Redwood Highway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 132

200-acre grove of awe-inspiring trees. In this unique world a misty silence holds sway and
only occasional shafts of sunlight penetrate the broad canopy overhead.
2. Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area
Heading north from Leggett, Rte. 101 follows deep and winding canyons along the mean-
dering south fork of the Eel River into the region known as the Redwood Empire. To the
west lie the King Mountain Range and the “Lost Coast” of California, a virtually uninhab-
ited wilderness where up to 80 inches of rain drench the highlands each year and beaches
are strewn with numerous historic shipwrecks; to the east dense forests and lush meadow-
lands roll by, mile after mile.
Parks abound along the route. The Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area, just two
miles north of Leggett, occupies 1,000 acres of mostly second-growth redwoods, maples,
oaks, and Douglas firs, and one spectacular redwood, named for Mayflower colonist Miles
Standish. The Eel River, though, is the main attraction here, offering one of the best deep
swimming holes in the valley, and excellent fishing for salmon and steelhead trout. In
winter,runofffromtheneighboringmountainstransformsthisplacidriverofcleanemerald
waters into a raging torrent.
3. Richardson Grove State Park
The redwoods are hard to miss at this 1,000-acre park—the highway passes right through
the heart of an old-growth forest. For a closer look, investigate the 10 miles of inviting
trails that loop through the cathedral-like groves and along the rocky banks of the Eel.
4. Avenue of the Giants
Past the little town of Garberville, this 33-mile stretch of road parallels and crisscrosses
Rte. 101 as it passes through one of the state's largest and most venerable redwood forests.
A self-guiding auto tour (instructions are available at either the north or south ends of the
scenic drive) suggests nine stops, but abundant turnouts offer the chance to pause and mar-
vel unassisted at these giants. Reaching heights of 300 feet and more, many stand taller
than the Statue of Liberty and have been growing since the days of ancient Rome.
5. Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Occupying some 50,000 acres along the avenue's most scenic stretches, Humboldt Red-
woodsranksasthelargeststateparkinnorthernCaliforniaandishometooneofthelargest