California's Redwood Giants
"When you visit the park, take a drive on the scenic 31-mile Avenue of the Giants (more photos), which runs through the park. There are eight auto tour stops along
the Avenue. Pick up a tour card describing the stops at either the North or South end of the Avenue, or in our Visitor Center." www.humboldtredwoods.org
Camping at Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
Some call California Hwy 36 the perfect road (see
larger map), with elevation changes and rarely a straight, flat stretch as you ride thru the Trinity National Forest from I-5 to the coast. See some nice photos and a detailed description. Be
prepared for heavy traffic with logging trucks if you take Hwy 299 out of Redding. There's more riding south of Red Bluff detailed below.
A few miles north on Hwy 101, make a left on Hwy 211 toward Ferndale, Guy Fieri's hometown. He's the host of Diner's, Drive-ins, & Dives on Food Network. Grab a sweet or some great food on Main Street.
Back on Hwy 101 head a few miles north to the Loleta Cheese Factory for some great cheese.
Avenue of the Giants features three trees in Northern California that visitors can drive through. From the south, Chandelier Tree, is located in Drive-Thru Tree Park in the town of Leggett, 23 miles south of Garberville, where Hwy 1 intersects with Hwy 101. Shrine Drive-Thru Tree is 4 miles south of the Humboldt State Park visitor center, near Myers Flat. 95 miles north of Hwy 254, Tour Thru Tree, in the town of Klamath, California is 40 miles from the Oregon border. There is an admission charge to drive through each tree.
South of Red Bluff is gold country. Georgetown is one of those historic gold rush towns. See larger map with directions.
Hwy 49 continues thru gold country south of Placerville. There's plenty of lodging near Sonora. See larger map. This route is also close to Reno, NV for an easy fly and ride vacation. Yosemite Valley is just 2 hours south of this route. Some of Yosemite's great views are located along the one-way Northside Drive as you leave the valley. The National Park Service website has lots of info.
