoods in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

We backtrack north in our car, after visiting Lady Bird Johnson’s Grove, and stop for a short 1/2 mile hike on the Circle Trail

to take a look at Big Tree, one of the largest in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. (Redwood Visitor Guide)

It really is impressive and I try to capture all 304 feet of this 1500-year-old redwood. My pictures, however, don’t quite portray this enormous tree in all of its magnificence.

After oohing and awing we continue past Big Tree in search of the rest of the Circle Trail. But all we come across is the following trail marker.

So we head toward Cal Barrel Road only to turn back and retrace our steps to the car. But we are not disappointed in the least. Whether we walk beside or peer skyward, the scale and timelessness of these towering ancient trees inspire us to care about our environment.