With giants for trees looming thirty stories into the air, shrouded in fog and an air of mystery, it is no wonder this place is called the lang of giants and the enchanted forest! The Redwood Forest or Coastal Redwoods along the Hwy 101 in Northern California is a place that still hides from the masses and yet each year still gets a few explorers pulled that way each year. While I personally love the fact that it is still relatively quiet and that the drive honestly deters many folks from going, I also advocate that at least once during a lifetime, a visit is warranted and, in all likelihood, should be required!

The Redwood groves of the Lady Bird Grove of the Damnation Redwoods along the Del Norte Coastline are something out of a fairytale. With giant redwoods that are hundreds of feet tall and well over a dozen feet across on many of them, this place feels Jurassic in nature.  The birds singing echo through the forest in a way that sounds as if you are in a canyon where the sound carries off in every direction for miles, yet it is the trees that create this effect on sound. The fog is often a common occurrence along this coastline and during the months of May and June it isn’t all that uncommon to find the late morning sunshine filtering through the redwood groves in large displays of beaming light rays, often called “God Rays”. This phenomenon of light rays in the fog is so mystical that it often makes my lower jaw fall open for minutes at a time and if you see it for the first time, you may actually begin to well up inside because of its incredible beauty.

If you are truly lucky you will be witness to the perfect trifecta of fog, light rays and blooming rhododendrons! There are not many things in life that truly bring my heart rate down and up at the same time as this place does, however it is so mysterious and elegant, yet so beautiful that it will leave you breathless in a way you’ve never felt before.

RHODODENDRONS AND LIGHTRAYS

In late May into June the coastline that remains wet all year begins to warm up a bit. As this happens, the heat begins to have a radiative effect on the sea and coastal fog becomes a regular occurrence. During these clear days when the coastal fog moves into the redwoods from the ocean, you have the opportunity on some days to witness explosions of light rays peeking from every redwood you see! While this is a hit and miss type of event, it is certainly well worth your while to try to time your visit to try to see the beautiful blooming rhododendrons along with the light ray spectacles each year in late spring and early summer.

LADY BIRD AND PRAIRIE CREEK REDWOOD GROVES

Just outside of Orick, California is the Lady Bird Grove, The Prairie Creek Grove and the infamous Fern Wall, where you can literally walk a creek bed through the forest with tall walls covered in dainty maiden’s hair ferns. Each of these groves deserves your time and exploration, as they hold an allure and enchantment all to themselves. The dynamic diversity and wide range of flora and fauna, rich with history from the Native American Indian tribes and the long past Gold Rush are all quite incredible and evident here! As you drive the bald Hills road toward the Lady Bird redwood grove, you will begin to gain elevation and at times the displays of blooming rhododendrons here can be overwhelming! The enchanting forest backdrops, ferns, mossy covered deadfall and then brilliant pink rhododendrons in the middle of it all is truly magic in real life!

OFF TRAIL EXPLORING

While Exploring the Redwoods along the Damnation Creek Trail is the best bet and the most highly advisable way to visit these enchanting redwood groves, at times I will strike out on an ambitious endeavor to hike into the belly of the beast, going off trail in some of the more remote coastal canyons.  While I do not advise this to most, for some this added layer of adventure is very rewarding. Views of the surrounding Redwoods that you cannot help but to think are a first for human eyes simply because of the extreme difficulty in getting around here.

There is no cell phone service in the Redwoods, so if you need help you must either have an emergency backup plan, a satellite phone or an InReach device. The forest here is so dense and the deadfall is so prolific that it is almost impenetrable. It takes someone who truly embraces difficulty and in all reality loves to suffer through the process of hoping to see something that will be exceptional in order to embark on these forays into the unknown. Many times, it will take well over three hours to go less than a mile in this country! However, if you pick the right drainage and work your way down into it, there can be views that will leave you so floored at the reality of their beauty that you may become addicted to them!

JEDEDIAH SMITH GROVE

The Jedediah Smith Redwood grove is the Northernmost State Park in California out of all of the Redwood groves. It bolsters some ten thousand acres of park land and holds some of the oldest trees in the Redwood National Park area. There are many trails within the park and along with the other areas, all of them have something special to offer. Centrally located to Crescent City and relatively close to Brookings Oregon, there are many places, activities and sights to experience here.

AVENUE OF THE GIANTS

A place of noteworthy mention is the Avenue of the Giants. This Redwood Grove is further from the coast, so you aren’t likely to get any for or light rays in them, however the Redwoods themselves are very impressive in stature and the early spring brings about the loveliest carpets of Sorrel that you have ever seen. The interplay here of giant trees and soft carpets of green really stand out making one feel as if they are in a fairytale land.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS IN THE REDWOODS

When I go into the Redwoods, my intentions are to enjoy each moment and hopefully walk away capturing some images that evoke a sense of scale and at the same time capture the intimate beauty held within this magical place. While the trees themselves are so huge that it is utterly impossible to gain perspective as to the scale of them without placing a person in the foreground wearing a bright contrast color to see the sheer size of everything in your frame, it is all possible to capture the magic that this place offers.  

Shoot WIDE, bring a lens that is anywhere between 12-24mm and something fairly fast. Also bring a lens that will allow for some compressed work, something in the 24-70mm range should do the trick perfectly.

Because of the often-low light conditions that exist here, I highly recommend that you bring a sturdy tripod for slow shutter speeds.  I also will add that since fog is a diffuse water and atmospheric trait, shooting in higher ISO will result in degraded quality very quickly. I recommend that you shoot everything below ISO 250 and try to stay below ISO 100 if possible and often that has you taking shots at around 1/5th of a second. You may have to take several shots before everything stands still for long enough to get your capture, however the final image quality is going to really shine when you are back in your editing bay working on your hard-won files after a great trip into the Redwoods!

A CAUTIONARY NOTE

While these places are full of magic and hidden allure, they are also very delicate and extremely fragile ecosystems. I always like to do my best to tread lightly and while I believe capturing these images in a way fosters a pathway forward for those to see how beautiful they are and why they should be protected, I also believe it is important to go out and see them for yourself in order to better appreciate and respect them. 

I only recommend off trail work to those who are familiar with navigating in the deep wooded forests as part of their wood’s wise lifestyle. It is very easy to get lost or turned around in these places and there is no one around to get help for you. So, as I always advise, create a plan, know your limits, be safe and tread lightly. Hopefully places like this will be around for generations to come, they are certainly worthy of our love, respect and admiration!

The post A VISIT TO THE REDWOOD FORESTS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST appeared first on Marlon Holden Fine Art.