Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThis
Points 10-13
10. Patricks Point State ParkFive miles north of Trinidad, the headland called Patricks Point juts seaward from the coast. Its 650-acre forested park includes a reconstructed Yurok Indian village as well as flowering meadows, sandy beaches, and dramatic cliffs carved by the pounding surf. A broken wall of sea stacks -- portions of the mainland orphaned by erosion -- frames the ocean view.
11. Humboldt Lagoons State Park
Comprising several inland bodies of water, Humboldt Lagoons State Park is a naturalist's delight, with several distinct habitats coexisting in harmony. Salt and freshwater marshes support numerous birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway, including herons, egrets, pelicans, and many species of ducks and geese. To the west a 15-mile-long barrier beach protects the lagoons from the raging sea.
12. Redwood National Park
Signed into being by President Lyndon Johnson, and later expanded to 106,000 acres by President Jimmy Carter, this wilderness of giants, which also includes several California state parks, hugs the Pacific coastline from Orick all the way to Crescent City, a distance of some 40 miles. To get oriented, begin with a stop at the Redwood Information Center, located off Rte. 101 just north of Freshwater Lagoon near the town of Orick. Here one can view maps, publications, and exhibits, as well as schedule a visit to the Tall Trees Grove.
Not to be missed is a side trip to the park's interior via Bald Hills Road. On the way, take time for the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail (ironically, a former logging road), an easy one-mile loop that takes hikers through the stately grove. Farther along Bald Hills Road, a six-mile access road descends to the Tall Trees Trailhead (a free permit is required), where a three-mile loop skirts the 361-foot Howard Libby Tree. Before losing six feet of its top in a windstorm, it was the tallest tree in the world. The record is now held by the Mendocino Tree, 367.5 feet, near Ukiah, California.
13. Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
The first of three state parks within the Redwood National and State Parks World Heritage Location, Prairie Creek draws campers and hikers from around the country to enjoy its inviting blend of forests, prairies, creeks, fern canyons, and hidden beaches. The park has an unusual welcoming committee: herds of Roosevelt elk, some with three-foot antlers, graze with serene indifference on the tall-grass prairie bordering the scenic parkway that threads through the area. The park is well-known for its wildlife, including black bears, bobcats, foxes, and such endangered bird species as the famously controversial spotted owl and the somewhat less well-known marbled murrelet, which nests in old-growth trees.
Advertisement 
feeds instead
